API Reference

Everything you need to generate PDFs programmatically.

v1https://api.renderpdfs.com

Authentication

All requests require an API key passed in the X-API-Key header. Get your key by creating a free account.

http

POST /v1/generate HTTP/1.1
Host: api.renderpdfs.com
X-API-Key: rpdf_your_key_here
Content-Type: application/json

Keep your key secret. Never expose it in client-side code or public repositories.

POST/v1/generate

Generate a PDF from raw HTML or a built-in template. Returns a PDF binary.

① Raw HTML

Send any HTML string — full CSS support included.

json

{
  "html": "<h1 style='font-family:sans-serif'>Hello World</h1>",
  "options": {
    "format": "A4",
    "margin": "20mm",
    "landscape": false
  }
}

② Built-in Template

Pass a template name and JSON data — we render it for you.

json

{
  "template": "invoice",
  "data": {
    "company_name": "Acme Corp",
    "client_name": "John Doe",
    "invoice_number": "INV-001",
    "issue_date": "2026-03-12",
    "due_date": "2026-04-12",
    "status": "due",
    "items": [{ "description": "Web Dev", "quantity": 1, "unit_price": "$1,500", "amount": "$1,500" }],
    "total": "$1,500.00"
  }
}

③ URL to PDF

Pass any public URL — we load the full page and capture it as a PDF.

json

{
  "url": "https://example.com",
  "options": {
    "format": "A4",
    "margin": "10mm"
  }
}

bash

curl -X POST https://api.renderpdfs.com/v1/generate \
  -H "X-API-Key: rpdf_your_key_here" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"url":"https://example.com"}' \
  --output page.pdf

Note: The URL must be publicly accessible. JavaScript-heavy pages are fully rendered before capture.

Response

Returns a PDF binary with Content-Type: application/pdf

bash

curl -X POST https://api.renderpdfs.com/v1/generate \
  -H "X-API-Key: rpdf_your_key_here" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"template":"invoice","data":{...}}' \
  --output invoice.pdf

Full example (JavaScript)

javascript

const res = await fetch("https://api.renderpdfs.com/v1/generate", {
  method: "POST",
  headers: {
    "X-API-Key": "rpdf_your_key_here",
    "Content-Type": "application/json",
  },
  body: JSON.stringify({
    template: "invoice",
    data: { company_name: "My Co", client_name: "Jane Doe", invoice_number: "INV-042", total: "$2,400.00" },
  }),
});
const pdf = await res.arrayBuffer();
fs.writeFileSync("invoice.pdf", Buffer.from(pdf));

Templates

Built-in templates powered by Handlebars. Pass your data and get a styled PDF instantly.

invoice

Professional invoice with line items, subtotal, tax, total, and a paid/due status badge.

company_nameclient_nameinvoice_numberissue_datedue_dateitems[]totalstatus

receipt

Compact monospace-style receipt. Great for POS systems and e-commerce order confirmations.

company_namereceipt_numberdateitems[]totalpayment_method

report

Multi-section document with title, author, paragraphs, and optional data tables per section.

titleauthordateorganizationsections[]

Options

Control the PDF output format via the optional options object.

Field	Type	Default	Description
`format`	string	`A4`	Page size: "A4", "A3", or "Letter"
`margin`	string	`20mm`	Margin on all sides. Any CSS unit (mm, px, cm)
`landscape`	boolean	`false`	Rotate page to landscape orientation

Rate Limits

Requests are limited per API key per minute, in addition to the monthly quota.

Plan	Requests / minute	Requests / month
Free	10	100
Starter	30	500
Pro	100	5,000

When a rate limit is hit, the API returns 429 with a retryAfter field (in seconds).

File Storage

Add "store": true to get back a download URL instead of raw bytes. The URL is valid for 24 hours.

json

{
  "html": "<h1>Invoice</h1>",
  "store": true
}

Response:

json

{
  "url": "https://files.renderpdfs.com/pdfs/abc123.pdf",
  "expires_in": 86400
}

Tip: Use store: true for async workflows, email attachments, or anywhere you need a shareable link.

Error Codes

All errors return JSON with an error field.

json

{ "error": "Monthly quota exceeded", "used": 50, "limit": 50, "plan": "free" }

Status	Meaning
200	PDF generated successfully
400	Bad request — provide "html", "url", or "template"
401	Missing or invalid X-API-Key
429	Monthly quota exceeded — upgrade your plan
500	PDF generation failed (check your HTML for errors)

SDKs & Examples

The API is plain HTTP — use it from any language.

🟩Node.js

const res = await fetch(URL, {
  method: "POST",
  headers: { "X-API-Key": KEY },
  body: JSON.stringify({ html }),
});
const pdf = await res.arrayBuffer();

🐍Python

import requests
r = requests.post(URL,
  headers={"X-API-Key": KEY},
  json={"html": html})
with open("out.pdf","wb") as f:
    f.write(r.content)

🐘PHP

$ch = curl_init(URL);
curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_POST, 1);
curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_HTTPHEADER,
  ["X-API-Key: $key"]);
$pdf = curl_exec($ch);

⚡cURL

curl -X POST $URL \
  -H "X-API-Key: $KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"html":"<h1>Hi</h1>"}' \
  -o output.pdf

Ready to start generating PDFs?

Get your free API key →