API guide
This guide organizes PdfRestClient and AsyncPdfRestClient methods by
workflow, so you can quickly find the right call for a user task.
Notes:
- Every sync method has an async counterpart with the same name.
- Sync client: PdfRestClient
- Async client: AsyncPdfRestClient
Start here: common flow
- Upload file(s): files.create_from_paths
- Call one processing method from a category below.
- Download outputs: files.read_bytes or files.write_bytes
- (Optional) clean up: files.delete
Service and file operations
Use these methods to check service status and manage uploaded resources.
- Health check: up
- File helper: files
- File upload and fetch: files.create, files.create_from_paths, files.create_from_urls, files.get
- File read/write: files.read_bytes, files.read_text, files.read_json, files.write_bytes, files.stream
- File delete: files.delete
Inspect, extract, summarize, and translate
Use this group when users need metadata or text intelligence.
- Metadata and document properties: query_pdf_info
- OCR and text extraction: ocr_pdf, extract_pdf_text, extract_pdf_text_to_file
- Image extraction: extract_images
- Summaries: summarize_text, summarize_text_to_file
- Translation: translate_pdf_text, translate_pdf_text_to_file
- Markdown output: convert_to_markdown
Compose, split, merge, and package
Use this group for document assembly and distribution.
- Create or partition documents: blank_pdf, split_pdf
- Combine documents: merge_pdfs
- Package/unpackage output sets: zip_files, unzip_file
- Embed attachments: add_attachment_to_pdf
Markup, branding, and redaction
Use this group to add visible content or remove sensitive content.
- Add overlays: add_text_to_pdf, add_image_to_pdf
- Watermarking: watermark_pdf_with_text, watermark_pdf_with_image
- Redaction workflow: preview_redactions first, then apply_redactions
Security, signing, and compliance
Use this group for password protection, permissions, signatures, and standards.
- Permissions password: add_permissions_password, change_permissions_password, remove_permissions_password
- Open password: add_open_password, change_open_password, remove_open_password
- Digital signatures: sign_pdf
- Archival/print conformance: convert_to_pdfa, convert_to_pdfx
PDF cleanup and rendering normalization
Use this group to improve compatibility, performance, or file size.
- Size and optimization: compress_pdf, linearize_pdf
- Flattening: flatten_pdf_forms, flatten_annotations, flatten_layers, flatten_transparencies
- Raster and color normalization: rasterize_pdf, convert_colors
Convert into or out of PDF
Use this group when the user starts with non-PDF content or needs downstream formats.
- Into PDF: convert_office_to_pdf, convert_postscript_to_pdf, convert_email_to_pdf, convert_image_to_pdf, convert_html_to_pdf, convert_url_to_pdf
- Out of PDF: convert_to_word, convert_to_excel, convert_to_powerpoint, convert_xfa_to_acroforms
- PDF to image: convert_to_png, convert_to_bmp, convert_to_gif, convert_to_jpeg, convert_to_tiff
Forms data workflows
Use this group when users need to transfer form field values in/out of PDFs.
- Import external form data into a PDF: import_form_data
- Export form data from a PDF: export_form_data
Async equivalents
For any sync method listed above, use the same method name on AsyncPdfRestClient when your app is async. For file helpers, use AsyncPdfRestFilesClient.