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what is pdfpost fr?

andyshrx/pdfpost — explained in plain English

Analysis updated 2026-05-18

9PHPAudience · developerComplexity · 3/5LicenseSetup · moderate

tl;dr

PDFPost is a self hosted API that turns JSON data and a Liquid template into a pixel perfect PDF, with no per document pricing.

vibe map

mindmap
  root((pdfpost))
    What it does
      JSON to PDF API
      Liquid templates
      Sync and async render
      Signed webhooks
    Tech stack
      PHP
      Laravel
      Gotenberg
      Docker
    Use cases
      Invoice generation
      Self hosted documents
      Social preview images
    Audience
      Developers
      Vibe coders
      Self hosters

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filefunction / class

what do people make with this?

VIBE 1

Generate invoices, receipts, or certificates from your app by posting JSON to a template.

VIBE 2

Self host a document generation API instead of paying per document to a SaaS provider.

VIBE 3

Render social preview images from the same templates by switching the output format.

what's the stack?

PHPLaravelGotenbergDocker

how it stacks up fr

andyshrx/pdfpostlikeyun/wxminiprosubmsgpushcolin-johnston/hadron
Stars9116
LanguagePHPPHPPHP
Last pushed2016-03-27
MaintenanceDormant
Setup difficultymoderatehardmoderate
Complexity3/53/52/5
Audiencedeveloperdeveloperdeveloper

Figures from each repo's GitHub metadata at analysis time.

how do i run it?

Difficulty · moderate time til it works · 30min

Runs via Docker Compose, bundling the app, a queue worker, and the Gotenberg rendering engine together.

Use freely for any purpose, including commercial use, as long as you keep the copyright notice.

in plain english

PDFPost is a self hosted tool that turns JSON data into a finished PDF document through a single API call. You design a template once using Liquid, a simple templating language originally built for Shopify, and then any app can send data to that template and get back a matching PDF, such as an invoice, receipt, certificate, or report. The actual rendering is handled behind the scenes by Gotenberg, which uses a headless version of the Chrome browser, so the PDF looks exactly like the preview you see while editing. Templates are versioned every time they change, and each generated document remembers exactly which version of the template it used. There is a built in code editor with a live preview in the dashboard, so you can watch the PDF update as you type, plus a one click way to generate a test document. Rendering can happen either synchronously, where the API call directly streams back the finished PDF, or asynchronously, where the request is queued and your application is notified through a webhook once it is ready. Webhook messages are cryptographically signed so your app can confirm they really came from PDFPost. The tool can also generate social media preview images instead of PDFs by changing one setting. Getting started is done with Docker Compose: cloning the repository, copying an example environment file, generating an application key, and starting the containers, which brings up the web app, a background worker, a scheduler, and the Gotenberg rendering engine together. An install wizard then creates your account and your first API access token. Running from source instead of Docker is also supported for people comfortable with PHP and Node tooling. The project is built with a single tenant security model in mind: template authors are trusted operators, registration locks itself after the first account is created, templates cannot execute code or reach the network, and the rendering engine runs with no direct internet access. This project is aimed at developers and vibe coders who want to generate documents like invoices from their own apps without paying per document to a hosted service. It is released under the MIT license.

prompts (copy fr)

prompt 1
Help me set up PDFPost with Docker Compose and generate my first PDF from a template.
prompt 2
Explain how to create a Liquid template in PDFPost and render it with sample invoice data.
prompt 3
How do I use PDFPost's async render endpoint and verify its signed webhook callbacks?
prompt 4
What does PDFPost's single tenant security model mean for how I deploy it?

Frequently asked questions

what is pdfpost fr?

PDFPost is a self hosted API that turns JSON data and a Liquid template into a pixel perfect PDF, with no per document pricing.

What language is pdfpost written in?

Mainly PHP. The stack also includes PHP, Laravel, Gotenberg.

What license does pdfpost use?

Use freely for any purpose, including commercial use, as long as you keep the copyright notice.

How hard is pdfpost to set up?

Setup difficulty is rated moderate, with roughly 30min to a first successful run.

Who is pdfpost for?

Mainly developer.

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