IronPdf requires certain system fonts to properly render content when generating PDFs. Windows Server Core 2019 and 2022 come with only a few built-in fonts, mainly just Lucon. This limited font support makes IronPdf incompatible by default.
To make IronPdf work in a Server Core container, you must install additional fonts like Arial. Below is a sample Dockerfile that shows how to copy and register the Arial font:
```
FROM mcr.microsoft.com/dotnet/sdk:8.0-windowsservercore-ltsc2022 as base
USER ContainerAdministrator
WORKDIR C:/
COPY arial.ttf c:/windows/fonts/arial.ttf
RUN powershell.exe -NoProfile -Command New-ItemProperty -Path 'HKLM:\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Fonts' -Name 'Arial (TrueType)' -PropertyType String -Value arial.ttf
```
Explanation of the Dockerfile commands:
-
USER ContainerAdministrator: Grants permission to modify the system registry and install fonts. -
COPY arial.ttf c:/windows/fonts/arial.ttf: Copies the Arial font file into the system fonts directory. -
New-ItemProperty: Adds a new registry entry for the Arial font so that the system recognizes and can use it during PDF rendering.
Note: This solution does not work with Windows Server Nano containers. Nano Server is a highly trimmed-down version of Windows that lacks key font rendering libraries and does not support font installation, making it incompatible with IronPdf.