Free PDF Generation API for Developers

Need to generate PDFs programmatically? Whether you're creating invoices, exporting reports, converting documentation, or building a print-ready download feature — you need a PDF API that handles the rendering complexity so you don't have to.

Running your own Puppeteer/Chromium instance is a headache: memory leaks, browser crashes, security sandboxing, and slow cold starts. We built a free PDF generation API powered by Chromium that converts HTML, Markdown, URLs, and templates to pixel-perfect PDFs. 5 free credits, no signup required.

Quick Start: Generate a PDF from Markdown

1. Get a free API key

curl -X POST https://agent-gateway-kappa.vercel.app/v1/agent-pdfgen/api/keys/create

{
  "key": "pdf_abc123...",
  "credits": 25,
  "note": "25 free credits. Top up with USDC on Base.",
  "check_balance": "GET /api/keys/balance with Authorization: Bearer YOUR_KEY"
}

2. Convert Markdown to PDF

curl -X POST https://agent-gateway-kappa.vercel.app/v1/agent-pdfgen/api/pdf/from-markdown \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"markdown": "# Quarterly Report\n\n## Summary\n\nRevenue grew **23%** quarter over quarter.\n\n| Metric | Q4 | Q1 |\n|--------|-----|-----|\n| Revenue | $45K | $55K |\n| Users | 1,200 | 1,800 |\n| Churn | 3.2% | 2.8% |\n\n## Highlights\n\n- Launched 3 new features\n- Expanded to 2 new markets\n- Reduced infrastructure costs by 15%", "theme": "github"}' \
  -o report.pdf

This creates a clean, professionally styled PDF using the GitHub theme. The file is ready to share, print, or archive.

4 Ways to Generate PDFs

API Reference

PDF Options (all endpoints)

Code Examples

# HTML to PDF with custom styling
curl -X POST https://agent-gateway-kappa.vercel.app/v1/agent-pdfgen/api/pdf/from-html \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"html": "<h1 style=\"color:#333\">Sales Report</h1><p>Generated on March 3, 2026</p><table style=\"width:100%;border-collapse:collapse\"><tr style=\"background:#f5f5f5\"><th style=\"padding:8px;text-align:left\">Product</th><th>Revenue</th></tr><tr><td style=\"padding:8px\">API Credits</td><td>$12,500</td></tr></table>"}' \
  -o report.pdf

# Markdown to PDF (dark theme, landscape)
curl -X POST https://agent-gateway-kappa.vercel.app/v1/agent-pdfgen/api/pdf/from-markdown \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"markdown": "# API Documentation\n\n## Authentication\n\nAll requests require a Bearer token.\n\n```bash\ncurl -H \"Authorization: Bearer YOUR_KEY\" https://api.example.com\n```", "theme": "dark", "landscape": true}' \
  -o docs.pdf

# URL to PDF (save any web page)
curl -X POST https://agent-gateway-kappa.vercel.app/v1/agent-pdfgen/api/pdf/from-url \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"url": "https://example.com", "format": "Letter"}' \
  -o page.pdf

# Generate invoice from template
curl -X POST https://agent-gateway-kappa.vercel.app/v1/agent-pdfgen/api/pdf/from-template \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"template": "invoice", "data": {"company": "Acme Corp", "invoice_number": "INV-2026-001", "items": [{"name": "API Credits (1000)", "quantity": 1, "price": 10}, {"name": "Premium Support", "quantity": 1, "price": 49}], "total": 59}}' \
  -o invoice.pdf

import requests

API = "https://agent-gateway-kappa.vercel.app/v1/agent-pdfgen"

# Step 1: Get free API key
key_resp = requests.post(f"{API}/api/keys/create")
api_key = key_resp.json()["key"]
print(f"API Key: {api_key}")

headers = {"Authorization": f"Bearer {api_key}"}

# Generate PDF from Markdown
resp = requests.post(
    f"{API}/api/pdf/from-markdown",
    headers=headers,
    json={
        "markdown": """# Monthly Report

## Key Metrics

| Metric | Value |
|--------|-------|
| Revenue | $55,000 |
| New Users | 620 |
| Churn Rate | 2.8% |

## Summary

Strong growth across all channels.
""",
        "theme": "github",
        "format": "A4"
    }
)

with open("report.pdf", "wb") as f:
    f.write(resp.content)
print(f"PDF saved: {len(resp.content)} bytes")

# Generate invoice from template
invoice = requests.post(
    f"{API}/api/pdf/from-template",
    headers=headers,
    json={
        "template": "invoice",
        "data": {
            "company": "My SaaS Inc",
            "invoice_number": "INV-001",
            "items": [
                {"name": "Pro Plan (Annual)", "quantity": 1, "price": 199},
                {"name": "Extra Seats (5)", "quantity": 5, "price": 10}
            ],
            "total": 249
        }
    }
)

with open("invoice.pdf", "wb") as f:
    f.write(invoice.content)
print(f"Invoice saved: {len(invoice.content)} bytes")

const fs = require('fs');

const API = 'https://agent-gateway-kappa.vercel.app/v1/agent-pdfgen';

async function generatePDFs() {
  // Step 1: Get free API key
  const keyResp = await fetch(`${API}/api/keys/create`, { method: 'POST' });
  const { key } = await keyResp.json();
  console.log(`API Key: ${key}`);

  const headers = {
    'Authorization': `Bearer ${key}`,
    'Content-Type': 'application/json'
  };

  // Generate PDF from HTML
  const resp = await fetch(`${API}/api/pdf/from-html`, {
    method: 'POST',
    headers,
    body: JSON.stringify({
      html: `
        <div style="font-family: system-ui; padding: 40px;">
          <h1 style="color: #1a1a1a;">Project Status</h1>
          <p>Generated: ${new Date().toLocaleDateString()}</p>
          <div style="display: grid; grid-template-columns: 1fr 1fr; gap: 20px; margin-top: 20px;">
            <div style="background: #f0fdf4; padding: 20px; border-radius: 8px;">
              <h3>Completed</h3><p style="font-size: 32px; font-weight: bold;">47</p>
            </div>
            <div style="background: #fef3c7; padding: 20px; border-radius: 8px;">
              <h3>In Progress</h3><p style="font-size: 32px; font-weight: bold;">12</p>
            </div>
          </div>
        </div>`
    })
  });

  const buffer = Buffer.from(await resp.arrayBuffer());
  fs.writeFileSync('status.pdf', buffer);
  console.log(`PDF saved: ${buffer.length} bytes`);
}

generatePDFs();

Built-in Templates

Skip the HTML/CSS work entirely. Send your data as JSON and the API generates professionally styled documents.

Invoice Template

Professional invoice with company name, line items, quantities, prices, and total. Ready for billing systems, SaaS subscriptions, and e-commerce.

# Generate an invoice
curl -X POST https://agent-gateway-kappa.vercel.app/v1/agent-pdfgen/api/pdf/from-template \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "template": "invoice",
    "data": {
      "company": "Acme Corp",
      "invoice_number": "INV-2026-042",
      "items": [
        {"name": "Pro Plan (Monthly)", "quantity": 1, "price": 49},
        {"name": "API Calls (10K)", "quantity": 10, "price": 5},
        {"name": "Priority Support", "quantity": 1, "price": 29}
      ],
      "total": 128
    }
  }' -o invoice.pdf

Report Template

Structured report with sections, summary, and data tables. Perfect for automated weekly/monthly reports, dashboards, and status updates.

Receipt Template

Compact receipt format with item list and total. Ideal for point-of-sale systems, digital receipts, and transaction confirmations.

Use Cases

Automated Invoice Generation

Generate invoices on the fly when customers make purchases. Send the invoice data via API, get a PDF back, and email it to the customer. Works with any billing system — Stripe webhooks, custom payment flows, or manual triggers.

Report Export & Data Visualization

Let users export dashboards, analytics, and data tables as PDFs. Convert your HTML charts and tables to print-ready documents that stakeholders can share, archive, or present.

Documentation & Knowledge Base

Convert your Markdown documentation to styled PDFs. Use the from-markdown endpoint with the GitHub theme for clean, readable docs. Build an offline documentation package by converting all your pages programmatically.

AI Agent Document Generation

Give your AI agent the ability to create professional documents. When your agent writes a report, drafts a proposal, or summarizes research — it can generate a PDF automatically instead of just returning plain text.

# AI agent generates a research summary PDF
curl -X POST https://agent-gateway-kappa.vercel.app/v1/agent-pdfgen/api/pdf/from-markdown \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"markdown": "# Research Summary: Market Analysis\n\n**Generated by AI Agent** | March 2026\n\n## Key Findings\n\n1. Market grew 34% YoY\n2. Top 3 competitors launched new features\n3. Customer sentiment improved to 87% positive\n\n## Recommendation\n\nExpand into the enterprise segment.", "theme": "minimal"}' \
  -o summary.pdf

Markdown Themes

Comparison: PDF Generation APIs in 2026

* Self-hosted solutions require you to manage Chromium/WebKit instances, handle memory leaks, and deal with browser crashes. Agent PDF Gen handles all infrastructure — just send a request and get a PDF back.

Frequently Asked Questions

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