The Desktop PDF SDK Your Product Ships On Instead of Building Three of Them

Windows: C++, C# (.NET and .NET Core), C, Java, and Python, running in both 32-bit and 64-bit desktop and server environments. Mac: Objective-C, C++, C# (.NET), Java, and Python, integrating with Xcode and major Mac IDEs and following Mac naming and coding conventions. Linux: C++, Java, and Python, available for both 32-bit and 64-bit operating systems, supporting embedded Linux for hardware products and scalable cloud applications. See the platform sub-pages for full language matrix details.

Yes. The Foxit Desktop SDK is designed for both scenarios. In a desktop application, the SDK provides a full-featured interactive PDF viewer and editor. In a server or batch environment, it allows you to programmatically create, convert, merge, split, and process millions of documents without a display environment. The same library, the same API knowledge, and often the same license covers both use cases, reducing complexity and cost for teams building products that touch documents in both contexts.

No. Foxit Desktop SDK libraries are self-contained. No Microsoft Office, no desktop editor install, and no external runtime services are required. The library runs entirely within your application and infrastructure. Documents are processed locally and never leave your environment.

Foxit maintains a consistent core feature set across all three platforms, which makes cross-platform development straightforward. The same capabilities for viewing, annotation, forms, signatures, encryption, and full-text search are available on Windows, Mac, and Linux. Some add-ons have platform-specific availability. For example, the Windows SDK includes the PDF ActiveX component for drag-and-drop integration into ActiveX-based applications, which is Windows-specific. Check the platform sub-pages for add-on availability per environment.

Yes. The Linux SDK in particular is purpose-built for enterprise and cloud server applications, optimized for embedded Linux hardware and scalable cloud infrastructure. It maintains low RAM use even through demanding tasks, with built-in out-of-memory recovery for graceful handling of large or complex documents at volume. Windows and Mac server environments are also supported for teams running Windows Server or macOS-based infrastructure.

Most teams have a working integration running within the first days of the trial. Integration involves copying the library files into your project, initializing with your license key, and referencing Foxit's core API, a process covered step by step in the developer guides for each platform. Foxit's sales engineers, developers themselves, are available throughout your 30-day trial to answer technical questions, help scope the integration, and review your implementation.

Foxit holds SOC 2 Type 2 certification and supports HIPAA, GDPR, TAA, Section 508, and FINRA compliance requirements. The Desktop SDK itself supports native PDF encryption and decryption, Microsoft RMS integration, permanent redaction, and PDF/A archival, giving your application the building blocks for document-level compliance in regulated industries.