5 Essential JavaScript PDF Libraries for Modern Developers

JavaScript has become a go-to language not only for building dynamic web applications but also for handling PDF documents directly in the browser or server. From generating invoices and complex documents to creating a PDF viewer in your React app or Angular projects, the modern JavaScript PDF library ecosystem gives developers powerful ways to work with PDFs without relying on desktop software such as Adobe Reader.

If you're a React developer or building browser-based applications with other frameworks, chances are you'll eventually need to render PDF files, embed them in a page, or even create them dynamically from user data. In this article we'll explore and compare 5 popular JavaScript PDF libraries you can start using today.

Table of Contents

• Introduction to JavaScript PDF Libraries
• jsPDF
• PDF-Lib
• React-PDF / NGX Extended PDF Viewer
• PDFKit (Browser Version)
• IronPDF for Node.js
• Comparison Table
• Conclusion

Introduction to JavaScript PDF Libraries

Modern JavaScript libraries offer rich APIs for creating, viewing, and manipulating PDF files directly from a web application. Whether you need to display PDFs in the browser, handle form filling, manage digital signatures, or perform server side processing, these tools make it possible with just a few function calls.

During our review, we focused on:

• Ease of use: Does the library provide an easy-to-use API?
• Performance: How does it handle multi-page or complex PDFs?
• Key features: Support for custom fonts, image embedding, vector graphics, and page navigation
• Integration: Can it be used in React applications, Angular apps, or other frameworks with minimal external dependencies?

jsPDF

jsPDF is one of the most widely used pure JavaScript PDF generation libraries for browser-based applications. With a simple script include or a quick yarn add jspdf you can start creating PDFs on the client side without any server.

Features

• Create PDF documents entirely in the browser using JavaScript
• Supports embedded fonts, custom fonts, and TTF files for consistent branding
• Allows image embedding, shapes, and even vector graphics for charts
• Offers higher level functionality like automatic multi-page content handling
• Works well with React developers and other frameworks for seamless integration

Use Cases

• Generating PDF invoices or reports from form data directly in the browser
• Allowing users to download PDF documents without leaving the page
• Exporting parts of a React app to a shareable PDF file

PDF-Lib

PDF-Lib is a modern open source JavaScript library focused on working with existing PDFs. Instead of only creating new documents, it shines when you need to modify or merge files.

Features

• Load and edit existing PDF files directly in the browser
• Add or remove pages, fill in forms, or apply digital signatures
• Vector graphics and image embedding support for rich content
• No external dependencies — it's a pure JavaScript library licensed under MIT License
• Works well with both client side and server side JavaScript

Use Cases

• Document management tasks such as stamping or watermarking uploaded PDFs
• Merging multiple complex documents into one file
• Adding access control or custom metadata to PDFs before download

React-PDF / NGX Extended PDF Viewer

For applications where you want to render PDFs rather than generate them, React-PDF and NGX Extended PDF Viewer are two excellent options. React-PDF integrates directly with React applications, while NGX Extended PDF Viewer serves Angular apps.

Features

• Built on top of Mozilla's PDF.js for accurate PDF rendering in web browsers
• Provides page navigation, text selection, and built-in PDF viewer controls
• Supports custom fonts and vector graphics display
• Minimal setup with script tags or npm install commands for quick integration

Use Cases

• Embedding a JavaScript PDF viewer into a React app or Angular project
• Building a custom dashboard with PDF viewing and annotation features
• Displaying complex PDFs with high fidelity in a browser-based application without Adobe Reader

PDFKit (Browser Version)

While PDFKit started as a Node.js module, it also works in the browser with a build. It's a solid JavaScript PDF generation library for those who need low level functions to build a PDF from scratch.

Features

• Programmatic control over text, images, and vector graphics
• Multi-page support and control over page layout
• Works in browser and server environments for generating complex documents
• Extensive documentation and active community

Use Cases

• Creating custom reports or printable documents from data
• Generating PDFs from other frameworks or upcoming projects needing full layout control
• Perfect for developers who prefer code-level control over templates

IronPDF for Node.js

While the above libraries excel in the browser, many projects also need server side processing. IronPDF for Node.js is a powerful solution for that.

IronPDF is a high-performance Node.js PDF library designed to simplify everything from PDF generation to modification and reading. It allows developers to effortlessly create pixel-perfect PDFs from an HTML file, raw HTML string, or even directly from a URL, making it ideal for projects that already produce HTML output. By handling the heavy lifting of PDF rendering, IronPDF ensures that your server-side processing is fast, reliable, and produces consistently high-quality documents.

Unlike many lightweight libraries that focus on only one part of the PDF workflow, IronPDF provides an end-to-end solution. Its rendering engine preserves CSS, JavaScript, images, and custom fonts to give your generated PDFs a true "what-you-see-is-what-you-get" result.

Getting started with IronPDF in Node.js is straightforward. Checkout the documentation for seamless integration in your project.

Features

IronPDF offers a robust set of capabilities that go far beyond basic PDF creation:

• Comprehensive PDF support: Create new PDFs or manipulate existing PDFs by merging, splitting, stamping, or watermarking them
• Advanced features: Add encryption, digital signatures, password protection, and other access control measures for secure document management
• HTML to PDF conversion: Generate multi-page, print-ready PDFs from URLs or HTML templates, complete with embedded fonts, CSS styles, and JavaScript
• Performance and scalability: Optimized for generating even complex PDFs with images, tables, and vector graphics in seconds
• Easy-to-use API: Designed so developers can create, modify, and export PDFs with just a few function calls
• Seamless integration: Works smoothly with popular frameworks and toolchains

Use Cases

IronPDF fits neatly into many real-world scenarios:

• Automated reports: Convert business data into professionally formatted PDFs for distribution
• Invoices and statements: Pull data from your database and generate invoices, receipts, or statements automatically
• Dynamic content: Turn entire web pages, dashboards, or React applications into pixel-perfect PDFs
• Document management: Add headers, footers, page numbers, or watermarks to existing documents

Licensing

IronPDF is a commercial library with multiple license tiers suitable for both individual developers and large teams. While it requires a license key to run beyond development environments, the company offers a free trial so you can test its capabilities in your own projects before purchasing.

If your upcoming project requires secure, fast, and feature-rich PDF generation on the server side, IronPDF for Node.js is one of the most capable tools you can add to your stack. You can download IronPDF directly from its website and start exploring its extensive documentation and examples today.

7. Comparison of Key Features Between JavaScript PDF Libraries

Library	Client/Server	Create PDFs	Edit Existing PDFs	PDF Viewing	Custom Fonts / Images	License	Best For
jsPDF	Browser	✅	❌	Basic	✅	MIT	Quick client-side PDF generation
PDF-Lib	Browser/Node	Limited	✅	❌	✅	MIT	Editing and merging existing PDFs
React-PDF / NGX	Browser	❌	❌	✅ Full	✅ Display only	MIT	Embedding a PDF viewer in apps
PDFKit	Browser/Node	✅	❌	❌	✅	MIT	Low-level PDF generation
IronPDF	Server	✅	✅	❌	✅ Advanced	Commercial (Free Trial)	Server-side HTML to PDF and advanced features

Conclusion — The Best JavaScript PDF Library (2025)

Choosing the right JavaScript PDF library depends on your use case. If you need a quick way to generate PDFs in the browser, jsPDF is still the go-to. For modifying existing PDFs, PDF-Lib offers excellent control. If your goal is rendering PDFs with a JavaScript PDF viewer in React applications or Angular apps, React-PDF and NGX Extended PDF Viewer are perfect. For code-level PDF generation with vector graphics, PDFKit is solid.

And for server-side processing with advanced features like digital signatures, form filling, and seamless integration into enterprise workflows, IronPDF for Node.js is a strong candidate — especially if your upcoming project needs reliable and fast PDF generation on the backend.