HARDWARE PLANNING

What hardware does Paperless-ngx need?

Paperless-ngx is usually a modest home-server workload. OCR is the part most likely to create short bursts of CPU and memory use, so size around how many documents you expect to process at once rather than just the idle web interface.

CPU

OCR and document conversion benefit from multiple modern CPU cores. Paperless can process tasks in parallel, so more cores can shorten large import jobs, but there is little reason to buy workstation hardware for a household archive.

RAM

The project does not publish a single universal RAM minimum for every Docker deployment. A few gigabytes is a realistic small-server starting point, but the right amount depends on concurrent OCR, database choice and whether Tika, Gotenberg and other services run on the same machine.

Storage

Keep application data and the database on reliable local storage. Originals and archived documents also need enough room for growth and backups. Paperless stores both document data and application metadata, so plan recovery for the whole service rather than only the PDF folder.

Database

SQLite is supported, but the current Paperless-ngx setup guide recommends PostgreSQL for new installations. PostgreSQL or MariaDB is particularly sensible when you expect multiple users or higher throughput.

Mini PC or Raspberry Pi?

Both can work for small deployments. Modern x86-64 mini PCs generally make Docker, storage and OCR performance straightforward. ARM64 systems are supported, while older 32-bit ARM setups can require extra effort.

Source: Paperless-ngx setup documentation.