Do these 3 things before closing this tab:
1Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems2Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches3Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsTo create a PDF from HTML in Go, run a Chrome-compatible browser and use the Chrome DevTools Protocol command Page.printToPDF. The chromedp package lets Go control that browser; Chrome does the HTML rendering and produces the PDF bytes. For an application that should send HTML or a URL to a separate conversion service instead, Gotenberg provides a Docker-based HTTP API.
Choose how Go will reach the HTML
There are two common architectures, depending on where your HTML lives and who should operate the browser:
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- Use chromedp when your Go process should drive a browser directly, with browser actions and PDF options controlled in Go.
- Use Gotenberg when you prefer to submit HTML files and assets, or a hosted URL, to a separately deployed conversion API.
In both cases a browser renders the HTML. The difference is whether browser control and deployment sit with your Go application or behind an HTTP service.
Quick wins for a faster PC:
Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →Create a PDF with chromedp
chromedp is a Go driver for browsers that support the Chrome DevTools Protocol. Install it using Go modules and make a compatible Chrome browser available to the application. Chrome runs headlessly by default; the project documents its headless-shell image as an option for headless deployments.
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Minimal complete example
This example navigates to a URL, waits for navigation actions to finish, asks Chrome for PDF bytes, and writes them to a file. Replace the URL with a page your browser process can access.
package main
import (
"context"
"log"
"os"
"time"
"github.com/chromedp/chromedp"
"github.com/chromedp/cdproto/page"
)
func main() {
ctx, cancel := chromedp.NewContext(context.Background())
defer cancel()
ctx, cancel = context.WithTimeout(ctx, 60*time.Second)
defer cancel()
var pdfBytes []byte
err := chromedp.Run(ctx,
chromedp.Navigate("https://example.com"),
chromedp.ActionFunc(func(ctx context.Context) error {
data, _, err := page.PrintToPDF().Do(ctx)
if err != nil {
return err
}
pdfBytes = data
return nil
}),
)
if err != nil {
log.Fatal(err)
}
if err := os.WriteFile("output.pdf", pdfBytes, 0o644); err != nil {
log.Fatal(err)
}
}The print call follows the official chromedp example’s flow: create a browser context, run navigation and an action that calls page.PrintToPDF().Do(ctx), then save the returned bytes. The timeout makes the operation bounded; tune it to your application and page behavior. In a service, return errors to the caller rather than using log.Fatal, which terminates the process.
Wait for the document you intend to print
A completed navigation does not necessarily mean a single-page application has finished rendering, fonts or images have loaded, or asynchronous content is ready. Add an explicit readiness condition before printing. For example, wait for a selector that your page displays only after its content is prepared:
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err := chromedp.Run(ctx,
chromedp.Navigate(targetURL),
chromedp.WaitVisible("#report-ready", chromedp.ByID),
chromedp.ActionFunc(func(ctx context.Context) error {
data, _, err := page.PrintToPDF().Do(ctx)
if err != nil {
return err
}
pdfBytes = data
return nil
}),
)Use a readiness signal meaningful to the page, not an arbitrary fixed sleep, where possible. If your HTML is generated locally, make it available to the browser through a suitable loading method and ensure relative stylesheets, fonts, and images resolve. The URL-navigation example does not establish that every local-file arrangement or asset path will work unchanged.
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Set page dimensions and print behavior deliberately
Page.printToPDF exposes paper width and height in inches, margins, orientation, scale, page ranges, header and footer HTML, CSS page-size preference, tagged PDF generation, document outlines, and transfer mode. Page ranges are one-based. The generated protocol API lists print backgrounds, tagged output, and document outlines as disabled by default; CSS page size is not preferred by default, so the browser may scale content to the selected paper dimensions.
For example, to print backgrounds and prefer dimensions declared by CSS @page, set those options explicitly:
data, _, err := page.PrintToPDF().
WithPrintBackground(true).
WithPreferCSSPageSize(true).
Do(ctx)Use the generated Page.printToPDF options available in the version of cdproto used by your application to configure other settings. Decide whether the document needs portrait or landscape layout, specific paper dimensions, margins, scaling, headers or footers, a page range, tags, or an outline. CSS page rules and protocol settings can interact, so inspect actual PDFs made from representative pages, including long tables, page breaks, fonts, and images.
Use Gotenberg as a separate conversion service
Gotenberg packages document conversion behind a Docker-based HTTP API. Your Go application makes a multipart form request to the service rather than directly managing the browser process. This can be useful when your team wants a distinct deployment boundary for browser installation, fonts, and conversion.
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Convert HTML files and supporting assets
For HTML input, Gotenberg’s Chromium endpoint is POST /forms/chromium/convert/html. The request requires a file named index.html; supporting assets can be supplied with the document. The service documents controls for paper layout, print backgrounds, waiting, and handling failed resources or HTTP status codes. See Gotenberg’s documentation for the precise multipart field names and options for the version you deploy.
Convert a hosted URL
For an already hosted page, use POST /forms/chromium/convert/url and provide the required URL form value. Gotenberg documents JavaScript execution and support for dynamic pages and single-page applications. The URL route rejects file:// URLs; for local HTML, use its HTML or Markdown conversion route instead.
Gotenberg documents a default page size of 8.5 by 11 inches and margins of 0.39 inches; print backgrounds default to false. Specify layout settings when those defaults do not match the document. The service also needs access to the submitted assets and any network resources the page requires.
Compare the two deployment approaches
| Decision | chromedp in Go | Gotenberg |
|---|---|---|
| Interface | Go code drives Chrome DevTools Protocol directly. | HTTP multipart requests to conversion endpoints. |
| Browser ownership | Your application deployment must provide access to a compatible browser; chromedp documents headless-shell as an option. | The browser is part of a separately deployed Docker-based API. |
| Control style | Direct browser actions and protocol options from Go. | Centralized routes and form options for HTML, URL, and output behavior. |
| Best fit | You need browser control in Go and can support the browser in the app runtime. | You want to isolate rendering behind an HTTP service and operate that service separately. |
go-rod/rod is another Go driver for Chrome DevTools Protocol; its official examples include PDF methods such as Page.PDF and MustPDF. It is worth comparing if you are choosing a browser-driver API.
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Common failures and how to diagnose them
- Browser connection closes or the context is canceled: Check that the browser process remains alive and that the context deadline allows navigation and rendering to complete. chromedp documents that a lost or terminated browser connection cancels its context.
- PDF is blank or missing dynamic content: Do not assume navigation completion means the app has rendered. Wait for a page-specific selector or readiness signal before calling
PrintToPDF. - Background colors or images are absent: Enable print backgrounds explicitly; the protocol API option defaults to disabled.
- Content is scaled unexpectedly or margins are wrong: Set paper size, margins, scale, and CSS page-size preference intentionally. The protocol does not prefer CSS page size by default.
- Images, fonts, or styles are missing: Confirm the browser or conversion service can reach the asset URLs and that local HTML paths resolve from its runtime. For Gotenberg HTML uploads, include supporting assets with the document as needed.
- Gotenberg rejects a local file URL: Its URL conversion route does not accept
file://; submit the HTML through the HTML or Markdown route instead. - Output differs across pages or content lengths: Inspect real PDFs with long tables, varied page breaks, fonts, and images, then adjust print CSS and PDF options. Available settings do not guarantee a particular template will paginate as intended.
Performance, reliability, and cost considerations
The available documentation describes these conversion mechanisms and controls, but does not establish a universal speed, reliability rate, or cost comparison. Measure with your own representative pages and deployment. For chromedp, account for browser startup and resource use in the Go service’s runtime; for Gotenberg, account for operating and scaling a separate Docker service. In either design, bound work with timeouts, handle browser or HTTP failures, and decide how retries should avoid duplicating downstream work.
Or skip the browser setup
For a hosted page, ScreenshotNeo provides a website screenshot API and MCP server. A single GET request can return a clean screenshot or PDF; the example below is the documented screenshot request and saves a WebP image, not a PDF.
curl -G "https://api.screenshotneo.com/v1/shot" -d access_key=YOUR_API_KEY --data-urlencode url=https://stripe.com -o shot.webpSee the ScreenshotNeo API documentation for PDF capture options and the other request parameters. ScreenshotNeo accepts cookie/consent banners and removes more than 60 known consent platforms, newsletter popups, and chat widgets before capture; each of those steps can be turned off. Bot checks, blank pages, timeouts, failed loads, and cache hits are not billed, and responses identify the page verdict and billing status in headers. Its MCP server exposes take_screenshot, get_page_info, and capture_pdf for AI agents and MCP clients.
The free plan includes 1,000 screenshots per month with no card; paid plans start at $5 for 3,000 screenshots. Visit ScreenshotNeo or sign up free.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I create a PDF from an HTML template that is not hosted publicly?
Yes. With chromedp, make the HTML available to the browser and ensure its relative assets resolve. With Gotenberg, submit the HTML and supporting assets through its HTML conversion route; its URL route does not accept file:// URLs.
Does chromedp render HTML itself?
No. chromedp is the Go browser-control client; a Chrome-compatible browser renders the page and generates the PDF.
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