PDF to Text / HTTP API Guide

Overview

This page serves as a guide for using the PDFCrowd API to extract text from PDF. You can call the API by sending an HTTP request to the API server address with options passed as POST data.

Quick Start

Below are examples to help you quickly get started with the API. Explore our additional examples for more insights. 

curl -f -u demo:ce544b6ea52a5621fb9d55f8b542d14d \
    -o invoice.txt \
    -F input_format=pdf \
    -F output_format=txt \
    -F file=@/path/to/invoice.pdf \
    https://api.pdfcrowd.com/convert/24.04/
curl -f -u demo:ce544b6ea52a5621fb9d55f8b542d14d \
    -o invoice.txt \
    -F input_format=pdf \
    -F output_format=txt \
    -F url=https://pdfcrowd.com/static/pdf/apisamples/invoice.pdf \
    https://api.pdfcrowd.com/convert/24.04/

Authentication

To access the API, you will need to use your PDFCrowd username and API key. For initial testing, you may use the following demo credentials without registering:

  • Username: demo
  • API key: ce544b6ea52a5621fb9d55f8b542d14d

To obtain your personal API credentials, start a free trial or purchase the API license.

The authentication method is HTTP Basic authentication.

Server Address

The server address: https://api.pdfcrowd.com/convert/24.04/

The content type for POST requests must be `multipart/form-data` if the request uploads any local files. Otherwise, `application/x-www-form-urlencoded` can also be used.

Show older API versions.

Response Headers

The HTTP response contains the following headers.

Name Description
x-pdfcrowd-debug-log URL of the debug log
x-pdfcrowd-remaining-credits The number of conversion credits remaining in your account
x-pdfcrowd-consumed-credits The number of credits used for the conversion
x-pdfcrowd-job-id The unique identifier for the conversion
x-pdfcrowd-pages Total number of pages in the output document
x-pdfcrowd-output-size Size of the output data in bytes

Troubleshooting

  • If you are receiving an error, refer to the API Status Codes for more information.
  • Use debug_log to obtain detailed information about the conversion process, including load errors, load times, browser console output, etc.
  • Consult the FAQ for answers to common questions.
  • Contact us if you need assistance or if there is a feature you are missing.

POST Parameter Reference

Refer to the PDF to Text POST Reference for a description of all options.