PDFShift + N8N

Convert HTML to PDF in your N8N workflows with simple HTTP requests. Automate document generation with the power of visual workflow automation.

This comparison is published by PDFShift. We aim for accuracy but acknowledge our perspective.

Overview

N8N is a powerful workflow automation tool that lets you connect different services and automate tasks without writing code. By integrating PDFShift with N8N, you can automatically generate PDFs from HTML as part of your workflows.

Why use PDFShift with N8N?

Automate PDF generation without code
Convert HTML, URLs, or dynamic content to PDF
Trigger PDF creation from any event in your workflow
Save generated PDFs to cloud storage or send via email
Handle high-volume document generation reliably

Prerequisites

1. PDFShift API Key
You’ll need an API key from PDFShift. If you don’t have one yet:
Register for Free
2. N8N Account or Installation
You can use N8N Cloud or self-host N8N on your own server. Visit n8n.io to get started.
3. Basic N8N Knowledge
Familiarity with creating workflows and using the HTTP Request node in N8N is helpful but not required.

Step-by-Step Setup Guide

Get Your PDFShift API Key

After registering, you’ll find your API key in your dashboard. Copy it – you’ll need it for authentication.

// Your API key format:
api:your_api_key_here

Create a New Workflow in N8N

Open N8N and create a new workflow. Add a trigger node (e.g., Manual Trigger, Webhook, Schedule, etc.) to start your workflow.

Add an HTTP Request Node

Click the “+” button and search for “HTTP Request” node. Add it to your workflow after your trigger.

Configure the HTTP Request Node

Set up the HTTP Request node with the following configuration:

Method: POST
URL: https://api.pdfshift.io/v3/convert/pdf
Authentication: Basic Auth
Username: api
Password: [Your API Key]
Body Content Type: JSON

Set the Request Body

In the “Body” section, add your JSON parameters. Here’s a basic example:

{
  "source": "https://example.com",
  "filename": "document.pdf"
}

Common Use Cases

Invoice Generation

Trigger PDF invoice generation when a payment is received via webhook, then email it to the customer.

Automated Reports

Schedule daily/weekly reports by fetching data from your database and converting it to PDF.

Contract Generation

Create personalized contracts from templates when new deals are created in your CRM.

Receipt Generation

Automatically generate and send receipts when orders are placed in your e-commerce system.

Advanced Features

Webhooks for Async Processing

For large or complex PDFs, use webhooks to process documents asynchronously:

{
  "source": "https://example.com/large-document",
  "webhook": "https://your-n8n-webhook-url"
}

Ready to Get Started?

Create your free PDFShift account and start automating PDF generation in N8N today

Get your Free API key Read the Documentation