Getting Started with PDF Generation in Modern Web Applications

PDF generation has become an essential feature for many web applications. Whether you're building an e-commerce platform that needs to generate invoices, a SaaS application that creates reports, or a content management system that exports documents, having reliable PDF generation is crucial.

Why BlazePDF?

Traditional PDF generation solutions often require you to manage complex infrastructure, deal with headless browsers, or struggle with inconsistent rendering. BlazePDF simplifies this process by providing a simple REST API that converts your HTML to pixel-perfect PDFs.

Key Benefits

• Simple Integration: Just 3 lines of code to get started
• Consistent Rendering: Chromium-powered engine ensures accuracy
• No Infrastructure: No servers to manage or maintain
• Global Scale: CDN distribution for fast response times

Quick Start Guide

Getting started with BlazePDF is incredibly simple. Here's how you can generate your first PDF in under 5 minutes:

1. Sign Up and Get Your API Key

First, create your free account at BlazePDF and obtain your API key from the dashboard.

2. Make Your First API Call

const response = await fetch('https://api.blazepdf.com/v1/convert', {
  method: 'POST',
  headers: {
    'Content-Type': 'application/json',
    'Authorization': 'Bearer YOUR_API_KEY'
  },
  body: JSON.stringify({
    html: '<h1>Hello World!</h1><p>This is my first PDF.</p>'
  })
});

const pdfBuffer = await response.arrayBuffer();

3. Handle the Response

The API returns the PDF as binary data, which you can save to a file, send via email, or stream to the browser:

// Save to file (Node.js)
const fs = require('fs');
fs.writeFileSync('output.pdf', Buffer.from(pdfBuffer));

// Or send to browser
const blob = new Blob([pdfBuffer], { type: 'application/pdf' });
const url = URL.createObjectURL(blob);
window.open(url);

Advanced Features

BlazePDF supports many advanced features out of the box:

• Custom CSS: Full CSS3 support including flexbox and grid
• Images: Embed images from URLs or base64 data
• Fonts: Support for custom fonts and 50+ languages
• Headers/Footers: Add dynamic headers and footers
• Page Settings: Control margins, orientation, and size

Best Practices

1. Optimize Your HTML: Use semantic HTML and CSS for best results
2. Handle Errors: Always implement proper error handling
3. Monitor Usage: Keep track of your credit usage in the dashboard
4. Cache Results: Cache PDFs when possible to reduce API calls

Conclusion

PDF generation doesn't have to be complicated. With BlazePDF, you can focus on building great features while we handle the complexity of PDF rendering. Start with our free tier and scale as your needs grow.

Ready to get started? Sign up for free and generate your first PDF today!