PDF Generation API

Generate PDFs from JSON with a single REST call

Design a reusable PDF template once, then render invoices, certificates, reports, and forms from your app — POST your data, get back a finished PDF. No headless browser under the hood, scalable to tens of thousands of PDFs per second.

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Free — 100 PDFs/month, no credit card required.

POST /documents/{id}/render

JSON → PDF

curl -X POST https://api.pdfmakerapi.com/api/v1/documents/{id}/render \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer pmk_live_..." \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "data": {
      "client_name": "Aster & Co.",
      "invoice_number": "INV-2026-041",
      "total": "$6,966.00"
    }
  }' \
  --output invoice.pdf

JSON in, PDF out

One REST endpoint

No headless browser

Layouts never break

Any language

Just an HTTP request

Scales to high volume

Loop, batch, or no-code

How it works

From template to PDF in three steps

Step 1

Design a reusable template

Build your layout in the visual editor and wrap the parts that change in {{variables}} — tables, totals, addresses, anything. Save it and copy its document ID.

The PDFMakerAPI visual editor: an invoice template with studio_name, client_name, a line-items table, and total as variables, next to a live preview.

The in-app API panel for a saved template: the render endpoint, a Bearer API key, the data JSON, and cURL / Node / Python tabs.

Step 2

POST your data as JSON

Send your data to the render endpoint with an API key. Every saved template ships a ready-to-copy snippet — grab the exact endpoint, a sample request, and cURL / Node / Python from the API panel in the editor.

Step 3

Get the finished PDF

The response is the PDF itself — 200 · application/pdf. Save it, email it, or store it. One document or thousands, on demand.

The finished invoice PDF for Northline Design Studio with line items, subtotal, tax, and a $6,966.00 total filled in from the JSON data.

Code example

One REST call: JSON in, PDF out

Authenticate with an API key (pmk_live_…) as a Bearer token, POST a data object that matches your template's variables, and write the response to a file.

curl -X POST https://api.pdfmakerapi.com/api/v1/documents/YOUR_DOCUMENT_ID/render \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer pmk_live_xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "data": {
      "studio_name": "Northline Design Studio",
      "client_name": "Aster & Co.",
      "invoice_number": "INV-2026-041",
      "due_date": "2026-07-06",
      "total": "$6,966.00"
    }
  }' \
  --output invoice.pdf

const res = await fetch(
  "https://api.pdfmakerapi.com/api/v1/documents/YOUR_DOCUMENT_ID/render",
  {
    method: "POST",
    headers: {
      Authorization: "Bearer pmk_live_xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx",
      "Content-Type": "application/json",
    },
    body: JSON.stringify({
      data: {
        studio_name: "Northline Design Studio",
        client_name: "Aster & Co.",
        invoice_number: "INV-2026-041",
        total: "$6,966.00",
      },
    }),
  },
);

// The response body is the PDF itself.
const pdf = Buffer.from(await res.arrayBuffer());
require("fs").writeFileSync("invoice.pdf", pdf);

import requests

res = requests.post(
    "https://api.pdfmakerapi.com/api/v1/documents/YOUR_DOCUMENT_ID/render",
    headers={"Authorization": "Bearer pmk_live_xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx"},
    json={"data": {
        "studio_name": "Northline Design Studio",
        "client_name": "Aster & Co.",
        "invoice_number": "INV-2026-041",
        "total": "$6,966.00",
    }},
)

# The response body is the PDF itself.
with open("invoice.pdf", "wb") as f:
    f.write(res.content)

Generating in bulk? Loop or parallelize the call, or trigger it from a no-code workflow — the pipeline scales horizontally to high volume.

Use cases

What you can build

Any business document that follows the same layout every time and changes only by data.

Invoice & receipt PDF API

Turn order data into clean, branded invoices and receipts automatically — no manual document assembly.

Learn more →

Report & statement PDF API

Generate data-rich business reports and account statements from JSON, complete with tables, charts, and page numbering.

Learn more →

Certificate PDF API

Issue completion certificates, awards, and credentials at scale — perfect for course platforms and automation workflows.

Learn more →

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

What is a PDF generation API? +

A PDF generation API turns structured data into finished PDF documents over HTTP. With PDFMakerAPI you design a reusable template once, then POST your data as JSON to a single REST endpoint and get the PDF back — no hard-coding a layout per document, and no headless browser to maintain.

How do I generate a PDF from JSON? +

Design a template with variables, then send a POST request to /api/v1/documents/{id}/render with an Authorization: Bearer key and a JSON body containing a data object. PDFMakerAPI merges your data into the template and returns the finished PDF in the response.

What does the API return? +

The finished PDF itself — a 200 response with Content-Type: application/pdf. Save the response body to a .pdf file; there is no second request to fetch a file URL.

Can the API handle large volumes? +

Yes. Because PDFMakerAPI renders from a structured template, the rendering pipeline is lightweight and scales horizontally — it can handle tens of thousands of PDF generations per second. Generate one on demand, loop or parallelize calls, or batch through a no-code workflow.

Which languages are supported? +

Any language that can make an HTTP request. The examples here are cURL, Node.js, and Python, but the same call works from PHP, Ruby, Go, Java, and more.

Is there a free tier? +

Yes — 100 PDFs per month, no credit card required. Paid usage-based tiers cover higher volume.

Generate your first PDF

Design a template, grab an API key, and POST your data. Start free with 100 PDFs every month — no credit card.

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