How do I generate a PDF from HTML in Laravel?

Install the PHP SDK via Composer: composer require html-to-pdf-api/php-sdk. Then call HtmlToPdf::fromHtml($html)->save('invoice.pdf'). One line. No headless browser required.

Does the HTML to PDF API work without a framework?

Yes. Any language that can make an HTTP POST request works — plain PHP, Node.js, Python, Ruby, Go, curl. Send JSON with your HTML or URL, receive a PDF back.

Is there a free tier?

Yes. The free tier includes 200 pages/day with no credit card required. Paid plans start at $29/month for higher volume.

What is a good alternative to wkhtmltopdf or Puppeteer?

HTML to PDF API is a hosted REST API alternative. No binary to install, no server dependencies, no headless browser process to manage. Call the API and get a PDF — that's it.

Generate PDF Documents in n8n Workflows

n8n is a powerful workflow automation platform, but it doesn't have a native PDF generation node. The HTML to PDF API fills that gap: use the HTTP Request node to send HTML, receive PDF bytes, and pass them to any downstream node: email attachment, file storage, or webhook response.

HTTP Request Node Configuration

Add an HTTP Request node to your workflow with these settings:

HTTP Request node settingsjson

{
  "method": "POST",
  "url": "https://platform.htmltopdfapi.co/api/v1/pdf/generate",
  "sendHeaders": true,
  "headerParameters": {
    "parameters": [
      { "name": "Authorization", "value": "Bearer YOUR_API_KEY" },
      { "name": "Content-Type", "value": "application/json" },
      { "name": "Accept",        "value": "application/pdf" }
    ]
  },
  "sendBody": true,
  "bodyParameters": {
    "parameters": [
      { "name": "html",        "value": "={{ $json.html }}" },
      { "name": "paper_size",  "value": "a4" },
      { "name": "orientation", "value": "portrait" }
    ]
  },
  "responseFormat": "file"
}

Build the HTML in a Code Node

Code node: build invoice HTMLjs

const invoice = $input.first().json

const html = `
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<body style="font-family:sans-serif;padding:32px">
  <h1 style="color:#1e40af">Invoice #${invoice.number}</h1>
  <p>Amount: <strong>$${(invoice.amount / 100).toFixed(2)}</strong></p>
  <p>Customer: ${invoice.customer_name}</p>
  <p>Date: ${new Date(invoice.created_at).toLocaleDateString()}</p>
</body>
</html>
`

return [{ json: { html } }]

Example Automation

A typical invoice PDF workflow in n8n:

1. Stripe Trigger: fires on payment_intent.succeeded

2. HTTP Request: fetch invoice details from your backend

3. Code node: build the invoice HTML string

4. HTTP Request: POST to HTML to PDF API (responseFormat: file)

5. Gmail node: send email with the returned PDF as an attachment

Store your API key as an n8n credential (Header Auth) rather than hardcoding it in the node configuration.

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