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What you need before converting a batch
- A PDFShift API key, stored on a server or in a secret manager—not in browser-side JavaScript.
- A list of publicly reachable page URLs that you are authorized to convert.
- A destination for the resulting PDFs, such as local storage during development or durable object storage in production.
- For parallel processing, a publicly reachable HTTPS webhook endpoint that can accept PDFShift’s completion callbacks.
PDFShift’s documented URL conversion request uses the v3 endpoint https://api.pdfshift.io/v3/convert/pdf, a JSON body with source set to the URL, and the X-API-Key header. Its help center says the header became the documented authentication method on May 6, 2025; a request without authentication may return a watermarked, unauthenticated result. See PDFShift’s authentication guide.
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Convert a list sequentially with Python
A sequential loop is the simplest reliable starting point: each request completes before the next begins, and the code saves response bytes to a filename derived from the input position. This is useful for modest batches where straightforward error handling matters more than throughput. It is an implementation example, not a built-in PDFShift batch script.
import os
from pathlib import Path
from urllib.parse import urlparse
import requests
API_KEY = os.environ["PDFSHIFT_API_KEY"]
URLS = [
"https://example.com/",
"https://example.org/",
]
OUTPUT_DIR = Path("pdfs")
OUTPUT_DIR.mkdir(parents=True, exist_ok=True)
endpoint = "https://api.pdfshift.io/v3/convert/pdf"
for index, url in enumerate(URLS, start=1):
response = requests.post(
endpoint,
headers={"X-API-Key": API_KEY},
json={"source": url},
timeout=110,
)
response.raise_for_status()
# Avoid using untrusted URL text directly as a path or filename.
host = urlparse(url).netloc.replace(":", "_") or "page"
output_path = OUTPUT_DIR / f"{index:04d}-{host}.pdf"
output_path.write_bytes(response.content)
print(f"Saved {url} -> {output_path}")Install the dependency with python -m pip install requests, then set PDFSHIFT_API_KEY in your process environment before running the script. The example uses a 110-second client timeout to allow for PDFShift’s documented 100-second default timeout on paid plans plus a small transport margin; the free-plan default is 30 seconds. A client timeout does not extend PDFShift’s own conversion limit.
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Validate and track inputs
Before starting, reject empty values, malformed URLs, and schemes other than HTTP or HTTPS. Keep a record for every input with its original URL, a stable job identifier or list index, output path, attempt count, and outcome. That record lets you distinguish a failed conversion from a missing or misnamed file when a run is interrupted.
Retries and partial failures
raise_for_status() stops the sample on the first HTTP error. For production batches, catch exceptions per URL, record the status and response details, and continue so one problematic page does not discard successful PDFs. Retry only transient failures, with a small bounded retry count and backoff; do not retry indefinitely or treat authentication errors and invalid requests as transient. Write each PDF to a temporary filename and rename it only after the response has been validated as a successful PDF, so a truncated or error response is not mistaken for a finished document.
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Run parallel conversions with webhooks
PDFShift documents parallel conversion as queued independent requests: each request is accepted quickly with HTTP 202 Accepted, and PDFShift sends a POST to the configured webhook for each completed source. A 202 means the conversion was accepted, not that the PDF is ready. Set up and test the callback receiver before sending a large batch; otherwise, the requests may be accepted while your application has nowhere to collect their results. The PDFShift FAQ states a default maximum of 50 simultaneous parallel conversions across plans; contact PDFShift if you need more capacity. See its FAQ and multiple-page conversion guidance.
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- Create a server endpoint that accepts HTTPS POST requests and can safely process repeated callbacks.
- Before submitting a conversion, store a job record associating your own job ID and source URL with the intended output name and current state.
- Submit each conversion using the documented parallel mode and configure your webhook URL according to PDFShift’s current API documentation.
- When a callback arrives, validate the request as far as PDFShift’s documented callback mechanism allows, locate the matching job, and save or download the completed result using the response format specified in the current API documentation.
- Mark that individual job complete only after durable storage succeeds. Record callback errors and retain enough state to reconcile jobs that do not complete.
The association between a callback and your own job record is application workflow advice: assign and persist correlation data rather than assuming callback arrival order matches submission order. Consult the PDFShift API documentation for the current parallel request fields and callback payload; do not assume an undocumented field name or authentication method.
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Choose sequential or parallel deliberately
- Use sequential requests when the batch is small, easy observability matters, or you do not have an endpoint available to receive callbacks.
- Use parallel requests when you need conversions to proceed concurrently and can handle asynchronous completion, callback correlation, and incomplete jobs.
- Stay within the documented 50-conversion default parallel limit unless PDFShift confirms a higher capacity for your account.
Save and retain the generated PDFs
The direct-response workflow writes the returned PDF bytes to your own storage. If you use a filename-based workflow that returns a PDF URL—such as the one described in PDFShift’s Make integration guide—the guide says that URL is available for two days. Download the document and move it to persistent storage rather than treating that temporary URL as an archive. The guide also describes omitting filename to receive PDF bytes directly. See PDFShift’s Make guide.
Use generated filenames that are unique within the batch, and keep a manifest mapping each filename to its source URL and result. If source URLs include sensitive query parameters, avoid putting the full URL in filenames or broadly accessible logs.
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Limits, credits, timeouts, and cost
PDFShift’s pricing page, accessed October 3, 2026, lists these free-plan terms. Plan details can change, so check the live page before estimating a recurring workload.
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| Documented item | Current stated value | What it means for a batch |
|---|---|---|
| Free monthly allowance | 50 credits per month | Budget by generated output size, not simply by the number of URLs. |
| Free maximum file size | 15 MB | Large generated PDFs may exceed the free-plan size limit. |
| Default conversion timeout | 30 seconds on free plans; 100 seconds on paid plans | Pages that take longer can time out; plan and account settings matter. |
| Parallel conversions | 50 simultaneous conversions by default, all plans | More capacity requires contacting PDFShift. |
| Credit accounting | One credit per 5 MB of generated PDF data | A PDF above 5 MB consumes additional credits; several small PDFs may cost less than a few large ones. |
The credit, file-size, and timeout figures are stated on PDFShift’s pricing page; the parallel limit and credit accounting are also described in its FAQ. Treat the published values as plan terms, not a promise that every page will finish within a fixed time. A 408 response indicates a conversion timeout according to the FAQ.
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Estimate usage before a full run
- Convert a representative sample that includes the largest and most complex pages in your list.
- Check generated file sizes and apply the per-5-MB credit accounting to estimate usage.
- Compare the largest output against the applicable file-size limit and the slowest completion against the plan timeout.
- Run the complete batch in monitored chunks, recording response status, output size, and credits or usage shown in your account.
Troubleshooting common batch failures
| Symptom | Likely cause | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Watermark or unauthenticated output | The API key is missing, invalid, or sent using the wrong authentication method. | Send the key in the X-API-Key header and verify the key server-side. |
| HTTP 408 or client timeout | The page exceeded the conversion timeout, or the client stopped waiting. | Distinguish PDFShift’s 408 from your client’s timeout; retry a transient network issue cautiously, and check the plan’s timeout or reduce page complexity where possible. |
| HTTP 202 but no local PDF | The request is queued for parallel processing; a 202 is acceptance, not a completed file. | Check that the webhook is reachable and processing POST requests, then inspect callback logs and reconcile outstanding job records. |
| Output exceeds the allowed size or usage estimate | The rendered document is larger than the plan’s limit or consumes multiple credits. | Check the live pricing terms and actual output size; adjust the plan or the pages being converted before rerunning the full batch. |
| Downloaded URL no longer works | A filename workflow returned a temporary PDF URL. | Download it promptly and store the PDF in persistent storage; the Make guide specifies two-day availability for its generated URLs. |
| PDF response saved as a corrupt file | An error response may have been written as if it were PDF bytes, or the transfer was interrupted. | Check the HTTP status and response content before writing; save atomically and verify the completed file. |
| One failed URL stops the entire script | The sequential example deliberately raises on errors. | Handle errors per input, preserve successful outputs, and retry only selected transient failures. |
Privacy and regulated documents
PDFShift’s developer site states that its conversion technology is HIPAA compliant and that documents are not stored unless specifically requested. Those are vendor statements, not a determination that a particular workflow or use is compliant. If your batch contains regulated or sensitive information, verify the applicable agreements, account configuration, data flow, retention behavior, and your own legal obligations before sending URLs or document content to a service. See PDFShift’s developer site.
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curl -G "https://api.screenshotneo.com/v1/shot" -d access_key=YOUR_API_KEY --data-urlencode url=https://stripe.com -o shot.webpScreenshotNeo removes cookie banners, newsletter popups, and chat widgets before capture; bot checks, blank pages, failed loads, and cache hits are not billed. Its MCP server lets AI agents use screenshot tools. The free plan includes 1,000 screenshots a month with no card, and paid plans start at $5 for 3,000. Sign up for ScreenshotNeo’s free plan.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does a PDFShift HTTP 202 response contain the completed PDF?
No. It indicates that a parallel conversion was accepted; completion arrives separately through the configured webhook.
Can I keep a PDFShift filename-based result URL indefinitely?
No. PDFShift’s Make guide says those generated URLs are available for two days; download the PDF to durable storage.
Quick Recap
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