compress-pdf

This library provides compress your PDFs using ghostscript

Installation

npm install compress-pdf

yarn add compress-pdf

Automatic Binary Installation

Starting from version 0.6.0, Ghostscript binaries are automatically downloaded and installed during npm install, similar to how Puppeteer handles browser downloads. This means you can use the library right away without any additional setup! 🎉

The installation script will:

• Detect your operating system (Windows, macOS, or Linux)
• Download the appropriate Ghostscript binaries
• Extract them to the bin/gs folder within the package
• Set proper executable permissions (on Unix-like systems)

Environment Variables

You can control the binary installation behavior using environment variables:

• COMPRESS_PDF_SKIP_DOWNLOAD=true: Skip automatic binary download during installation
• COMPRESS_PDF_BIN_PATH=/path/to/gs: Use a custom Ghostscript binary path

Manual Installation (Optional)

If you prefer to use system-installed Ghostscript or the automatic download fails, you can install Ghostscript manually:

Ubuntu

sudo apt-get install ghostscript -y

MacOS

brew install ghostscript

Windows (Chocolatey)

choco install ghostscript

or download Ghostscript .exe installer

Code Usage

import path from 'path';
import fs from 'fs';
import { compress } from 'compress-pdf';

(async () => {
  const pdf = path.resolve(__dirname, 'A17_FlightPlan.pdf');
  const buffer = await compress(pdf);

  const compressedPdf = path.resolve(__dirname, 'compressed_pdf.pdf');
  await fs.promises.writeFile(compressedPdf, buffer);
})();

CLI Usage

npx compress-pdf --file [PDF_FILE] --output ./compressed.pdf

Options:
  --file [PDF_FILE] (REQUIRED)
  --output [COMPRESSED_PDF_FILE] (REQUIRED)
  --resolution [ebook/printer/screen/prepress]
  --compatibilityLevel [NUMBER] The compatibility pdf level
  --gsModule [FILE PATH] The directory of ghostscript binaries. Ex: /usr/bin/gs
  --pdfPassword The pdf password
  --removePasswordAfterCompression [BOOLEAN] Remove pdf password after compression

Usage with Docker

Option 1: Using Automatic Binary Download (Recommended)

FROM node:18 AS build
WORKDIR /src
COPY package*.json ./
RUN npm i
COPY . .
RUN npm run build

FROM node:18
WORKDIR /app
COPY package*.json ./
RUN npm i
COPY --from=build /src/build /app/build/
EXPOSE 8080
CMD [ "npm", "start" ]

Option 2: Using System Ghostscript

If you prefer to use system-installed Ghostscript, you can skip the automatic download:

FROM node:18 AS build
WORKDIR /src
COPY package*.json ./
RUN COMPRESS_PDF_SKIP_DOWNLOAD=true npm i
COPY . .
RUN npm run build

FROM node:18
WORKDIR /app
RUN apt-get update \
    && apt-get install -y ghostscript
COPY package*.json ./
RUN COMPRESS_PDF_SKIP_DOWNLOAD=true npm i
COPY --from=build /src/build /app/build/
EXPOSE 8080
CMD [ "npm", "start" ]

You can see examples in examples folder

License

This project is under MIT license, see LICENSE.md for details.