Written by Oyinkansola Awosan✏️
HTML, or HyperText Markup Language, is the standard markup language used to create web pages and is an essential technology for building websites. It provides a structure for web content by using various elements and tags to define the different parts of a web page, such as headings, paragraphs, links, images, forms, and more.
There are many scenarios where it’s useful to export HTML content and then download it as a PDF, or Portable Document Format, document for easy sharing. HTML to PDF conversion is helpful for web apps that return documents like receipts, invoices, reports, or bank statements. It’s also useful for sharing dynamic web pages, and bulk data from web applications.
In this article, we’ll investigate and compare three popular HTML to PDF libraries for Node.js applications: Puppeteer, jsPDF, and PDFKit. Jump ahead:
Puppeteer
Puppeteer is a Node.js library developed by Google that provides a high-level API for controlling headless (or full) Chrome or Chromium browsers. It is the most popular open-source HTML-to-PDF converter, supporting HTML, CSS, and JavaScript.
Puppeteer allows you to automate various tasks in a web browser, such as web scraping, website testing, screenshot creation, and PDF generation. It leverages the capabilities of the Chrome or Chromium web browser to render HTML content into PDF files.
Setting up and using Puppeteer for HTML to PDF conversion
To set up and use Puppeteer, you’ll first need to initialize your Node.js project. To do so, run npm init-y in your Node.js project.
Next, install the Puppeteer library as a dependency in your project. It will download the necessary Chromium browser binaries automatically: npm install puppeteer
Now, write the conversion script inside your JavaScript file. Here's an example:
const puppeteer = require('puppeteer');
(async () => {
const browser = await puppeteer.launch();
const page = await browser.newPage();
await page.setContent('<h1>Hello, Puppeteer!</h1>');
await page.pdf({ path: 'example.pdf', format: 'A4' });
await browser.close();
console.log('Here's your PDF!.');
})();
In this script, we import the Puppeteer library, launch a headless Chromium browser, and create a new page in the browser. We also generate a PDF from the page content with specified options (such as path and format), and close the browser to release resources.
Next, execute your script using Node.js by running the following command: node html-to-pdf.js
This will run the Puppeteer script, generate a PDF file named example.pdf with the specified content, and close the browser. You can customize the HTML content and PDF generation options according to your preferences.
Pros of using Puppeteer for PDF generation
- You have complete control over which parts of a web page to include in the PDF. You can specify specific elements, sections, or the entire page
- Puppeteer offers customization options such as specifying page size, margins, headers, and footers, enabling you to tailor the PDF layout to your specific needs
- Puppeteer can capture interactive elements in the PDF, such as hyperlinks and form fields, making it suitable for generating interactive PDFs
Cons of using Puppeteer for PDF generation
- PDFs generated with Puppeteer can sometimes be larger than those generated with similar libraries. This affects download times and storage requirements
- Rendering complex or large web pages with Puppeteer can be resource-intensive, causing slower PDF generation and increased memory usage
jsPDF
jsPDF is a popular JavaScript PDF generator that allows users to generate PDF files in the web browser dynamically. The library is well-maintained, stable, easy to use, and has rich documentation.
jsPDF operates on the client side, making it well-suited for generating PDFs in web applications without needing server-side PDF generation. It can modify existing layouts, and allows users to control their PDFs by allowing customizations. It can also be used to edit existing PDF documents or create one from scratch, including content like images, tables, and shapes.
Setting up and using jsPDF for HTML to PDF conversion
To set up and use jsPDF, you’ll need your HTML file and your JavaScript file, which will include the PDF conversion script. Your HTML file should define the content you want to convert to a PDF, including any HTML elements, text, and styles.
To start, include the jsPDF library by adding the following script tag to the <head> section of your HTML file:
<script src="https://cdnjs.cloudflare.com/ajax/libs/jspdf/2.4.0/jspdf.umd.min.js"></script>
You can also download the library and host it locally if needed.
Next, write the HTML to PDF conversion code inside your JavaScript file using jsPDF. Here's a basic example:
document.addEventListener("DOMContentLoaded", function () {
const pdf = new jsPDF();
const element = document.body;
pdf.html(element, {
callback: function (pdf) {
// Save the PDF to a file or display it
pdf.save("output.pdf");
},
});
});
In this script, we wait for the DOM to be ready to ensure all HTML content is loaded. Then, we create a new jsPDF instance. In this case, we also specify the HTML element, document.body, that we want to convert to a PDF. We used the html() method to convert the HTML content to a PDF and save the generated PDF to a file named output.pdf using the save() method.
Now, include your JavaScript file in your HTML file by adding the following script tag before the closing </body> tag:
<script src="script.js"></script>
We trigger the HTML to PDF conversion by automatically running the script when the page loads. To do this, add the following code at the end of your JavaScript file:
window.addEventListener("load", function () {
});
The above snippet triggers the PDF conversion, automatically converting the page to a PDF when it loads.
Pros of using jsPDF for PDF generation
- jsPDF operates entirely on the client side, making it a great option for generating PDFs within web applications without needing external services
- jsPDF is relatively easy to use, especially for basic PDF generation tasks. You can create PDF documents with just a few lines of JavaScript code
- Since jsPDF is a JavaScript library, it integrates seamlessly with web applications and can be used alongside other JavaScript libraries and frameworks
Cons of using jsPDF for PDF generation
- Generating PDFs on the client side can be resource-intensive, especially for large or complex documents. This can impact browser performance or cause issues with memory consumption
- jsPDF is widely supported in modern web browsers, but it may not work as expected in older browsers or environments that have little JavaScript support
- Unlike server-side PDF generation libraries like PDFKit, jsPDF has limited advanced features and capabilities. It may not be suitable for complex PDF requirements
PDFKit
PDFkit is one of the oldest and most well-established PDF libraries in the JavaScript ecosystem; it is still well-maintained, and regularly updated. This library is a popular option for creating and manipulating PDF documents in a server-side environment, typically using Node.js. It allows you to programmatically generate PDF files by defining each page's content, layout, and formatting.
PDFKit provides a high-level API for PDF document generation and supports various features, making it a versatile tool for creating custom PDFs. Several PDF libraries have been developed as wrappers around PDFKit, supporting custom fonts and image embedding.
Setting up and using PDFKit for HTML to PDF conversion
To set up and use PDFKit, the first step is to initialize your Node.js project. To do so, run npm init-y in your Node.js project.
Next, install the PDFKit library as a dependency in your project by running the following code: npm install pdfkit
Inside your JavaScript file, write the code for creating a PDF document and adding HTML content using PDFKit. Here's a basic example:
const fs = require('fs');
const PDFDocument = require('pdfkit');
const doc = new PDFDocument();
const stream = fs.createWriteStream('example.pdf');
doc.pipe(stream);
doc.fontSize(12).text('Hello, Welcome to PDFKit!', { align: 'center' });
doc.end();
stream.on('finish', () => {
console.log('Here's your PDF!');
});
In this script, we import the fs (file system) module and the PDFDocument class from the PDFKit library, and then create a new PDF document using PDFDocument. Next, we pipe the PDF output to a writable stream or file named example.pdf.
We add HTML content to the PDF using the text method to specify font size and alignment. We end the document using doc.end(), and then handle the finish event of the stream to log a success message when the PDF is generated.
Now, execute your script using Node.js: node html-to-pdf.js
This will run the script, generate a PDF file named example.pdf with the specified content, and save it to your project directory. You can customize the HTML content if you‘d like’.
Pros of using PDFKit for PDF generation
- Since it is open source and actively maintained by the community, PDFkit is continuously improved and updated
- PDFKit provides fine-grained control over the content, layout, and formatting of PDF documents. You can create highly customized PDFs tailored to your specific needs
- PDFKit is an excellent option for generating PDFs dynamically in response to user requests, data, or other server-side processes
Cons of using PDFKit for PDF generation
- Creating complex PDFs with advanced layouts and features can be challenging and may require a good understanding of the library's API
- For newcomers, PDFKit may have a steeper learning curve than more straightforward HTML-to-PDF conversion tools, as it involves more manual control over the document's structure
Feature comparison: Puppeteer, jsPDF, and PDFKit
For easy reference, here’s a summary of how the Puppeteer, jsPDF, and PDFKit libraries compare in terms of PDF generation, file size, browser integration, and community support:
| Puppeteer | jsPDF | PDFKit | |
|---|---|---|---|
| PDF generation | Generates PDFs from HTML and web page content | Generates PDFs from HTML and SVG content | Creates PDFs from scratch |
| File size | No control over PDF size | No control over PDF size | Provides control over PDF file size |
| Browser integration | Provides headless Chrome integration for web page rendering | No browser integration | No browser integration |
| Community support and update | Active community support and updates | Active community support and updates | Active community support and updates |
Conclusion
Choosing a conversion library for your Node.js project can be a bit daunting, but there are several great options available. If you want to generate PDF from scratch, PDFKit may be the best option. To quickly convert HTML or SVG content to PDFs, jsPDF may be more suitable. For web page rendering and interactive content, consider using Puppeteer.
The best HTML to PDF conversion library is heavily dependent on your project type and personal preference.
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