API Overview

Overview of the PDF API endpoints and conventions.

API Overview

The PDF API is organized around REST principles. It uses standard HTTP methods, returns JSON-encoded responses, and uses standard HTTP response codes.

Base URL

All API requests should be made to:

https://api.renderpdf.dev/v1

Endpoints

PDF Conversion

Method	Endpoint	Description
POST	/pdf/markdown	Convert Markdown to PDF
POST	/pdf/html	Convert HTML to PDF
POST	/pdf/url	Convert URL to PDF
POST	/pdf/template	Render template to PDF (Coming Soon)

PDF Operations

Method	Endpoint	Description
POST	/pdf/merge	Merge multiple PDFs
POST	/pdf/metadata	Set PDF metadata
POST	/pdf/metadata/get	Get PDF metadata

File Storage

Method	Endpoint	Description
GET	/files	List stored files
GET	/files/:id	Get file details
GET	/files/:id/download	Download file
DELETE	/files/:id	Delete file

Webhooks

Method	Endpoint	Description
POST	/webhooks/config	Configure webhook
GET	/webhooks/config	Get webhook config
DELETE	/webhooks/config	Delete webhook config

Resources

Method	Endpoint	Description
GET	/themes	List available themes
GET	/templates	List available templates (Coming Soon)

Account Management

Method	Endpoint	Description
POST	/keys	Create API key
GET	/keys	List API keys
DELETE	/keys/:id	Delete API key
GET	/usage	Get usage statistics

Request Format

All POST requests should include:

Content-Type: application/json
Authorization: Bearer sk_live_xxx

Request body should be valid JSON.

Response Format

Success Response

PDF generation endpoints return the PDF file directly:

Content-Type: application/pdf

Other endpoints return JSON:

{
  "data": { ... }
}

Error Response

{
  "error": {
    "code": "ERROR_CODE",
    "message": "Human-readable message",
    "details": { ... }
  }
}

See Error Codes for a complete reference.

HTTP Status Codes

Code	Description
`200`	Success
`201`	Created
`204`	No Content (successful deletion)
`400`	Bad Request - Invalid parameters
`401`	Unauthorized - Invalid or missing API key
`403`	Forbidden - Feature not available on your plan
`404`	Not Found
`429`	Too Many Requests - Rate limit exceeded
`500`	Internal Server Error

Common Request Options

All PDF generation endpoints accept these optional parameters in the options object:

{
  "options": {
    "format": "A4",
    "landscape": false,
    "margin": {
      "top": "20mm",
      "bottom": "20mm",
      "left": "15mm",
      "right": "15mm"
    },
    "print_background": true,
    "scale": 1.0,
    "wait_for": 0,
    "header": "<div>Header HTML</div>",
    "footer": "<div>Footer HTML</div>",
    "compression": {
      "enabled": true,
      "level": "medium"
    }
  },
  "storage": {
    "enabled": true,
    "filename": "document.pdf"
  }
}

See PDF Options for detailed documentation.

Compression Options

Reduce PDF file size with configurable compression:

Level	Description
`none`	No compression
`low`	Light compression, excellent quality
`medium`	Balanced compression (recommended)
`high`	Maximum compression

See Compression for details.

Storage Options

Store generated PDFs for later retrieval:

Parameter	Type	Description
`enabled`	boolean	Enable file storage
`filename`	string	Custom filename

See File Storage for details.

Paper Formats

Supported formats: A4, A3, A5, Letter, Legal, Tabloid

See Page Formats for dimensions and use cases.

Margins

Margins can be specified in various units:

Unit	Example	Description
`mm`	`20mm`	Millimeters
`cm`	`2cm`	Centimeters
`in`	`0.5in`	Inches
`px`	`50px`	Pixels

Rate Limits

API requests are rate-limited based on your plan:

Plan	Requests/Minute	Monthly PDFs
Free	3	10
Pro	30	3,000
Business	60	15,000
Enterprise	120	Unlimited

See Rate Limits for more details.

Next Steps

Quickstart Guide - Generate your first PDF
Authentication - API key management
Code Examples - Ready-to-use examples in multiple languages
PDF Operations - Merge, compress, and manage PDFs