Get started with NextPDF

At a glance

NextPDF is a PHP 8.4 engine that generates and inspects Portable Document Format (PDF) 2.0 documents, the file format defined by ISO 32000-2. You build a document with a typed, fluent application programming interface (API). You render Hypertext Markup Language (HTML) and Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) into pages. You sign and archive the output, and you read structured content back out. All of this runs in PHP, and the core paths need no external binary.

The project ships as four distributions, including open source software (OSS) and licensed tiers. They share the same engine underneath, so install the one that matches how you work.

Distribution	Package	Install it when
NextPDF core (OSS)	nextpdf/core	You write PHP and want direct access to the engine, either with a framework or on its own.
NextPDF Server (OSS)	nextpdf/server	You want a standalone service that exposes the engine over the Model Context Protocol (MCP), Representational State Transfer (REST), and gRPC.
NextPDF Pro	nextpdf/premium (Pro tier)	You need digital signing, PDF/A archival, or electronic-invoice output.
NextPDF Enterprise	nextpdf/premium (Enterprise tier)	You need hardware-backed signing, qualified signatures, and the full compliance coverage.

NextPDF Pro and NextPDF Enterprise are licensed tiers of the same nextpdf/premium package. The core engine behaves the same way whether or not that package is installed.

New here?

Read this page, run Your first PDF, then use Choose your path to choose the distribution and HTML renderer that fit your application.

Install in one line

In a plain PHP project, install the core engine with Composer.

composer require nextpdf/core

That single package generates and inspects PDFs without extra setup. Framework integrations, HTML renderers, the server, and the Python software development kit (SDK) each add one package on top. The installation guide lists every command.

Pick your path

NextPDF fits the code you already have. Choose the entry point that matches your stack, then open its card.

Install The full install matrix: core, framework integrations, HTML renderers, the server, and the Python SDK.

Your first PDF A short tutorial that generates a PDF from PHP, then renders HTML to PDF.

Choose your path A decision guide for core versus a framework versus the server, and which HTML renderer to use.

Integrations Framework adapters, browser renderers, edge services, and migration packages.

Where to go next

After you generate your first document, use these three main areas of the documentation.

Guides and integrations Operate the package that matches your framework, renderer, runtime, or migration target — Laravel, Symfony, CodeIgniter, Artisan, Cloudflare, and Gotenberg.

API reference The verified engine surface: classes, methods, configuration keys, and the CSS support matrix.

Cookbook Task-focused recipes — render HTML to PDF, style with CSS, lay out tables, and paginate long content.

Why a separate server?

Install NextPDF Server when a non-PHP service, an agent, or another runtime needs to call the engine over a network protocol instead of linking to the library. The Python SDK is the typed client for that server.