n8n: PDFBolt via HTTP Request Node

Learn how to use n8n's built-in HTTP Request node to call the PDFBolt API directly. This method works without installing any community nodes.

Recommended: PDFBolt Community Node

For a simpler setup, use the PDFBolt Community Node – no manual header configuration, no Base64 encoding, and a visual UI for all parameters.

Prerequisites

Before starting, ensure you have:

1. PDFBolt API Key

• Sign up or log in to your PDFBolt account.
• Navigate to API Keys section.
• Copy your API key for authentication.

2. n8n Access

• n8n cloud account or self-hosted instance.

Basic Setup

Configure HTTP Request Node

Use n8n's HTTP Request node to call the PDFBolt API:

1. Add an HTTP Request node to your workflow.

2. Configure authentication:

• Method: POST
• URL: https://api.pdfbolt.com/v1/direct
• Authentication: Generic Credential Type
• Generic Auth Type: Header Auth

3. Create authentication credential:

• Name: API-KEY
• Value: YOUR-API-KEY

4. Configure request body:

• Send Body: Enabled
• Body Content Type: JSON
• Specify Body: Using JSON

Choose Your Endpoint

Select the PDFBolt endpoint based on your workflow needs:

Endpoint	Best For	Returns
/v1/direct	Immediate PDF delivery	Raw PDF data in response
/v1/sync	URL-based access	JSON with download URL
/v1/async	High-volume processing	Webhook callback with results

Endpoint Details

See API Endpoints for detailed specifications.

Choose Your Source

Select the content source that best fits your use case:

Source	Best For	When to Use
Templates	Recurring documents with consistent layouts	Invoices, contracts, certificates – any document you generate repeatedly with different data
HTML	Custom documents	When you need full control over a unique layout
URL	Existing web pages	Archiving documentation, reports, capturing dashboards, saving public web content

Source Parameters

Learn more about source parameters in the API Documentation.

Source 1: Templates

Templates provide the most efficient way to generate consistent, branded PDFs by separating design from data.

How It Works

1. Create your template in PDFBolt's Template section:

• Build custom layouts with HTML, CSS, and Handlebars variables.
• Pick a ready-made template from the template gallery.
• Or generate one with AI from a description or reference file.

2. Publish the template to make it available via API and get your unique templateId.

3. Send API request with only templateId and templateData.

4. Receive your PDF – PDFBolt merges the data with your template and returns the generated PDF.

Template Setup

Learn how to create and manage templates in the Templates Documentation.

Example: Invoice Generation

Real-world scenario: Customer places an order in your e-commerce system. Automatically generate a professional invoice PDF and send it to the customer.

n8n HTTP Request Configuration:

From Webhook

If your workflow is triggered by a webhook, paste this expression into the JSON body field of the HTTP Request node:

{{ $json.body.toJsonString() }}

How It Works

• $json.body – Accesses the data received from the webhook.
• toJsonString() – Converts the object into JSON string format.
• Result: PDFBolt receives the data in the correct structure for template processing.

Expected example webhook payload:

{
  "templateId": "your-template-id",
  "templateData": {
    "invoice_number": "INV-2025-001",
    "client_name": "John Doe",
    "line_items": [
      {
        "quantity": "1",
        "tax_rate": "10",
        "unit_price": "1200.00",
        "description": "Website Design",
        "total_amount": "1200.00"
      },
      {
        "quantity": "2",
        "tax_rate": "10",
        "unit_price": "250.00",
        "description": "Logo Design Package",
        "total_amount": "500.00"
      }
    ],
    "total_amount": "1700.00"
  }
}

Manual Data

When your data comes from previous workflow nodes (like databases, forms, or APIs), map the fields manually using n8n expressions:

{
  "templateId": "your-template-id",
  "templateData": {
    "invoice_number": "{{ $json.invoice_number }}",
    "client_name": "{{ $json.client_name }}",
    "line_items": {{ $json.line_items.toJsonString() }},
    "total_amount": "{{ $json.total_amount }}"
  }
}

Expression Syntax

• Use {{ $json.fieldName }} to reference simple fields from the previous node.
• Use .toJsonString() for arrays and objects to maintain proper JSON structure.
• All field names must match your template's Handlebars variables.

Template Workflow Example

Complete workflow:

1. Webhook – Receives order data from your system.
2. HTTP Request (PDFBolt) – Generates invoice PDF.
3. Send Message – Sends PDF to customer.

Data Mapping

Field names in templateData must exactly match Handlebars variables in your template. Mismatched names result in empty values.

Source 2: HTML

Convert HTML directly into PDFs – perfect for custom documents, event programs, announcements, or guides.

How It Works

1. Prepare HTML content in your workflow.
2. Base64 encode the HTML.
3. Send encoded HTML to PDFBolt.
4. Receive generated PDF.

Example: Event Program

Real-world scenario: Organizing a webinar or conference. Generate a PDF program with schedule, speakers, and session details that attendees can download.

1. Add a Code node after your event registration trigger:

View Complete Code Example

// Static event program HTML – same for all attendees
const htmlContent = `
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
    <style>
        * {
            margin: 0;
            padding: 0;
            box-sizing: border-box;
        }

        body {
            font-family: Arial;
            color: #333;
            line-height: 1.7;
            margin: 10px;
        }

        .header {
            background: linear-gradient(135deg, #1e293b 0%, #334155 100%);
            color: white;
            padding: 20px;
            text-align: center;
        }

        h1 {
            font-size: 28px;
        }

        .event-info {
            background: #f8fafc;
            padding: 12px 20px;
            border-radius: 8px;
            margin: 20px 0 10px;
        }

        h2 {
            color: #1e293b;
            margin-bottom: 5px;
        }

        .session {
            border-left: 4px solid #f59e0b;
            padding: 10px 20px;
            margin: 15px 0;
            background: #fff;
            border-radius: 4px;
            box-shadow: 1px 1px 10px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.1);
            page-break-inside: avoid;
        }

        .time {
            color: #b45309;
            font-weight: bold;
            font-size: 14px;
        }

        .speaker {
            color: #64748b;
            font-style: italic;
            margin-top: 5px;
        }

        .break {
            background: #fef3c7;
            padding: 10px;
            text-align: center;
            margin: 15px 0;
            border-radius: 4px;
        }

        .footer {
            margin-top: 20px;
            padding-top: 10px;
            border-top: 2px solid #e2e8f0;
            text-align: center;
            color: #64748b;
        }
    </style>
</head>
<body>
    <div class="header">
        <h1>Tech Summit 2026</h1>
        <p>Building the Future Together</p>
        <p class="date">September 18, 2026 | Virtual Event</p>
    </div>

    <div class="event-info">
        <strong>Event Details:</strong><br/>
        Date: September 18, 2026<br/>
        Time: 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM EST<br/>
        Platform: Zoom (link will be sent via email)
    </div>

    <h2>Event Schedule</h2>

    <div class="session">
        <div class="time">9:00 AM - 10:30 AM</div>
        <strong>Opening Keynote: The Future of AI</strong>
        <div class="speaker">Speaker: Dr. Sarah Johnson, AI Research Director</div>
        <p>Exploring emerging trends in artificial intelligence and their impact on business.</p>
    </div>

    <div class="session">
        <div class="time">10:45 AM - 12:30 PM</div>
        <strong>Workshop: Building Scalable APIs</strong>
        <div class="speaker">Speaker: Mike Chen, Senior Engineer</div>
        <p>Hands-on session covering best practices for API design and implementation.</p>
    </div>

    <div class="break">Lunch Break (12:30 PM - 1:00 PM)</div>

    <div class="session">
        <div class="time">1:00 PM - 2:45 PM</div>
        <strong>Panel Discussion: Cloud Architecture</strong>
        <div class="speaker">Panelists: Various industry experts</div>
        <p>Interactive discussion about modern cloud infrastructure and DevOps practices.</p>
    </div>

    <div class="session">
        <div class="time">3:00 PM - 5:00 PM</div>
        <strong>Security in Production: Lessons Learned</strong>
        <div class="speaker">Speaker: Anna Torres, Head of Security Engineering</div>
        <p>Real-world case studies on securing applications at scale and incident response.</p>
    </div>

    <div class="footer">
        <p><strong>Questions?</strong> Contact us at events@example.com</p>
    </div>
</body>
</html>
`;

// Encode to base64
const base64Html = Buffer.from(htmlContent).toString('base64');

return {
    json: {
        html: base64Html
    }
};

HTML Encoding

HTML must be Base64 encoded before sending to PDFBolt. Use Buffer.from(html).toString('base64') in Code nodes.

2. In the HTTP Request node body, configure PDF settings:

{
  "html": "{{ $json.html }}",
  "format": "A4",
  "printBackground": true,
  "margin": {
    "top": "30px",
    "bottom": "30px",
    "right": "30px",
    "left": "30px"
  }
}

HTML Workflow Example

Complete workflow:

1. Typeform Trigger – New registration form submitted.
2. Code Node – Generate event program (Base64-encoded HTML content).
3. HTTP Request (PDFBolt) – Generate a PDF.
4. Gmail – Send confirmation email with PDF program to the attendee.

PDF Customization

By separating PDF settings into the HTTP Request body, you can easily adjust format, margins, and other options without modifying the HTML code. See Conversion Parameters for all available options.

Source 3: URL

Generate PDFs from any publicly accessible webpage, perfect for archiving web content, capturing dashboards, or generating reports.

How It Works

1. Provide the target URL.
2. PDFBolt loads and renders the page.
3. Returns PDF of the rendered page.

Example: Daily Dashboard Report

Real-world scenario: Your team uses an analytics dashboard. Every morning, automatically capture the dashboard as PDF and share it on Slack so the team stays informed.

In the HTTP Request node body, configure the URL and PDF settings:

{
  "url": "https://analytics.yourcompany.com/dashboard",
  "format": "A4",
  "landscape": true,
  "printBackground": true,
  "waitUntil": "networkidle",
  "margin": {
    "top": "20px",
    "right": "20px",
    "bottom": "20px",
    "left": "20px"
  }
}

Wait for Page Load

Use waitUntil: "networkidle" to ensure all dashboard charts and data finish loading before capturing the PDF. For pages with specific loading indicators, use waitForSelector instead.

URL Workflow Example

Complete workflow:

1. Schedule Trigger – Every weekday at 8:00 AM.
2. HTTP Request (PDFBolt) – Capture dashboard as PDF.
3. Slack – Shares report with team.
4. Google Drive – Archives PDF.

Additional Resources

PDFBolt Documentation

• Template Management Guide – Detailed creation and management instructions.
• Templates Docs – Templates overview, benefits, and use cases.
• API Endpoints – All available endpoints.
• Conversion Parameters – Complete parameter reference.
• Error Handling – Error codes and solutions.
• Automate PDF Generation in n8n – Step-by-step invoice workflow using the HTTP Request node.

n8n Resources

• n8n Documentation
• n8n Community Forum