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Why are images missing from my DocRaptor PDF?
The most common diagnostic categories are an unresolved URL, an asset the renderer cannot fetch, a request that fails or takes too long, and an image added by JavaScript that is not ready when rendering finishes. These are different problems; an absolute URL will not make a private server public, and enabling JavaScript will not repair a 404.
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DocRaptor says it must be able to locate external assets on the internet. Its troubleshooting documentation also notes that relative or protocol-less asset URLs without a base can fail. DocRaptor: “Image, CSS or JavaScript file not loading?”
Why do images show in my browser but not in the PDF?
Your browser may be loading an image from a local path, localhost, a VPN-only host, a private IP address, or a session it can access but DocRaptor cannot. A browser may also have cookies or other credentials that the renderer does not have. The fact that the image appears in your own preview confirms only that your browser can load it.
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Inspect the final HTML submitted to DocRaptor, not just the page in your browser. Check image src attributes and CSS url(...) references for:
- Relative paths such as
../images/photo.jpg. - Protocol-relative URLs such as
//example.com/image.png. - Root-relative paths such as
/images/image.png, which resolve from a domain root rather than necessarily from the directory you expected. - Local file paths, localhost URLs, private hostnames, or URLs that rely on browser-only authentication.
For resource problems, use the generated document’s log and its Details view to see conversion steps and reported problems. DocRaptor’s default behavior is to log and ignore resource errors, so successful PDF generation does not establish that every image loaded. See Stop Ignoring Asset Loading Errors.
How do I use relative image URLs with DocRaptor?
Choose one of two approaches: make each asset URL absolute, or define a base against which relative references should resolve. Absolute URLs make the destination explicit at the reference; a base is useful when a document contains many relative references.
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Use an absolute URL
For example, use https://assets.example.com/images/photo.jpg instead of ../images/photo.jpg. Use a real, reachable URL for your own asset. Confirm its scheme, hostname, path, and response independently of the browser page.
Set an API base URL or an HTML base element
DocRaptor documents prince_options[baseurl] and the HTML <base href="..."> element as ways to supply a base. Set the value to the origin and path that match how your relative paths are meant to resolve. A leading slash in an asset path is root-relative: it starts at the domain root even if the base URL contains a deeper path.
See the DocRaptor API reference and File System Access is Not Allowed for the documented URL and file-access behavior.
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Can DocRaptor load images from localhost?
Not from a developer’s machine or private network simply because a browser on that machine can see them. DocRaptor states that document and asset URLs must be publicly accessible from its rendering environment. For development, its documentation describes three options:
- Submit the HTML itself using
document_content, avoiding a fetch of the HTML document. This does not make separately linked image URLs reachable. - Temporarily expose a development server through a tunnel so the renderer can reach it during testing.
- Embed the image data in the HTML as Base64, removing the separate network fetch for that image.
Remote images keep the HTML payload smaller but require a reachable asset host. Base64 embedding avoids a separate image request but increases the HTML payload by carrying the image data inside it. DocRaptor’s guide to Development Testing & Localhost Servers covers these workarounds.
How can I see image-loading errors in DocRaptor?
Open the generated document’s log and inspect Details for conversion steps and failures. Look for evidence such as an HTTP 404, DNS or connection failure, MIME-type issue, or TLS/SSL problem. Diagnose from the specific error rather than changing unrelated rendering options.
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Choose whether failed resources should fail the job
DocRaptor ignores resource errors by default. Set ignore_resource_errors to false if you want documented resource failures to make generation fail instead of producing a PDF that may be incomplete. This is useful when your application should detect the failure rather than accept an incomplete document; it changes error handling, not whether the asset can be reached.
Consider the external-resource timeout
The API documentation says external-resource requests default to waiting up to 10 seconds and exposes an HTTP timeout setting from 1 to 60 seconds. Consider a longer setting only when the asset is slow but reachable. More waiting cannot fix a wrong URL, inaccessible host, or rejected request. The available parameters and their current documented behavior are in the API reference.
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If an image server uses HTTP Basic Authentication, DocRaptor documents prince_options[http_user] and prince_options[http_password]. If access depends on IP allowlists, a proxy, VPN, or other filtering, verify that the asset host permits the renderer’s request path. Do not assume that the browser’s cookies or credentials accompany DocRaptor’s request; consult the API reference for supported request options.
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Do I need to enable JavaScript for images in a DocRaptor PDF?
Only if the document relies on JavaScript to create the image element, choose its URL, or complete asynchronous work that supplies the image. JavaScript is disabled by default. Enable the appropriate JavaScript option and make sure the work has completed before rendering ends. Static images with broken paths or inaccessible hosts need URL or access fixes, not JavaScript.
DocRaptor describes separate standard and Prince JavaScript engines; Prince is not a browser and may not support every browser JavaScript behavior. Use the vendor’s guide to HTML to PDF JavaScript Execution to choose and configure an engine for the document.
A controlled way to isolate the cause
- Reduce the document to one image and inspect the final submitted HTML and CSS.
- Replace the image reference temporarily with a known, absolute, publicly reachable image URL.
- Generate the PDF and inspect its document log for the request result.
- Compare with the same image embedded as Base64. If the embedded image appears but the remote one does not, investigate URL resolution, reachability, access control, the server response, or timeout. This comparison is a diagnostic inference, not proof of which specific remote-fetch issue occurred.
- Restore the original layout and add other assets or JavaScript-dependent behavior back in stages, checking the log as you go.
Common fixes by symptom
| Symptom | Likely area to check | Next action |
|---|---|---|
| A relative image path is missing | No base URL, or a path resolving from an unexpected location | Use an absolute URL or set prince_options[baseurl] or an HTML <base>; verify root-relative paths. |
| An image works locally but not in the PDF | Localhost, local file, private network, or access restriction | Use a reachable host, a temporary tunnel for development, or Base64 embedding. |
| The PDF job succeeds despite missing images | Resource errors are ignored by default | Read the document log; set ignore_resource_errors to false if failures should fail the job. |
| Only images created or selected by script are missing | JavaScript disabled, unsupported behavior, or unfinished asynchronous work | Enable the relevant engine and ensure the image is ready before rendering ends. |
| A slow remote image fails intermittently | Request duration or unstable reachability | Check the log and host response; consider a longer documented timeout only if the host is reachable and simply slow. |
Escalate with useful evidence
If the cause remains unclear, preserve the document log and the smallest HTML example that reproduces the missing asset. The Details view identifies conversion steps and problems. DocRaptor says a Help Request shares the input HTML, output document, and generation log with its support team; check those materials for credentials or sensitive data before submitting. See Requesting Help with your Document.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Can I embed an image as Base64 when generating a DocRaptor PDF?
Yes. Embedding the image data in the submitted HTML avoids a separate image request; the trade-off is a larger HTML payload.
Will increasing DocRaptor’s timeout fix a broken image URL?
No. A longer timeout can help only when a reachable asset is slow. It will not repair an incorrect URL or make a private host accessible.
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