fast-html-pdf
v1.0.1
Published
Fast HTML → PDF generator using Playwright. Full CSS support, simple API, perfect for reports, invoices, and documents.
Maintainers
nurmhmReadme
fast-html-pdf
High-performance HTML to PDF converter using Playwright. Simple API with full CSS support, perfect for generating reports, invoices, and documents.
Features
Easy to Use - Simple, intuitive API
Full CSS Support - Style PDFs with complete CSS capabilities
Responsive Design - Works with modern web technologies
High Performance - Fast conversion with reliable output
Production Ready - Error handling, type safety, and comprehensive documentation
No Dependencies - Minimal footprint (Playwright only)
Batch Processing - Convert multiple documents efficiently
Installation
npm install fast-html-pdfRequirements:
- Node.js >= 18.0.0
- ~300MB disk space for Playwright browsers (downloaded on first use)
Quick Start
Basic Usage
import { htmlToPdfFile } from 'fast-html-pdf';
const html = `
<h1>Hello World</h1>
<p>This is a PDF generated from HTML!</p>
`;
const path = await htmlToPdfFile(html, './output.pdf');
console.log(`PDF saved to: ${path}`);Get PDF as Buffer
import { htmlToPdfBuffer } from 'fast-html-pdf';
const html = '<h1>Hello World</h1>';
const pdfBuffer = await htmlToPdfBuffer(html);
// Use the buffer directly (e.g., for API responses)
response.setHeader('Content-Type', 'application/pdf');
response.send(pdfBuffer);With Custom Styling
import { htmlToPdfFile } from 'fast-html-pdf';
const html = `
<div class="invoice">
<h1>Invoice #12345</h1>
<p>Amount: $99.99</p>
</div>
`;
const css = `
.invoice {
font-family: Arial, sans-serif;
padding: 20px;
background: #f5f5f5;
}
`;
await htmlToPdfFile(html, './invoice.pdf', {
additionalStyles: css,
format: 'A4',
margin: { top: 10, right: 10, bottom: 10, left: 10 }
});Batch Processing
import { htmlToPdfBatch } from 'fast-html-pdf';
const documents = [
['<h1>Report 1</h1>', './report1.pdf'],
['<h1>Report 2</h1>', './report2.pdf'],
['<h1>Report 3</h1>', './report3.pdf']
];
const paths = await htmlToPdfBatch(documents, {
format: 'A4'
});
console.log('Generated:', paths);API Reference
htmlToPdfFile(html, outputPath, options?)
Convert HTML to PDF and save to disk.
Parameters:
html(string) - HTML contentoutputPath(string) - Path where to save the PDFoptions(FastHtmlPdfOptions, optional) - Conversion options
Returns: Promise<string> - Absolute path to the saved PDF
Throws: FastHtmlPdfError - If conversion or file write fails
htmlToPdfBuffer(html, options?)
Convert HTML to PDF and return as Buffer.
Parameters:
html(string) - HTML contentoptions(FastHtmlPdfOptions, optional) - Conversion options
Returns: Promise<Buffer> - PDF content as Buffer
Throws: FastHtmlPdfError - If conversion fails
htmlToPdfBatch(htmlArray, options?)
Convert multiple HTML documents efficiently.
Parameters:
htmlArray(Array<[html, path]>) - Array of [HTML, output path] tuplesoptions(FastHtmlPdfOptions, optional) - Conversion options
Returns: Promise<string[]> - Array of saved file paths
Throws: FastHtmlPdfError - If any conversion fails
Options
Extended Playwright PDF options with additional configuration:
interface FastHtmlPdfOptions {
// Playwright PDF options (all supported)
format?: 'Letter' | 'Legal' | 'Tabloid' | 'Ledger' | 'A0' | 'A1' | 'A2' | 'A3' | 'A4' | 'A5' | 'A6';
margin?: { top?: number; right?: number; bottom?: number; left?: number };
width?: string | number;
height?: string | number;
scale?: number;
displayHeaderFooter?: boolean;
headerTemplate?: string;
footerTemplate?: string;
preferCSSPageSize?: boolean;
printBackground?: boolean;
// fast-html-pdf specific options
waitUntil?: 'load' | 'domcontentloaded' | 'networkidle'; // default: 'networkidle'
additionalStyles?: string; // CSS to inject into the HTML
viewport?: { width: number; height: number };
}Advanced Examples
Generate Invoice with Dynamic Data
import { htmlToPdfFile } from 'fast-html-pdf';
function generateInvoiceHTML(invoiceData) {
return `
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<style>
body { font-family: Arial, sans-serif; }
.invoice-container { max-width: 800px; margin: 0 auto; padding: 20px; }
.header { text-align: center; border-bottom: 2px solid #333; padding-bottom: 20px; }
.items { margin: 30px 0; }
.item { display: flex; justify-content: space-between; padding: 10px 0; border-bottom: 1px solid #eee; }
.total { font-weight: bold; font-size: 18px; text-align: right; margin-top: 20px; }
</style>
</head>
<body>
<div class="invoice-container">
<div class="header">
<h1>INVOICE</h1>
<p>Invoice #${invoiceData.id}</p>
<p>Date: ${new Date().toLocaleDateString()}</p>
</div>
<div class="items">
${invoiceData.items.map(item => `
<div class="item">
<span>${item.description}</span>
<span>$${item.amount.toFixed(2)}</span>
</div>
`).join('')}
</div>
<div class="total">
Total: $${invoiceData.items.reduce((sum, item) => sum + item.amount, 0).toFixed(2)}
</div>
</div>
</body>
</html>
`;
}
const invoiceData = {
id: '001',
items: [
{ description: 'Web Development', amount: 500 },
{ description: 'UI Design', amount: 300 }
]
};
await htmlToPdfFile(
generateInvoiceHTML(invoiceData),
'./invoice.pdf',
{ format: 'A4', margin: { top: 20, bottom: 20 } }
);Express.js Integration
import { htmlToPdfBuffer } from 'fast-html-pdf';
import express from 'express';
const app = express();
app.get('/api/report/pdf', async (req, res) => {
try {
const html = `<h1>Monthly Report</h1><p>Generated on ${new Date().toISOString()}</p>`;
const pdf = await htmlToPdfBuffer(html, { format: 'A4' });
res.setHeader('Content-Type', 'application/pdf');
res.setHeader('Content-Disposition', 'attachment; filename="report.pdf"');
res.send(pdf);
} catch (error) {
res.status(500).json({ error: 'Failed to generate PDF' });
}
});
app.listen(3000);Error Handling
import { htmlToPdfFile, FastHtmlPdfError } from 'fast-html-pdf';
try {
await htmlToPdfFile('<h1>Test</h1>', './output.pdf');
} catch (error) {
if (error instanceof FastHtmlPdfError) {
console.error('PDF conversion failed:', error.message);
console.error('Original error:', error.originalError);
} else {
console.error('Unexpected error:', error);
}
}Perfect For
Reports & Analytics - Generate business reports dynamically
Invoices & Receipts - Create professional billing documents
Certificates - Design and generate certificates
Tickets & Passes - Generate event tickets and boarding passes
Data Export - Export data as formatted PDFs
Email Attachments - Generate PDFs for email distribution
Performance Tips
- Reuse HTML templates - Pre-compile templates when possible
- Batch processing - Use
htmlToPdfBatch()for multiple documents - Optimize HTML - Remove unnecessary styles and scripts
- Set viewport explicitly - Helps with consistent layout rendering
- Use appropriate wait conditions -
networkidleis safest but slower
Troubleshooting
"Cannot find module 'playwright'"
Ensure playwright is installed: npm install playwright
PDF has blank content
- Check if HTML is valid
- Verify images/resources are accessible
- Try different
waitUntiloption:'load'or'domcontentloaded' - Increase timeout if needed
Memory issues with large batches
Process in smaller batches and use htmlToPdfBatch() for optimal resource management.
Styling not applied
- Use inline styles or
<style>tags - Avoid external CSS files
- Use
additionalStylesoption for global CSS
Browser Support
- ✅ Chromium (default, used by Playwright)
- Node.js only (server-side PDF generation)
Contributing
We welcome contributions! Please see CONTRIBUTING.md for guidelines.
License
MIT © Nur
Changelog
See CHANGELOG.md for version history and updates.
Support
Made with ❤️ by Nur Mohammad Akash