File Upload#

You can upload files as temporary files into PDF.co. Temporary files are stored for 1 hour by default and then auto removed.

To store files permanently (pdf templates, images you want to reuse) please use PDF.co Built-In Files Storage instead.

You can also use 3rd party cloud services:

Dropbox: you can use public link to a file from Dropbox.
Google Drive: you can use link to a file that was shared as anyone with a link.
Google Docs/Sheets/Slides: you can use a link to a document in Google Docs that was shared as anyone with a link.
Any other cloud service that can store a file and provide a link to uploaded file.

Note

IMPORTANT NOTE FOR GOOGLE DRIVE/DOCS users: free Google Drive/Docs limits the number of requests to their files. If you use a link to file or document from Google Drive or Google Drive then make sure you have no more than 5-10 requests per minute. Otherwise Google Drive returns no file or error page.

Temporary Files Upload#

You can upload temporary files up to 2GB in size. Please note that to process these files you should use async=true mode with data extraction and tools endpoints along with /job/check to check status of background jobs you create.

Steps to Upload File#

First, call /file/upload/get-presigned-url. It will generate link for uploading (presignedUrl) and final link (url).
Now send your file to the presignedUrl link using the PUT method within the next 30 minutes.
Once finished, use url to access the file you have just uploaded.

Note: all uploaded files are considered to be temporary files and are automatically permanently removed after 1 hour.

Response Codes#

Code	Description
200	The request has succeeded.
400	Bad input parameters.
401	Unauthorized.
403	Not enough credits.
405	Timeout error. Use /file/upload/url for small files (<500kb). For faster and stable file uploads, use /file/upload/get-presigned-url and the `PUT` workflow with /presignedUrl –data-binary ‘sample.pdf’.

/file/upload/get-presigned-url#

This method generates links to upload your local file to. Use this presignedUrl from the response to upload your file. Once you upload your file to this presignedUrl using PUT, you can use the url link to access the uploaded file.

With this method you can upload files up to 2GB in size. Please note that to process these files you should use async=true mode with data extraction and tools endpoints along with /job/check to check status of background jobs you create.

Method: GET
Endpoint: /v1/file/upload/get-presigned-url

Query parameters#

Parameter name	Description	Example
`name`	File name for the generated output, the input must be in string format.	`test.pdf`
`encrypt`	Whether to encrypt the file	`false`
`contentType`	The content type of the uploaded file	`application/pdf`

CURL#

curl --location --request GET https://api.pdf.co/v1/file/upload/get-presigned-url?name=test.pdf&encrypt=true
--header 'x-api-key: YOUR_API_KEY'

Response#

{
    "presignedUrl": "https://pdf-temp-files.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/A1VGV42YE0NWXMKEB4BUIWNYGKXEWTND/test.pdf?X-Amz-Expires=900&X-Amz-Algorithm=AWS4-HMAC-SHA256&X-Amz-Credential=AKIAIZJDPLX6D7EHVCKA/20220913/us-west-2/s3/aws4_request&X-Amz-Date=20220913T074159Z&X-Amz-SignedHeaders=content-type;host&X-Amz-Signature=53f326afde5bcfb3b2714ee8cb5322795bf10a03feb7dab3764e6ca63c017f43",
    "url": "https://pdf-temp-files.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/A1VGV42YE0NWXMKEB4BUIWNYGKXEWTND/test.pdf?X-Amz-Expires=3600&X-Amz-Security-Token=FwoGZXIvYXdzEBgaDLZTUxFLOwF9iiGk%2FyKCATiLp%2FRn9nPmt%2Fey9PcilcRMXtLl0TS6IFNOpk%2BKtSF%2B%2BEVcbNFThw4c1KVx21RQxT5zf7csSEESGov1Xd4uDhF0xGoVkXff9saXGVUtgKrYgPKhUfv5KEO7gz3E0t%2FqCPZJn2KGs1yMbUkohzeIrEd0NH8EVvqfxrfCcW0ZANiG2iMoh8eAmQYyKLjRMfg02ZJPTgoFPQmfMyYt0FacTg4RhkP3PeD9mrWLefDXCwcYkkI%3D&X-Amz-Algorithm=AWS4-HMAC-SHA256&X-Amz-Credential=ASIA4NRRSZPHFHQYL4OV/20220913/us-west-2/s3/aws4_request&X-Amz-Date=20220913T074159Z&X-Amz-SignedHeaders=host&X-Amz-Signature=9b1a90f36635459bb40f09b0fc6fe3eba185ba3cfdb0a8ef1096ac9efa9b6299",
    "error": false,
    "status": 200,
    "name": "test.pdf",
    "credits": 7,
    "duration": 0,
    "remainingCredits": 98191146
}

See Response Codes.

/presignedUrl –data-binary ‘sample.pdf’#

With this method you can upload files up to 100mb in size. Please note that to process these files you should use async=true mode with data extraction and tools endpoints along with /job/check to check status of background jobs you create.

Method: PUT
Endpoint: your presignedUrl from /file/upload/get-presigned-url

Content-Type header#

When sending PUT request don’t forget to add Content-Type header with proper value based on input file type.

For example:

File Extension	Content-Type Value
`.txt` `.csv` `.xml` `.json`	`text/plain`
`.pdf`	`application/pdf`
`.msg` `.eml`	`application/vnd.ms-outlook`
`.doc`	`application/msword`

Note

If you’re not sure then use application/octet-stream header. It works for most file types.

All uploaded files are treated as temporary files and are automatically permanently removed after 1 hour. If you have a file that you want to reuse over and over, please upload it to PDF.co Built-In Files Storage and get its filetoken:// link that you may reuse inside PDF.co API.

CURL#

curl --location --request PUT '<insert presignedUrl here>' \
--header 'x-api-key: YOUR_API_KEY' \
--header 'Content-Type: application/octet-stream' \
--data-binary '@./sample.pdf'

Response#

{
    "presignedUrl": "https://pdf-temp-files.s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/0c72bf56341142ba83c8f98b47f14d62/test.pdf?X-Amz-Expires=900&X-Amz-Algorithm=AWS4-HMAC-SHA256&X-Amz-Credential=AKIAIZJDPLX6D7EHVCKA/20200302/us-west-2/s3/aws4_request&X-Amz-Date=20200302T143951Z&X-Amz-SignedHeaders=host&X-Amz-Signature=8650913644b6425ba8d52b78634698e5fc8970157d971a96f0279a64f4ba87fc",
    "url": "https://pdf-temp-files.s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/0c72bf56341142ba83c8f98b47f14d62/test.pdf?X-Amz-Expires=3600&x-amz-security-token=FwoGZXIvYXdzEGgaDA9KaTOXRjkCdCqSTCKBAW9tReCLk1fVTZBH9exl9VIbP8Gfp1pE9hg6et94IBpNamOaBJ6%2B9Vsa5zxfiddlgA%2BxQ4tpd9gprFAxMzjN7UtjU%2B2gf%2FKbUKc2lfV18D2wXKd1FEhC6kkGJVL5UaoFONG%2Fw2jXfLxe3nCfquMEDo12XzcqIQtNFWXjKPWBkQEvmii4tfTyBTIot4Na%2BAUqkLshH0R7HVKlEBV8btqa0ctBjwzwpWkoU%2BF%2BCtnm8Lm4Eg%3D%3D&X-Amz-Algorithm=AWS4-HMAC-SHA256&X-Amz-Credential=ASIA4NRRSZPHEGHTOA4W/20200302/us-west-2/s3/aws4_request&X-Amz-Date=20200302T143951Z&X-Amz-SignedHeaders=host;x-amz-security-token&X-Amz-Signature=243419ac4a9a315eebc2db72df0817de6a261a684482bbc897f0e7bb5d202bb9",
    "error": false,
    "status": 200,
    "name": "test.pdf",
    "remainingCredits": 98145
}

See Response Codes.

/file/upload#

Uploads a small (up to 100KB) local file as a temporary file in PDF.co storage. Note: temporary files are automatically permanently removed after 1 hour.

Method: POST
Endpoint: /v1/file/upload

CURL#

curl --location --request POST 'https://api.pdf.co/v1/file/upload' \
--header 'x-api-key: ' \
--form 'file=@"/path/to/file"'

Response#

{
    "url": "https://pdf-temp-files.s3.amazonaws.com/1a4a92ac805c41c28ef75a24e0f35ba5/sample.pdf",
    "error": false,
    "status": 200,
    "name": "sample.pdf",
    "remainingCredits": 98145
}

See Response Codes.

/file/upload/base64#

Creates a temporary file using base64 source data. You may use this temporary file URL with other API methods. Temporary files are automatically permanently removed after 1 hour.

Method: POST
Endpoint: /v1/file/upload/base64

CURL#

curl --location --request POST 'https://api.pdf.co/v1/file/upload/base64' \
--header 'x-api-key: ' \
--form 'file="data:image/gif;base64,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"'

Response#

{
    "url": "https://pdf-temp-files.s3.amazonaws.com/7588d614c9ad41eb98ec317a02abda63/uploadfile.txt",
    "error": false,
    "status": 200,
    "remainingCredits": 77769
}

See Response Codes.

/file/upload/url#

Downloads file from a source url and uploads it as a temporary file. Temporary files are automatically permanently removed after 1 hour.

Method: POST
Endpoint: /v1/file/upload/url

CURL#

curl --location --request POST 'https://api.pdf.co/v1/file/upload/url' \
--header 'x-api-key: ' \
--form 'name="sample.pdf"' \
--form 'url="pdfco-test-files.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.compdf-split/sample.pdf"'

Response#

{
    "url": "https://pdf-temp-files.s3.amazonaws.com/1a4a92ac805c41c28ef75a24e0f35ba5/sample.pdf",
    "error": false,
    "status": 200,
    "name": "sample.pdf",
    "remainingCredits": 98145
}

See Response Codes.

/file/upload/url#

Downloads file from a source url and uploads it as a temporary file. Temporary files are automatically permanently removed after 1 hour.

Method: GET
Endpoint: /v1/file/upload/url

CURL#

curl --location --request GET 'https://api.pdf.co/v1/file/upload/url?url=pdfco-test-files.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.compdf-split/sample.pdf' \
--header 'x-api-key: '

Response#

{
    "url": "https://pdf-temp-files.s3.amazonaws.com/97415d1c45a04b29ac42c8dc01883316/sample.pdf",
    "error": false,
    "status": 200,
    "name": "sample.pdf",
    "remainingCredits": 77765
}

See Response Codes.

/file/delete#

Deletes temporary file (that was uploaded by you or generated by API).

Note

All temporary files are auto removed after 1 hour. You may use File Upload methods to explicitly force remove temp files once you don’t need them.

Method: POST
Endpoint: /v1/file/delete

Attributes#

Attribute	Description	Required
`url`	URL of the previously uploaded temporary file or output file that was generated by the API method.	yes

Query parameters#

No query parameters accepted.

Payload#

{
    "url": "https://pdf-temp-files.s3.amazonaws.com/b5c1e67d98ab438292ff1fea0c7cdc9d/sample.pdf"
}

Response#

{
    "error": false,
    "status": 200,
    "remainingCredits": 9999986
}

See Response Codes.

CURL#

curl --location --request POST 'https://api.pdf.co/v1/file/delete' \
--header 'x-api-key: ' \
--data-raw '{
    "url": "https://pdf-temp-files.s3.amazonaws.com/b5c1e67d98ab438292ff1fea0c7cdc9d/sample.pdf"
}'

/file/hash#

Calculate and return MD5 hash of file by url. Commonly used to control if the source document has been changed or not because every little change will cause hash string to differ as well.

Method: POST
Endpoint: /v1/file/hash

Attributes#

Attribute	Description	Required
`url`	URL to the source file. 1	yes

Query parameters#

No query parameters accepted.

Payload#

{
    "url": "pdfco-test-files.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.compdf-split/sample.pdf"
}

Response#

{
    "hash": "d942e5becdcb0386598cce15e9e56deb1ca9d893b8578a88eca4a62f02c4000b",
    "remainingCredits": 98143
}

See Response Codes.

CURL#

curl --location --request POST 'https://api.pdf.co/v1/file/hash' \
--header 'x-api-key: ' \
--data-raw '{
    "url": "pdfco-test-files.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.compdf-split/sample.pdf"
}'

Footnotes

1

Supports links from Google Drive, Dropbox, and PDF.co Built-In Files Storage. To upload files via the API check out the File Upload section. Note: If you experience intermittent Too Many Requests or Access Denied errors, please try to add cache: to enable built-in URL caching. (e.g cache:https://example.com/file1.pdf) For data security, you have the option to encrypt output files and decrypt input files. Learn more about user-controlled data encryption.

2

Main response codes as follows:

Code	Description
`200`	Success
`400`	Bad request. Typically happens because of bad input parameters, or because the input URLs can’t be reached, possibly due to access restrictions like needing a login or password.
`401`	Unauthorized
`402`	Not enough credits
`445`	Timeout error. To process large documents or files please use asynchronous mode (set the `async` parameter to `true`) and then check status using the /job/check endpoint. If a file contains many pages then specify a page range using the `pages` parameter. The number of pages of the document can be obtained using the /pdf/info endpoint.

Note

For more see the complete list of available response codes.

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File Upload#

Temporary Files Upload#

Steps to Upload File#

Response Codes#

Available Methods#

/file/upload/get-presigned-url#

Query parameters#

CURL#

Response#

/presignedUrl –data-binary ‘sample.pdf’#

Content-Type header#

CURL#

Response#

/file/upload#

CURL#

Response#

/file/upload/base64#

CURL#

Response#

/file/upload/url#

CURL#

Response#

/file/upload/url#

CURL#

Response#

/file/delete#

Attributes#

Query parameters#

Payload#

Response#

CURL#

/file/hash#

Attributes#

Query parameters#

Payload#

Response#

CURL#

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