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1. Get your API key

Sign up at app.pdfbase.dev and copy your test API key from the dashboard. Test keys are prefixed with pk_test_ and generate watermarked PDFs at no cost.

2. Generate a PDF

Response

File URLs are signed and expire after 24 hours by default. Use the GET /v1/pdfs/:id endpoint to generate a fresh URL.

3. Use a template

Templates let you separate layout from data. Define your HTML once, then render it with different data on every call.

4. Enable debug mode

When something looks wrong, pass debug: true to get a screenshot of the rendered page, console output, and a list of any resources that failed to load.

Next steps

Authentication

API key management, test vs. live keys

Templates guide

Build reusable templates with Handlebars + CSS

Batch processing

Generate hundreds of PDFs in a single API call

Webhooks

Get notified when async jobs complete