Introduction

Node.js has become a popular choice for building server-side applications, and its versatility extends to various domains, including PDF file generation and manipulation. PDF generation in Node.js is a common requirement for applications that need to create reports, encrypted documents, invoices, or any other printable documents.

If you're a Node.js developer who finds themselves working with PDFs a lot, then be sure to stick around because today we'll be exploring and comparing 5 popular existing Node.js PDF libraries with a special focus on IronPDF, a powerful PDF library for Node.js.

Table of Contents

1. Introduction to Node.js PDF Libraries

2. IronPDF

   1. Features
   2. Use Cases

3. PDFKit

   1. Features
   2. Use Cases

4. Puppeteer

   1. Features
   2. Use Cases

5. jsPDF

   1. Features
   2. Use Cases

6. jsreport

   1. Features
   2. Use Cases

7. Conclusion

1. Introduction to Node.js PDF Libraries

Node.js PDF libraries offer a robust solution for handling PDF-related tasks in a server-side environment, providing developers with powerful tools to generate, manipulate, and extract content from PDF documents seamlessly. These libraries enable efficient handling of complex PDF operations, such as merging documents, adding annotations, and converting PDFs to other formats.

During the review, we paid special attention to the following aspects of PDF libraries:

• Ease of use: How easy is the library to use? Is the API intuitive and easy to learn?

• Performance: How does the library handle large datasets? Can it maintain speed and performance?

• Key Features: What are the key features that the library has to offer? Does it offer a wider range of features or just a few features?

• Possible use cases: We'll take a look at some possible real-world use cases to show how this library can be used.

2. IronPDF - Node.js library

IronPDF is a Node.JS PDF library that offers a comprehensive set of features for creating, manipulating, and reading PDF files from HTML file, string, and URL. It is known for its speed, reliability, and ease of use.

The Node.js PDF Library by IronPDF offers pixel-perfect formatting for seamless PDF generation within Node.js applications. With its robust capabilities, developers can achieve precise control over the layout and design of PDF documents, ensuring a professional and polished appearance. The library's comprehensive features make it a valuable tool for businesses and developers seeking efficient PDF generation in Node.js. Explore comprehensive tutorials on converting HTML to PDF using IronPDF in Node.js through the detailed guide available on its website. You can download IronPDF directly by clicking here.

Features

IronPDF provides a number of advantages over other Node.JS PDF libraries, including:

Support for a wide range of PDF features: IronPDF supports a wide range of PDF features, including creating, manipulating, and reading PDF files. It also supports features such as encryption, digital signatures, and watermarks.

Ease of use: IronPDF is easy to use, even for beginners. It provides a simple API that makes it easy to create, manipulate, read, and modify PDF documents.

Performance: IronPDF is a very fast and reliable PDF generator. It can generate complex PDF files in seconds.

IronPDF is a good choice for businesses and developers who need a powerful and reliable Node.JS PDF library. It is also a good choice for developers who need to create PDFs from dynamic content, such as web pages, and modify existing PDF documents.

Use Cases

Here are some examples of how IronPDF can be used:

Generate reports: IronPDF can be used to generate reports from data. For example, you could use IronPDF to generate a sales report or a customer report.

Create invoices: IronPDF can be used to create invoices. You could use IronPDF to create a PDF invoice from a database record.

Generate documents from HTML: IronPDF can be used to generate documents from HTML. For example, you could use IronPDF to generate a PDF document from a web page.

IronPDF requires a license key to work outside of deployment, and it offers multiple tiers of paid licenses, starting from $749. If you want to give it a go for yourself before committing to a paid license, then it also offers a free trial.

3. PDFKit

PDFKit is a JavaScript PDF library that allows web developers to create PDF documents programmatically. It provides a simple and intuitive API for generating basic PDFs.

Features

Some of its key features include:

Text and Graphics: You can add text, images, and basic shapes to your PDF documents. This makes it suitable for creating simple reports and documents.

Vector Graphics: PDFKit supports vector graphics, allowing you to create scalable and high-resolution illustrations and diagrams within your PDFs.

Page Layout: You have control over the page layout, including margins, page size, and orientation, allowing you to format your documents as needed.

Use Cases

PDFKit is a good choice for a variety of tasks, including:

Generating reports: PDFKit can be used to generate reports from data. For example, you could use PDFKit to generate a sales report or a customer report.

Creating invoices: PDFKit can be used to create invoices. You could use PDFKit to create a PDF invoice from a database record.

Generating documents from HTML: PDFKit can be used to generate documents from HTML. For example, you could use PDFKit to generate a PDF document from a web page.

Archiving web pages: PDFKit can be used to archive web pages. You could use PDFKit to create PDF archives of your website or other important web pages.

4. Puppeteer

Puppeteer is a headless Chrome browser automation tool, and while it's not specifically a PDF library, still it can be used for tasks like generating PDFs, PDF manipulation, and encrypted document generation by taking advantage of Chrome's built-in PDF rendering capabilities. It provides modern a JavaScript environment for Node.js to create PDFs.

Features

Here are its features related to PDF generation:

HTML to PDF Conversion: Puppeteer can convert HTML pages to PDF documents. This is particularly useful for web applications that need to generate PDF versions of their web pages.

Custom Printing Options: Puppeteer allows you to customize the printing options for PDFs, including setting page size, margins, and print quality.

JavaScript Execution: Since Puppeteer uses a headless Chrome browser, it can execute JavaScript within the page, which is beneficial for converting interactive web pages to PDF.

Use Cases

Puppeteer is a good choice for a variety of tasks, including:

Web scraping: Puppeteer can be used to scrape data from web pages. This is useful for tasks such as collecting product data from e-commerce websites or extracting news articles from news websites.

Testing: Puppeteer can be used to test web applications. This is useful for tasks such as testing the functionality of a web application or ensuring that a web application is accessible.

Automating tasks: Puppeteer can be used to automate a variety of tasks, such as filling out forms, clicking on buttons, and navigating to web pages. This is useful for tasks such as creating bots or automating repetitive tasks.

5. jsPDF

jsPDF is a versatile JavaScript PDF library that can be used both in the browser and in Node.js. It provides a wide range of features for both browser environments for PDF creation, generation, and manipulation.

Features

Here are some of its key features:

Text Formatting: You can add styled text, including different fonts and text sizes, to your PDF documents.

Images and Graphics: jsPDF allows you to insert images and graphics into your PDFs, making it suitable for creating visually appealing documents.

Custom Fonts: It supports the use of custom fonts, enabling you to maintain consistent branding and typography in your PDFs.

Multiple Page Formats: jsPDF offers various page formats, including A4, letter, and more, allowing you to create documents with different layouts.

Use Cases

jsPDF is a good choice for a variety of tasks, including:

Generating reports: jsPDF can be used to generate reports from data. For example, you could use jsPDF to generate a sales report or a customer report.

Creating invoices: jsPDF can be used to create invoices. You could use jsPDF to create a PDF invoice from a database record.

Generating documents from HTML: jsPDF can be used to generate documents from HTML. For example, you could use jsPDF to generate a PDF document from a web page.

Archiving web pages: jsPDF can be used to archive web pages. You could use jsPDF to create PDF archives of your website or other important web pages.

6. jsreport

jsreport is a Node.js-based reporting server that can dynamically produce reports in various formats, including existing PDFs, Excel, DOCX, PPTX, and many other text-based formats. It is a popular choice for generating reports because it is flexible, extensible, and easy to use.

Features

Here are some of the key features of jsreport:

Support for a wide range of output formats: jsreport can generate reports in a variety of formats, including PDF, Excel, DOCX, PPTX, HTML, CSV, and more. This makes it easy to choose the right format for your report, depending on your audience and needs.

Templating engine support: jsreport supports a variety of templating engines, including HTML, Handlebars, and EJS. This allows you to create complex and dynamic reports using your preferred templating engine.

Extensibility: jsreport is highly extensible, allowing you to add new features and functionality using plugins. There are a variety of plugins available, including plugins for adding support for new output formats, data sources, and templating engines.

Easy to use: jsreport is relatively easy to use, even for beginners. It provides a simple API that allows you to generate reports with just a few lines of code.

In addition to the above features, jsreport also offers a number of other features that make it a powerful and versatile reporting solution, such as:

Data binding: jsreport supports data binding, which allows you to bind data to your reports from a variety of sources, including databases, APIs, and local files.

Conditional logic: jsreport supports conditional logic, which allows you to create dynamic reports that change based on the data.

Subreports: jsreport supports subreports, which allows you to embed smaller reports within larger reports.

Scheduling: jsreport allows you to schedule reports to be generated and delivered at specific times.

Versioning: jsreport keeps track of versions of your reports, so you can easily revert to a previous version if necessary.

Security: jsreport provides several security features, such as user authentication and authorization, to protect your reports from unauthorized access.

Use Cases

Generating reports: With jsreport you can generate reports into easy-to-read PDF formats, thanks to its support for different file formats, you can turn your Excel spreadsheets and graphs into PDF when you need to display this data alongside your reports.

Create company-wide templates: Make use of jsreport's template support to create templates for your company to adhere to when it comes to generating reports, invoices, and more.

Portfolio creation: If you have a portfolio web page but need to convert it into an easy-to-read and share PDF, then jsreport has you covered. Using its support for HTML to PDF conversion, convert your portfolio into a cleanly formatted, structured PDF file.

Overall, jsreport is a powerful and versatile reporting solution that offers a wide range of features and functionality. It is a good choice for businesses of all sizes that need to generate reports from a variety of data sources and in a variety of formats.

Comparison of Key Features Between Node JS Libraries

IronPDF is a powerful and reliable Node.JS PDF library that can be used for a variety of tasks. If you are looking for a PDF library for your Node.JS project, I would personally recommend considering IronPDF when you take into account the features it has on offer, as well as its excellent performance and support.

7. Conclusion - The best Node.js PDF Library (2024)

When selecting a PDF library for your Node.js project, it's essential to consider various factors that will influence your development process and the final output. The libraries discussed—PDFKit, Puppeteer, jsPDF, jsreport, and IronPDF—each offer unique features and capabilities that cater to different use cases.

Here are some key criteria to help you determine the best PDF library for your needs:

• Performance and Speed: How fast can the library generate complex PDF documents?

• Ease of Use: Does the library provide a simple and intuitive API that is easy to understand and implement?

• Feature Set: Does the library support all the necessary features you need, such as text formatting, image embedding, encryption, digital signatures, and more?

• Integration: How well does the library integrate with other tools and systems that you are using in your project?

• Customization and Flexibility: Can the library be customized to meet your specific requirements, such as custom fonts, page formats, and layout controls?

• Cost: What are the licensing costs associated with the library? Are there free versions available that meet your needs?

By considering these factors, you can make an informed decision about which Node.js PDF library is best suited for your project. Whether you need a simple solution like PDFKit for basic PDF generation, a comprehensive tool like IronPDF for advanced features, or a flexible reporting solution like jsreport, there is a library that will meet your requirements.