Next.js → PDF API in 5 Minutes

Launch Next.js PDFs in three steps

1. Add a server-only fetch helper inside an App Router route handler. Create `app/api/pdf/route.ts` that forwards HTML or URLs to `https://api.yourdomain.com/v1/render` with your API key stored in environment variables. The Worker waits for network idle so SSR and ISR routes render correctly.
2. Stream the PDF back to the browser or storage bucket. Use `Response` streaming to send the PDF to the browser, or push the `ArrayBuffer` to S3/R2 for later retrieval and emailing.
3. Track usage and upgrade paths automatically. Surface `/v1/usage` in your settings page so teams know when they are close to their included renders. Stripe metered billing handles overage without you writing additional code.

Next.js integration code

Drop this snippet into your project, replace `PDF_API_KEY`, and generate your first PDF. Pair it with the curl request for quick smoke tests.

import type { NextRequest } from "next/server"

const API_URL = "https://api.yourdomain.com/v1/render"
const API_KEY = process.env.PDF_API_KEY!

export async function POST(req: NextRequest) {
  const payload = await req.json()
  const res = await fetch(API_URL, {
    method: "POST",
    headers: {
      authorization: `Bearer ${API_KEY}`,
      "content-type": "application/json"
    },
    body: JSON.stringify({
      url: payload.url,
      options: { format: "A4", printBackground: true }
    })
  })

  if (!res.ok) {
    throw new Error(`Render failed: ${res.status} ${await res.text()}`)
  }

  return new Response(res.body, {
    headers: {
      "content-type": "application/pdf",
      "content-disposition": "attachment; filename=invoice.pdf"
    }
  })
}

Test with curl

curl -X POST https://api.yourdomain.com/v1/render \
  -H "authorization: Bearer ${PDF_API_KEY}" \
  -H "content-type: application/json" \
  -d '{"url":"https://demo.yourdomain.com/nextjs-invoice"}' \
  --output invoice.pdf

Common pitfalls & fixes

• Wait for `networkidle` in Playwright to avoid truncating data fetched on the client.
• Store the API key in Vercel environment variables and only call the Worker from server modules.
• [object Object]

FAQ

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