These libraries provide various functionalities for creating, manipulating, and rendering PDF documents in web applications. They cater to different use cases, from simple PDF generation to complex document manipulation and rendering within web applications. Each library has its strengths, making them suitable for specific scenarios depending on the developer's needs and project requirements.
pdfjs-dist is a popular library for rendering PDF documents in web applications using JavaScript. It is built on top of Mozilla's PDF.js project, which allows developers to display PDF files directly in the browser without needing any external plugins. With pdfjs-dist, you can easily integrate PDF viewing capabilities into your applications, making it a go-to choice for projects that require PDF manipulation and rendering.
While pdfjs-dist is a robust solution for PDF rendering, there are alternatives that offer different functionalities and use cases. Here are a couple of notable alternatives:
pdf-lib is a powerful library for creating and modifying PDF documents in JavaScript. Unlike pdfjs-dist, which focuses on rendering existing PDFs, pdf-lib allows developers to create new PDF documents from scratch or modify existing ones. You can add text, images, and shapes, as well as manipulate pages and metadata. If your project requires generating or editing PDFs programmatically, pdf-lib is an excellent choice due to its comprehensive API and ease of use.
pdf-parse is a lightweight library designed for extracting text and metadata from PDF files. It is particularly useful for server-side applications where you need to analyze or process PDF content. pdf-parse focuses on parsing PDF documents and returning their textual content, making it ideal for applications that require text extraction rather than rendering. If your goal is to extract information from PDFs rather than display them, pdf-parse is a suitable alternative.
For a detailed comparison of these packages, check out the following link: Comparing pdf-lib vs pdf-parse vs pdfjs-dist.
jspdf is a popular JavaScript library used for generating PDF documents directly in the browser. It allows developers to create complex PDF files with various features, including text, images, and shapes, without needing a server-side solution. This makes it an excellent choice for web applications that require dynamic PDF generation, such as reports, invoices, or downloadable content.
While jspdf is a powerful tool for PDF creation, there are other libraries that offer similar functionality. Here are a couple of alternatives:
To explore how jspdf compares with pdf-lib and pdfmake, check out the comparison: Comparing jspdf vs pdf-lib vs pdfmake.
react-pdf is a popular library for rendering PDF documents in React applications. It allows developers to display PDF files directly in their web applications without the need for external plugins or viewers. With react-pdf
, you can easily load and render PDF documents, manage page navigation, and customize the appearance of the PDF viewer. This makes it an excellent choice for applications that require document viewing capabilities, such as e-commerce platforms, educational tools, or any application that needs to display reports or invoices.
An alternative to react-pdf
is @react-pdf/renderer. This library is designed for generating PDF documents using React components. Unlike react-pdf
, which focuses on rendering existing PDF files, @react-pdf/renderer
allows developers to create PDFs from scratch by defining the document structure using React components. This can be particularly useful for applications that need to generate reports, invoices, or any other documents dynamically based on user input or data from APIs.
Both libraries serve different purposes within the PDF ecosystem in React. If your goal is to display existing PDF files, react-pdf
is the way to go. On the other hand, if you need to create and generate PDF documents programmatically, @react-pdf/renderer
is the better choice.
To explore the differences and features of these packages, check out the comparison: Comparing @react-pdf/renderer vs react-pdf.
pdf-lib is a powerful JavaScript library for creating and manipulating PDF documents in both Node.js and browser environments. It allows developers to generate PDFs from scratch, modify existing PDFs, and extract information from them. With a focus on simplicity and flexibility, pdf-lib
supports a wide range of features including text, images, shapes, and annotations, making it an excellent choice for applications that require dynamic PDF generation or editing.
One notable alternative to pdf-lib
is pdfkit. This library is also designed for creating PDF documents in Node.js and the browser, but it takes a more programmatic approach to PDF generation. pdfkit
provides a rich set of features for drawing text, images, and vector graphics, allowing developers to create complex layouts and designs. While pdfkit
is highly customizable and powerful, it may have a steeper learning curve compared to pdf-lib
, which is often praised for its ease of use and straightforward API.
For developers looking to compare the capabilities and features of these two libraries, you can check out the comparison: Comparing pdf-lib vs pdfkit.
pdfmake is a powerful JavaScript library for generating PDF documents in web applications. It allows developers to create complex and customizable PDF files using a declarative syntax. With features like tables, images, and styles, pdfmake is suitable for generating reports, invoices, and other document types directly from the browser or server-side environments. Its flexibility and ease of use make it a popular choice for developers looking to implement PDF generation in their applications.
However, there are several alternatives to pdfmake that also provide PDF generation capabilities. Here are a few notable ones:
pdfkit is a robust PDF generation library for Node.js that allows developers to create complex PDF documents programmatically. Unlike pdfmake, which uses a declarative approach, pdfkit provides a more programmatic API, giving developers fine-grained control over the PDF creation process. With features like vector graphics, text formatting, and image embedding, pdfkit is ideal for generating highly customized PDFs. It is particularly well-suited for server-side applications where you need to create PDFs dynamically based on user input or data from a database.
react-pdf is a library specifically designed for rendering PDF documents in React applications. It allows developers to create PDF documents using React components, making it easy to integrate PDF generation into existing React projects. With react-pdf, you can build PDF documents that are responsive and styled using CSS, leveraging the power of React's component-based architecture. This library is particularly useful for applications that require dynamic PDF generation based on user interactions or data changes.
To see how pdfmake compares with pdfkit and react-pdf, check out the comparison: Comparing pdfkit vs pdfmake vs react-pdf.
pdfkit is a powerful PDF generation library for Node.js and the browser. It allows developers to create complex PDF documents programmatically with ease. With its extensive features, pdfkit supports text, images, vector graphics, and more, making it a versatile choice for generating dynamic PDF content. However, there are other libraries available that also provide PDF generation capabilities. Here are a couple of alternatives:
To see how pdfkit compares with pdf-lib and pdfmake, check out the comparison: Comparing pdf-lib vs pdfkit vs pdfmake.
@pdfme/common is a versatile library designed for creating and manipulating PDF documents in JavaScript applications. It provides a set of common utilities and components that simplify the process of generating PDFs, making it easier for developers to integrate PDF functionality into their projects. While @pdfme/common offers a robust solution for PDF generation, there are several alternatives in the ecosystem that also cater to PDF creation and manipulation. Here are a few notable options:
jspdf
is particularly useful for applications that require client-side PDF generation without relying on server-side processing.pdf-lib
is well-suited for applications that need more advanced PDF manipulation capabilities, such as merging documents or adding annotations.pdfjs-dist
is ideal for applications that need to display PDF content in the browser, allowing for interactive viewing and manipulation.pdfkit
is a solid choice.pdfmake
is particularly useful for applications that require dynamic PDF generation based on user input or data.react-pdf
is an excellent choice.To see how @pdfme/common compares with these alternatives, check out the comparison: Comparing @pdfme/common vs jspdf vs pdf-lib vs pdfjs-dist vs pdfkit vs pdfmake vs react-pdf.
PDF.js is a Portable Document Format (PDF) library that is built with HTML5. Our goal is to create a general-purpose, web standards-based platform for parsing and rendering PDFs.
This is a pre-built version of the PDF.js source code. It is automatically generated by the build scripts.
For usage with older browsers/environments, without native support for the
latest JavaScript features, please see the legacy/
folder.
Please see this wiki page for information about supported browsers/environments.
See https://github.com/mozilla/pdf.js for learning and contributing.