RenderPDF Service

A high-performance Node.js PDF generation service using Puppeteer with dynamic sizing capabilities, designed for deployment on Render.com.

Features

Dynamic Height Calculation: Automatically adjusts PDF height based on content length
Multiple Page Formats: Support for A4, Letter, Legal, A3, A5, Tabloid, and custom dimensions
CORS Support: Configurable cross-origin request handling
Production Ready: Optimized for Render.com deployment with proper error handling
Health Monitoring: Built-in health check endpoints for monitoring
Rate Limiting: Configurable request rate limiting
Security: Helmet.js security headers and input validation

Quick Start

Prerequisites

Node.js 18.0.0 or higher
npm or yarn package manager

Installation

Clone the repository:

git clone <repository-url>
cd renderPDF

Install dependencies:

npm install

Copy environment configuration:

cp env.example .env

Start the service:

# Development mode
npm run dev

# Production mode
npm start

The service will be available at http://localhost:3000

API Endpoints

Health Check

GET /health

Returns service health status and uptime information.

Generate PDF

POST /api/pdf/generate

Converts HTML content to PDF with configurable options.

Request Body:

{
  "html": "<html><body><h1>Hello World</h1></body></html>",
  "format": "A4",
  "orientation": "portrait",
  "margins": {
    "top": 0.5,
    "right": 0.5,
    "bottom": 0.5,
    "left": 0.5
  },
  "filename": "document.pdf"
}

Response: PDF file download

Get Supported Formats

GET /api/pdf/formats

Returns list of supported page formats.

Custom PDF Generation

POST /api/pdf/custom

Generate PDF with custom dimensions.

Request Body:

{
  "html": "<html><body><h1>Custom Size</h1></body></html>",
  "width": 8.5,
  "height": 11,
  "orientation": "portrait",
  "margins": {
    "top": 0.25,
    "right": 0.25,
    "bottom": 0.25,
    "left": 0.25
  }
}

PDF Service Health

GET /api/pdf/health

Returns PDF generation service health status.

Supported Page Formats

Format	Width (inches)	Height (inches)	Description
A4	8.27	11.69	International standard
Letter	8.5	11	US standard
Legal	8.5	14	US legal
A3	11.69	16.54	Large format
A5	5.83	8.27	Small format
Tabloid	11	17	Large US format

Configuration

Environment Variables

Copy env.example to .env and configure:

PORT: Server port (default: 3000)
NODE_ENV: Environment (development/production)
ALLOWED_ORIGINS: CORS allowed origins (comma-separated)
RATE_LIMIT_MAX: Maximum requests per 15 minutes
MAX_REQUEST_SIZE: Maximum request size
PUPPETEER_ARGS: Additional Puppeteer browser arguments

Puppeteer Configuration

The service is pre-configured for Render.com deployment with optimized browser arguments:

--no-sandbox --disable-setuid-sandbox --disable-dev-shm-usage --disable-accelerated-2d-canvas --no-first-run --no-zygote --disable-gpu --single-process

Dynamic Sizing

The service automatically calculates the optimal PDF height based on content:

Content Rendering: HTML content is rendered in a browser instance
Height Measurement: Actual content height is measured after rendering
PDF Generation: PDF is generated with calculated dimensions
Optimization: Ensures content fits without unnecessary page breaks

Deployment on Render.com

1. Create New Web Service

Connect your GitHub repository
Select "Web Service" as the service type
Choose the repository branch

2. Build Configuration

Build Command: npm install
Start Command: npm start
Environment: Node

3. Environment Variables

Set these in Render.com dashboard:

NODE_ENV=production
PORT=10000
PUPPETEER_ARGS=--no-sandbox --disable-setuid-sandbox --disable-dev-shm-usage

4. Health Check

Configure health check endpoint:

Path: /health
Interval: 30 seconds

Development

Scripts

npm run dev      # Start development server with nodemon
npm start        # Start production server
npm test         # Run tests
npm run lint     # Run ESLint
npm run format   # Format code with Prettier

Project Structure

renderPDF/
├── server.js              # Main Express server
├── routes/
│   └── pdf.js            # PDF generation routes
├── services/
│   └── pdfGenerator.js   # Puppeteer PDF service
├── middleware/
│   ├── validation.js     # Request validation
│   └── errorHandler.js   # Error handling
├── utils/
│   └── pageFormats.js    # Page format utilities
├── package.json
├── env.example
├── render.yaml
└── README.md

Error Handling

The service includes comprehensive error handling:

Validation Errors: 400 Bad Request for invalid input
PDF Generation Errors: 500 Internal Server Error
Service Unavailable: 503 Service Unavailable
Rate Limiting: 429 Too Many Requests
Content Too Large: 413 Payload Too Large

Performance Optimization

Browser Instance Reuse: Single browser instance for multiple requests
Memory Management: Automatic cleanup of page instances
Compression: Response compression for large PDFs
Rate Limiting: Prevents abuse and ensures stability

Security Features

Input Validation: Comprehensive request validation
CORS Configuration: Configurable cross-origin access
Rate Limiting: Request throttling
Security Headers: Helmet.js security middleware
Content Sanitization: Input sanitization and validation

Monitoring and Health Checks

Health Endpoints

/health: Overall service health
/api/pdf/health: PDF generation service health

Health Check Response

{
  "success": true,
  "service": "RenderPDF Service",
  "status": "running",
  "timestamp": "2024-01-01T00:00:00.000Z",
  "uptime": 3600,
  "environment": "production",
  "version": "1.0.0"
}

Troubleshooting

Common Issues

Browser Launch Failures: Check Puppeteer arguments and system dependencies
Memory Issues: Reduce concurrent requests or increase system memory
Timeout Errors: Check content complexity and browser timeout settings
CORS Errors: Verify ALLOWED_ORIGINS configuration

Logs

Enable verbose logging by setting:

DEBUG=true
VERBOSE_LOGGING=true

Contributing

Fork the repository
Create a feature branch
Make your changes
Add tests if applicable
Submit a pull request

License

MIT License - see LICENSE file for details.

Support

For issues and questions:

Create an issue in the GitHub repository
Check the troubleshooting section
Review the API documentation

Note: This service is optimized for Render.com deployment. For other platforms, you may need to adjust Puppeteer arguments and configuration settings.

Name		Name	Last commit message	Last commit date
Latest commit History 2 Commits
middleware		middleware
node_modules		node_modules
routes		routes
services		services
tests		tests
utils		utils
.env		.env
.gitignore		.gitignore
LOCAL_TESTING.md		LOCAL_TESTING.md
README.md		README.md
complex-test.html		complex-test.html
direct-test.pdf		direct-test.pdf
env.example		env.example
image-test.pdf		image-test.pdf
jest.config.js		jest.config.js
large-test.pdf		large-test.pdf
package-lock.json		package-lock.json
package.json		package.json
render.yaml		render.yaml
server.js		server.js
simple-test.pdf		simple-test.pdf
test-curl.sh		test-curl.sh
test-direct.pdf		test-direct.pdf
test-image-fix.js		test-image-fix.js
test-image.html		test-image.html
test-output.pdf		test-output.pdf
test-puppeteer.js		test-puppeteer.js
test.html		test.html

LayishSieger/pdf-service-api

Folders and files

Latest commit

History

Repository files navigation