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Generate the PDF on the NestJS server, not in the browser: launch Puppeteer, load a stable HTML page or template, wait for data and fonts, call page.pdf(), and return the resulting bytes with Content-Type: application/pdf and a download disposition. In React, request the endpoint as binary data, create a Blob URL, click a temporary download link, and revoke the URL.
This arrangement keeps Chromium, credentials, layout decisions, and PDF generation under server control while giving the user a normal browser download.
The request flow
- React calls
GET /reports/:id/pdf(usePOSTwhen the document depends on a submitted payload). - NestJS authenticates the caller and validates the report identifier or payload.
- A PDF service launches Puppeteer, opens a page, loads the required data and fonts, and calls
page.pdf(). - The controller returns the bytes as a
StreamableFile, or forwards a stream for a large or already-persisted PDF. - React receives the binary response and downloads it through a temporary Blob URL.
Build the NestJS PDF service
Install Puppeteer
Install Puppeteer in the NestJS application. The package downloads a compatible Chromium build unless your deployment is configured to use an existing browser.
npm install puppeteerRender HTML into a PDF
page.pdf() returns a Promise<Uint8Array> and uses print CSS media by default. The service below waits for network activity to settle and for web fonts to finish loading, prints backgrounds, and lets the document’s @page rules control the paper size.
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import puppeteer from 'puppeteer';
export async function renderPdf(html: string): Promise<Uint8Array> {
const browser = await puppeteer.launch();
try {
const page = await browser.newPage();
await page.setContent(html, { waitUntil: 'networkidle0' });
await page.evaluate(() => document.fonts.ready);
return await page.pdf({
format: 'A4',
printBackground: true,
preferCSSPageSize: true,
margin: {
top: '16mm',
right: '14mm',
bottom: '16mm',
left: '14mm',
},
});
} finally {
await browser.close();
}
}In a real application, replace the html argument with a server-rendered report template or navigate to a dedicated report route. Keep the browser.close() call in finally; otherwise a failed render can leave Chromium processes running.
Navigate to an application route instead of injecting HTML
For a React report page, create a URL that renders the report deterministically, then use page.goto(). If that route requires authentication, pass a short-lived, least-privilege token through a secure mechanism or render a server-side template with data already authorized by NestJS. Do not put a user’s long-lived secret in page HTML.
await page.goto(`https://app.example.com/internal/reports/${reportId}`, {
waitUntil: 'networkidle0',
});
await page.evaluate(() => document.fonts.ready);
const pdf = await page.pdf({
format: 'A4',
printBackground: true,
preferCSSPageSize: true,
});Wait for an application-specific selector when data arrives after the initial network idle event. A fixed delay can be a fallback, but a selector or an explicit readiness flag is usually more reliable.
Return the PDF from a NestJS controller
NestJS’s StreamableFile accepts a byte array and lets you set the MIME type, attachment filename, and length. The filename should be generated from validated values so that quotes, line breaks, and path separators cannot reach the Content-Disposition header.
import { Controller, Get, Param, StreamableFile } from '@nestjs/common';
import { renderPdf } from './pdf.service';
@Controller('reports')
export class ReportsController {
@Get(':id/pdf')
async download(@Param('id') id: string): Promise<StreamableFile> {
// Validate id and authorize the current user before rendering.
const html = await this.reportsService.renderHtml(id);
const pdf = await renderPdf(html);
const filename = `report-${id}.pdf`;
return new StreamableFile(pdf, {
type: 'application/pdf',
disposition: `attachment; filename="${filename}"`,
length: pdf.byteLength,
});
}
}If you use an injected service, add it to the controller constructor and keep data lookup outside the Puppeteer page. A lookup or rendering error that occurs before headers are sent should become a clear 4xx or 5xx response rather than a successful-looking empty file.
Buffer or stream: choose deliberately
| Approach | Use it when | Trade-off |
|---|---|---|
Uint8Array with StreamableFile |
Ordinary reports generated on demand | Simple API, but the complete PDF occupies application memory before the response starts |
| Readable stream | Large documents or a PDF already available from storage or another service | Lower buffering pressure; stream errors and response lifecycle need careful handling |
| Persisted file plus signed URL | Repeated downloads, background generation, or long-lived archives | Requires storage lifecycle, access checks, cache policy, and expiring links |
NestJS documents forwarding an upstream stream by requesting it with responseType: 'stream' and wrapping the result in StreamableFile. For generated PDFs, queueing the render and storing the result can prevent a burst of Chromium launches from competing with normal API traffic.
Preserve React and CSS styling
Print media versus screen media
Puppeteer generates PDFs with the print CSS media type by default. That is correct for print-specific layouts, but it can remove screen-only rules. Call await page.emulateMediaType('screen') before page.pdf() when the PDF should match the screen design.
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await page.emulateMediaType('screen');
const pdf = await page.pdf({
format: 'A4',
printBackground: true,
preferCSSPageSize: true,
});Control paper size, breaks, and colors in CSS
@page {
size: A4;
margin: 16mm 14mm;
}
.report {
print-color-adjust: exact;
-webkit-print-color-adjust: exact;
}
.page-break {
break-before: page;
}
.avoid-split {
break-inside: avoid;
}Use printBackground: true for colored panels, charts, and backgrounds. Use preferCSSPageSize: true when @page owns the dimensions; otherwise select a named format such as A4 in the PDF options. Headers, footers, and page ranges are also available PDF options when the report needs them.
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Wait for data, images, and fonts
- Use
waitUntil: 'networkidle0'only when the page can become idle; analytics or long polling may prevent it. - Wait for a report-specific selector, such as
[data-pdf-ready], after client-side rendering. - Await
document.fonts.readyso text does not reflow after the PDF is created. - Ensure images are reachable from the server and use stable dimensions to avoid layout shifts.
Download the file in React
Fetch the endpoint as a binary response. The example below preserves cookies for a same-origin authenticated API, checks the HTTP status, creates a Blob URL, and releases it after the click.
async function downloadReport(id: string) {
const response = await fetch(`/api/reports/${id}/pdf`, {
credentials: 'include',
});
if (!response.ok) {
throw new Error(`PDF request failed: ${response.status}`);
}
const blob = await response.blob();
const url = URL.createObjectURL(blob);
const anchor = document.createElement('a');
anchor.href = url;
anchor.download = `report-${id}.pdf`;
document.body.appendChild(anchor);
anchor.click();
anchor.remove();
URL.revokeObjectURL(url);
}If the API is on another origin, configure CORS for the exact frontend origin and decide explicitly whether credentials are allowed. Do not expose an arbitrary file URL without an authorization check. If you want the server-provided filename, expose Content-Disposition through CORS and parse it carefully; a fixed, validated client-side filename is often safer.
Handle large files and stored PDFs
For a generated document that can become large, move rendering to a queue worker and store the completed file. The request can return a job identifier, while a later authenticated request streams the stored PDF. Configure attachment disposition, cache-control, range support, and expiring signed URLs according to the storage system. For a proxied upstream PDF, request a stream and pass it through without first collecting the whole body.
const upstream = await this.httpService.axiosRef.get(pdfUrl, {
responseType: 'stream',
timeout: 90_000,
});
return new StreamableFile(upstream.data, {
type: 'application/pdf',
disposition: 'attachment; filename="external-report.pdf"',
});Only proxy URLs that your server has validated. Otherwise the endpoint can become a server-side request forgery path.
Security and operational safeguards
- Authorize the report before launching Chromium, and re-check ownership when loading persisted data.
- Validate IDs, query parameters, and filenames. Never concatenate untrusted values into HTML, JavaScript, or response headers.
- Keep browser pages isolated per request and close the browser in a
finallyblock. - Set request and navigation timeouts appropriate to your deployment, and queue expensive renders so they cannot exhaust CPU or memory.
- Do not let users submit arbitrary URLs to an unrestricted
page.goto(); use an allowlist or render trusted templates. - Return an explicit error when data lookup, authentication, or rendering fails before headers are sent.
Troubleshooting common failures
The PDF is blank or missing report data
The page was captured before the React app finished rendering, or the route redirected to a login page. Confirm the URL and credentials, wait for a report-ready selector, and inspect the page content in a temporary diagnostic render.
Colors or backgrounds disappear
Print media rules may be intentionally removing them. Try emulateMediaType('screen'), set printBackground: true, and add print-color-adjust: exact (with the WebKit prefix for Chromium).
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Fonts are wrong or text moves between pages
External fonts may not have loaded when page.pdf() runs. Make the font host reachable from the server, await document.fonts.ready, and avoid relying on a font that is available only on a developer workstation.
networkidle0 never resolves
Long polling, analytics, or a WebSocket can keep the network busy. Navigate with a less strict readiness condition, then wait for a specific selector or application flag instead.
The browser fails in production
Container images may lack Chromium’s shared libraries or may disallow the sandbox. Install the dependencies required by your chosen Puppeteer build and use launch flags only when your deployment’s security model requires them. The exact launch options depend on the environment.
The browser downloads a file but React reports an error
Inspect the status code and response headers before calling blob(). A JSON authentication or validation error can otherwise be saved with a .pdf filename. Also verify CORS and credential settings for cross-origin requests.
Performance, reliability, and cost considerations
Chromium startup is considerably more expensive than serializing an already-rendered file. Reuse a controlled browser process or a worker pool where your deployment permits it, but create a fresh page for each request and cap concurrency. Queueing protects the API when several users request reports simultaneously. Cache immutable reports or persist generated files when the same document is downloaded repeatedly.
Measure render duration, navigation failures, browser crashes, output size, and queue depth. Set a timeout and return a useful status to the caller rather than holding an HTTP connection indefinitely. There is no universal timeout or concurrency number: CPU, memory, page complexity, fonts, and deployment limits determine safe values.
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Can I use a POST endpoint instead of a report ID?
Yes. Accept the submitted, validated payload in NestJS, render from that trusted data, and keep authorization and size limits on the server before starting Chromium.
Should I send the PDF inline or as an attachment?
Use an attachment disposition for an automatic download. Use inline disposition when your product intentionally opens the PDF in a browser viewer; keep the MIME type application/pdf in either case.
Can one report contain several page sizes?
Chromium can follow CSS page rules and PDF options, but mixed-size layouts need deliberate testing because page breaks, headers, and margins interact with the selected paper configuration.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use a POST endpoint instead of a report ID?
Yes. Accept the submitted, validated payload in NestJS, render from that trusted data, and keep authorization and size limits on the server before starting Chromium.
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Can one report contain several page sizes?
Chromium can follow CSS page rules and PDF options, but mixed-size layouts need deliberate testing because page breaks, headers, and margins interact with the selected paper configuration.
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