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Why images work in Rails HTML but disappear from a PDF
A browser displaying a Rails page and wkhtmltopdf producing a PDF do not necessarily share the same request context, base URL, asset access, or filesystem permissions. The wicked_pdf README explains that the wkhtmltopdf binary runs outside the Rails application. The renderer receives HTML and must resolve each image source independently. A relative source such as /uploads/photo.png may work in a browser request but fail when the PDF process has no usable host or base URL.
That distinction points to the best first check: inspect the final HTML passed to the renderer, not just the template or the image as seen in a normal browser. Confirm what each src became after Rails helpers, asset compilation, and layout rendering.
1. Inspect the HTML and every image source
Use wicked_pdf’s HTML debug mode
Set show_as_html: true in the wicked_pdf render options to inspect the rendered HTML instead of generating the PDF. Find each <img> and review its src. Look for relative paths, unresolved asset references, missing hosts, typos, and paths that refer to a development-only location.
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The debug preview is useful for checking what Rails produced, but it is not identical to wkhtmltopdf’s PDF render. The wicked_pdf README notes that helper-generated file:/// references can be blocked by a normal browser in this preview. A broken preview alone therefore does not establish that the PDF render will fail for the same reason.
Validate all images, not only the first visible failure
Check every image source in the document. The wicked_pdf README describes cases where one image with an invalid or relative path coincided with other correctly pathed images failing to appear. It is an observed behavior, not a guarantee for every renderer version or setup, but it makes a document-wide check worthwhile.
2. Make image paths resolvable by the renderer
Remote images: use an absolute URL
For a remote image, use a fully qualified URL with a scheme and host, for example https://example.com/images/logo.png, rather than /images/logo.png. Then verify that the machine or container running wkhtmltopdf can reach that URL. A URL that works from your laptop may not be reachable from a production server because of network rules, authentication, DNS, or environment-specific hostnames. The wicked_pdf maintainer’s response on issue #698 likewise explains that relative URLs may fail and that a fully qualified URL or readable file path is needed: wicked_pdf issue #698.
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Local images: use a real readable path
If the image is local, confirm that the path identifies a file present on the renderer’s machine and that the wkhtmltopdf process can read it. Do not assume a Rails upload path or working-directory-relative path maps to the same location in the PDF process. The path must be valid in the runtime environment where wkhtmltopdf actually runs.
3. Choose the helper that matches your Rails assets
Use the helper appropriate to how the image is served; helper behavior differs across asset configurations. The wicked_pdf README documents these options and caveats.
Without the asset pipeline
For setups that do not use the Rails asset pipeline, the README recommends wicked_pdf’s image helpers, including wicked_pdf_image_tag. These helpers are intended to produce paths suitable for the PDF rendering context. Inspect the resulting HTML to make sure the generated source is valid in your actual environment.
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With the asset pipeline
Follow the README’s asset-pipeline guidance rather than assuming that a browser-oriented helper will produce a path wkhtmltopdf can resolve. In particular, the README warns not to include the /assets/ prefix in names passed to wicked_pdf helpers. It also describes a Base64 asset approach when using normal Rails helpers. Choose the documented approach for your configuration and verify its generated src in the rendered HTML.
With Webpacker
The README documents wicked_pdf_asset_pack_path for direct asset paths in Webpacker setups. Check that it resolves to the expected deployed asset and that the PDF process can access the result.
4. Check production asset compilation and deployment
If images render during development but not in production, verify that assets used by PDF views are precompiled and available at the paths emitted in the deployed HTML. The wicked_pdf README recommends precompiling assets used by PDF views. Production may serve assets differently from development, and a configuration such as config.assets.compile = false can expose missing or unavailable assets if the required files were not built or deployed.
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- Confirm the image asset is included in the production build.
- Inspect the production-rendered HTML and verify the final URL or path, including any fingerprinted asset name.
- Check that the PDF renderer can fetch the emitted URL or read the emitted local file path.
5. Check wkhtmltopdf’s local-file access settings
The wkhtmltopdf usage documentation lists local-file access as disabled by default in its documented options and describes allowing local paths with --allow. Check the flags supported by the wkhtmltopdf build installed in your environment; versions and packaged builds can differ. If a PDF needs local files, allow only the specific asset directory required rather than granting broad filesystem access.
The same usage documentation lists image loading as enabled by default. Do not assume a general image-loading switch is the cause before checking the installed renderer’s configuration and the actual image paths. See the wkhtmltopdf usage documentation for its documented options.
6. A practical diagnostic sequence
- Reproduce the PDF failure in the same environment and with the same data that produces the missing image.
- Inspect the rendered HTML using wicked_pdf’s
show_as_htmloption or another way to capture the HTML sent to wkhtmltopdf. - List every image
srcand classify it as a remote URL, a local file, or a Rails-managed asset. - Correct the path strategy: make remote URLs absolute; ensure local paths exist and are readable; use the documented helper for the asset system.
- For production-only failures, verify precompilation, deployed assets, and the URLs or paths generated by the production configuration.
- For local files, inspect the renderer’s supported local-file flags and narrowly allow the needed directory if required.
- Generate the PDF again and check all images, not only the image that first revealed the problem.
Common symptoms and fixes
| Symptom | Likely check | Next step |
|---|---|---|
| Image works in a browser, but not in the PDF | The HTML may contain a relative src that depends on the Rails request’s host or base URL. |
Inspect the final HTML and use a fully qualified URL or a valid readable file path. |
| Images work in development, not production | PDF-view assets may not have been precompiled, deployed, or exposed at the expected path. | Check the production build and generated asset paths; follow the README’s precompilation guidance. |
| Local images are missing | The file may be absent or unreadable to wkhtmltopdf, or local-file access may not permit the path. | Verify the file from the renderer’s runtime and check its local-file options; allow only the required directory. |
The show_as_html preview has a broken image |
A file:/// reference may be blocked by the browser used for the debug preview. |
Do not treat the preview alone as proof of PDF failure; test the actual PDF and inspect its paths. |
| Several PDF images fail when one path is invalid | The README reports this as an observed wkhtmltopdf behavior, not a universal rule. | Validate and correct every image source in the document. |
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Quick Recap
Sources
- wicked_pdf project README for renderer context, helper guidance, asset compilation, debug preview behavior, and image-path troubleshooting.
- wicked_pdf issue #698 for the maintainer’s explanation of relative paths and renderer-resolvable image sources.
- wkhtmltopdf usage documentation for local-file access and image-loading options.
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