RustPdf for Node.js

Generate, edit, sign and process PDFs from Node.js: vector graphics, embedded fonts and Unicode text, wrapping paragraphs, images, PDF/A (1b-4f), tagged/accessible output, attachments, AcroForm fields, page manipulation (merge/split/stamp), watermarks, true redaction, AES-256 encryption, digital signatures (PAdES) with HSM/deferred signing, timestamps/LTV, text extraction and search, and page rendering to PNG. No native compilation, no node-gyp.

Documentation

• Full API reference: https://rustpdf.dev/docs/node
• Interactive positioning guide (coordinates, anchors, rotation): https://rustpdf.dev/positioning
• All product guides (PDF/A, signatures, encryption, redaction, rendering): https://rustpdf.dev/docs/

Install

npm install rustpdf

The native library ships as per-platform optional dependencies (@rustpdf/darwin-arm64, @rustpdf/linux-x64-gnu, @rustpdf/linux-arm64-gnu, @rustpdf/win32-x64-msvc) — npm installs only the one matching your os/cpu, so there's no native compilation and no node-gyp. This mirrors how the Python binding ships one platform wheel per target.

The cdylib is located at load time in this order:

1. RUSTPDF_LIB (explicit path to a libpdf_ffi.*);
2. the matching @rustpdf/<platform> package (the normal install path);
3. the workspace target/{debug,release} (monorepo dev — see below).

Developing in the monorepo

npm install            # installs koffi
cargo build -p pdf-ffi # builds libpdf_ffi (from the repo root)

No platform package is installed, so the loader falls back to target/.

Quick start

const rp = require('rustpdf');           // or: import * as rp from 'rustpdf'

rp.activateLicense(token);               // or set RUSTPDF_LICENSE (auto-activated)

const doc = new rp.Document();
doc.pdfa(rp.PdfaLevel.A2a).setInfo({ title: 'Report' });
const f = doc.addFontFile('assets/fonts/Roboto-Regular.ttf');
doc.addPage()
   .showText(f, 20, 72, 760, 'Title', 1)          // heading level 1 = H1
   .paragraph(f, 12, 72, 720, 450, 'A wrapping body…', rp.Align.Justify);
const data = doc.toBytes();                        // Buffer
doc.close();

console.log(rp.extractText(data));

const ed = rp.EditableDoc.load(data);
ed.encrypt({ method: rp.Encryption.Aes256, owner: 'owner' }).save('secured.pdf');
ed.close();

const signed = rp.sign(data, keyDer, certDer, { pades: true });

Corporate features (PDF/A, signing, encryption, accessibility, page rendering — a Pro feature) require a license; without one they throw PdfError. See docs/LICENSING.md.

Deferred / HSM signing

Sign without ever handing this library a private key — the key stays in an HSM, cloud KMS, smartcard or PKI token. It works with any PKI (eIDAS, AATL and other trust lists): the binding only builds and embeds the CMS. Two models.

Model A — bring your own signer. signWith builds the CMS and calls your callback for the raw RSA signature over the document hash:

const { signWith } = require('rustpdf');

// signHash receives the bytes to sign and returns the raw RSA signature from
// your HSM / KMS / smartcard. The private key never enters the library.
const signed = signWith(pdf, certDer, (data) => hsm.signRsaSha256(data), [], {
  reason: 'Approved', name: 'Jane Doe', pades: true,
});

Model B — two-phase. beginSigning prepares the PDF and exposes the bytes (and their hash) to sign; send the hash to a remote/asynchronous signer, wrap the result in a DER CMS / PKCS#7 container, then complete:

const { beginSigning, listSignatures } = require('rustpdf');

listSignatures(pdf);                       // inventory existing fields ([] = none)

const session = beginSigning(pdf, { pades: true });
const container = await remoteSigner.buildCms(session.hash);   // DER CMS / PKCS#7
const signed = session.complete(container);

SigningOptions also carries certify (DocMDP), containerSize (reserved /Contents bytes) and a policy (PAdES-EPES) identifier; see the TypeScript types in lib/index.d.ts.

Test

cargo build -p pdf-ffi
node bindings/node/test/run.js     # or: make node-test