PDF Creation
- jspdf:
jspdfprovides a programmatic API for creating PDFs by adding text, images, and shapes directly onto the canvas. It supports basic layout control but requires more manual work to achieve complex designs. - react-pdf:
react-pdfis primarily for rendering existing PDF documents in a React application. It does not provide PDF creation capabilities but focuses on displaying and interacting with PDF files. - @react-pdf/renderer:
@react-pdf/rendererallows you to create PDFs using React components, providing a familiar and intuitive way to design document layouts. You can use styles, nested components, and even dynamic content, all while leveraging the power of React. - pdfmake:
pdfmakeuses a declarative approach to define the PDF structure using a JavaScript object. It supports complex layouts, tables, and rich text formatting, making it easier to create sophisticated documents with less manual positioning.
Complex Layouts
- jspdf:
jspdfhas limited support for complex layouts. While you can position elements freely, it requires manual calculations for precise placement, making it challenging to create intricate designs without significant effort. - react-pdf:
react-pdfdoes not handle layout creation but rather focuses on rendering existing PDFs. Its layout capabilities depend on the structure of the PDF being rendered. - @react-pdf/renderer:
@react-pdf/renderersupports complex layouts using Flexbox, allowing for more sophisticated designs compared to traditional PDF libraries. You can create responsive layouts, nested components, and use styles similar to CSS. - pdfmake:
pdfmakeexcels at handling complex layouts, especially with its built-in support for tables, columns, and multi-page documents. Its declarative nature allows for more straightforward implementation of intricate designs.
Table Support
- jspdf:
jspdfhas limited table support, which can be enhanced using plugins likejspdf-autotable. However, creating complex tables requires manual positioning and styling, which can be cumbersome. - react-pdf:
react-pdfdoes not provide built-in table components but allows for table creation using Flexbox and custom components. However, it requires more manual work to achieve the desired table layout. - @react-pdf/renderer:
@react-pdf/rendererprovides basic table support through the<Table>,<TableRow>, and<TableCell>components, allowing for simple table creation with customizable styles and layouts. - pdfmake:
pdfmakeoffers robust table support with features like nested tables, colspan, rowspan, and automatic table layout. It is one of the strongest features of pdfmake, allowing for highly customizable and complex table structures.
Client-Side vs Server-Side
- jspdf:
jspdfis a client-side library that generates PDFs directly in the browser. It is lightweight and fast, making it ideal for applications that need to create PDFs on the fly without server interaction. - react-pdf:
react-pdfis focused on rendering PDFs in the browser and does not provide PDF generation capabilities. It is useful for displaying existing PDF documents rather than creating new ones. - @react-pdf/renderer:
@react-pdf/rendereris designed for client-side PDF generation within React applications. It renders PDFs in the browser using React components, making it suitable for interactive and dynamic document creation. - pdfmake:
pdfmakeis primarily a client-side library but can also be used on the server with Node.js. It provides more flexibility for generating PDFs in different environments, but it is most commonly used in web applications.
Code Example
- jspdf:
PDF Creation with
jspdfimport jsPDF from 'jspdf'; const doc = new jsPDF(); doc.text('Hello, this is a PDF document created with jsPDF!', 10, 10); doc.save('my-document.pdf'); - react-pdf:
PDF Rendering with
react-pdfimport React from 'react'; import { Document, Page } from 'react-pdf'; const MyPDFViewer = () => ( <Document file="path/to/your/document.pdf"> <Page pageNumber={1} /> </Document> ); export default MyPDFViewer; - @react-pdf/renderer:
PDF Creation with
@react-pdf/rendererimport React from 'react'; import { PDFDownloadLink, Document, Page, Text, View } from '@react-pdf/renderer'; const MyDocument = () => ( <Document> <Page size="A4"> <View> <Text>Hello, this is a PDF document created with @react-pdf/renderer!</Text> </View> </Page> </Document> ); const App = () => ( <div> <PDFDownloadLink document={<MyDocument />} fileName="my-document.pdf"> {({ loading }) => (loading ? 'Loading document...' : 'Download PDF')} </PDFDownloadLink> </div> ); export default App; - pdfmake:
PDF Creation with
pdfmakeimport pdfMake from 'pdfmake/build/pdfmake'; import pdfFonts from 'pdfmake/build/vfs_fonts'; pdfMake.vfs = pdfFonts.vfs; const docDefinition = { content: [ 'Hello, this is a PDF document created with pdfmake!', { text: 'This is a bold text', bold: true }, { table: { body: [ ['Column 1', 'Column 2'], ['Data 1', 'Data 2'], ], }, }, ], }; pdfMake.createPdf(docDefinition).download('my-document.pdf');