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To convert an Astro page to a PDF, render the page in a headless Chromium browser and return the bytes from an Astro endpoint. Create a route such as src/pages/api/page.pdf.ts, open the target with Puppeteer or Playwright, wait for content and fonts, call page.pdf(), and send the result with Content-Type: application/pdf. Use a static file when every visitor receives the same document; use an on-demand endpoint for current, authenticated, or user-specific content.
How Astro PDF generation works
Astro supplies the route and HTTP response; a browser engine supplies HTML-to-PDF rendering. An Astro page is not converted by the framework alone. Puppeteer and Playwright launch Chromium, load the fully rendered URL, apply print media styles, and expose a PDF method that returns a byte buffer.
Astro prerenders routes by default. A request-time PDF route must run in a server deployment, use an adapter, and opt out of prerendering with export const prerender = false. A JavaScript or TypeScript file under src/pages can act as the endpoint.
Prerequisites and project setup
- An Astro project with the page you want to print.
- A deployment adapter capable of running server endpoints.
- Either Puppeteer (which downloads or uses a Chromium binary) or Playwright with a supported browser installed.
- A target URL reachable from the browser process. A relative path is not sufficient when the browser runs separately from the Astro server.
Install one browser library in the project. Keep the choice consistent with your existing dependencies and deployment environment; both libraries provide first-class PDF APIs.
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Generate a PDF with Puppeteer
Create src/pages/api/page.pdf.ts:
import puppeteer from 'puppeteer';
export const prerender = false;
export async function GET({ site }: { site?: URL }) {
const target = new URL('/docs/example', site ?? 'http://localhost:4321');
const browser = await puppeteer.launch({ headless: true });
try {
const page = await browser.newPage();
await page.goto(target.toString(), { waitUntil: 'networkidle0' });
const pdf = await page.pdf({
format: 'A4',
printBackground: true,
preferCSSPageSize: true,
});
return new Response(pdf, {
headers: {
'Content-Type': 'application/pdf',
'Content-Disposition': 'attachment; filename="page.pdf"',
},
});
} finally {
await browser.close();
}
}Requesting /api/page.pdf now downloads page.pdf. page.pdf() uses the print CSS media type by default. The finally block is essential: it closes Chromium even when navigation or PDF creation fails.
Use a dynamic target safely
If the endpoint accepts a URL or document ID, validate it before navigation. Prefer an allowlist of your own origins, reject unsupported protocols, and avoid letting arbitrary users make your server browse internal network addresses. Pass authentication deliberately with page cookies, headers, or a server-side session rather than exposing credentials in query strings.
Generate a PDF with Playwright
The equivalent endpoint with Playwright is:
import { chromium } from 'playwright';
export const prerender = false;
export async function GET() {
const browser = await chromium.launch();
try {
const page = await browser.newPage();
await page.goto('http://localhost:4321/docs/example', {
waitUntil: 'networkidle',
});
const pdf = await page.pdf({
format: 'A4',
printBackground: true,
preferCSSPageSize: true,
});
return new Response(pdf, {
headers: {
'Content-Type': 'application/pdf',
'Content-Disposition': 'attachment; filename="page.pdf"',
},
});
} finally {
await browser.close();
}
}Playwright can switch from print rendering to screen rendering before creating the PDF:
await page.emulateMedia({ media: 'screen' });
const pdf = await page.pdf({ format: 'A4', printBackground: true });Use Puppeteer when your project already depends on it or its API is familiar. Use Playwright when you also need its browser and testing workflow. The decisive constraint is whether the selected browser binary can run on your Astro host.
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Design the page for print
Put PDF-specific rules in a print stylesheet instead of trying to force the screen layout into paper:
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@page {
size: A4;
margin: 18mm 14mm;
}
@media print {
nav,
.toolbar,
.no-print,
button {
display: none !important;
}
.page-break {
break-before: page;
}
a {
color: #000;
text-decoration: none;
}
* {
-webkit-print-color-adjust: exact;
print-color-adjust: exact;
}
}The browser normally applies print media when page.pdf() runs. If you explicitly emulate screen, screen rules are used instead, so make that choice intentional. The -webkit-print-color-adjust declaration helps preserve exact colors, although printer and browser settings can still affect output.
Important PDF options
format: a paper preset such asA4.widthandheight: custom page dimensions when a preset is unsuitable.margin: top, right, bottom, and left margins.printBackground: true: includes colored backgrounds, cards, and charts.preferCSSPageSize: true: lets your@pagerule control size and margins.landscape: true: useful for wide tables.scale: adjusts the rendered size.pageRanges: exports selected pages when supported by the chosen library.
Wait for real content, fonts, and images
networkidle or networkidle0 is a useful starting point, not a guarantee. Analytics, WebSockets, polling, and other long-lived connections can prevent an idle event or fire it before a client-side component finishes.
For deterministic output, wait for a selector that marks completion and for fonts:
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await page.waitForSelector('[data-pdf-ready]', { timeout: 30000 });
await page.evaluate(() => document.fonts.ready);
await page.waitForTimeout(250);Lazy images may need scrolling or an application-specific ready signal. A fixed delay alone is less reliable than a selector or explicit page state. Set navigation and selector timeouts so a broken page cannot hold a server request indefinitely.
Static PDFs versus on-demand PDFs
Build a static PDF
For a document identical for every visitor, generate it during your build and publish the resulting file from public/. This avoids launching a browser per request, reduces latency and hosting cost, and works well for release notes, manuals, and legal documents that change only when you deploy. Regenerate whenever the source page changes.
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Render on demand
Use the endpoint approach for current data, personalized content, or authenticated pages. Add an Astro adapter for your host, set prerender = false, and ensure the runtime has a compatible browser binary. Astro adapters are available for common Node.js, Netlify, Vercel, and Cloudflare deployments, but browser support and packaging differ by provider. Verify the selected adapter and host before production.
Headers, authentication, and response behavior
Return a download with Content-Disposition: attachment. Use inline instead when the browser should display the PDF in its viewer. If you cache a deterministic PDF, include an appropriate cache policy and vary it by the inputs that affect the document. Do not cache a user-specific PDF publicly.
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Troubleshooting common failures
The route returns HTML instead of a PDF
Confirm the request reaches the endpoint, that the handler returns the Response containing the PDF buffer, and that Content-Type is exactly application/pdf. A redirect, framework error page, or missing adapter usually means the route is being prerendered or the server function is not running.
The PDF is blank or missing client-rendered content
Navigate to the final URL, wait for a completion selector, and wait for document.fonts.ready. Replace an unconditional idle wait when the page keeps a connection open. Check that API calls made by the page are reachable from the deployment environment.
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Screen styles are ignored
This is expected: PDF generation uses print media by default. Move the intended layout into @media print, or call page.emulateMedia({ media: 'screen' }) before page.pdf(). Keep print-specific navigation and controls hidden.
Colors or backgrounds disappear
Set printBackground: true and use -webkit-print-color-adjust: exact for important colors. Also check that your CSS does not disable backgrounds in print.
Chromium launches locally but fails in production
The host may not include the browser executable or required system libraries. Use the browser packaging supported by your adapter, configure the executable path only when your provider documents one, and test the production build in an environment matching the deployment runtime.
Requests hang or exhaust resources
Set navigation and selector timeouts, block unnecessary third-party requests where appropriate, reuse a controlled browser process when your runtime model allows it, and always close pages and browsers in cleanup code. Limit concurrent PDF jobs so several large documents cannot exhaust memory.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Performance, reliability, and security checklist
- Use static generation for immutable documents.
- Reuse a browser process carefully instead of launching one for every high-volume request, while isolating pages and closing them after use.
- Wait for application readiness rather than relying only on network idle.
- Keep PDFs bounded: large images and very long pages consume substantial memory.
- Validate target URLs and block private-network destinations for any user-controlled input.
- Apply authentication server-side and avoid leaking cookies or tokens into logs.
- Monitor timeout, launch, navigation, and PDF errors separately so failures are diagnosable.
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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 page.pdfFor a server-side Astro integration in Python:
import requests
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FAQ
Can an Astro static site generate a PDF at request time?
Not without a server-capable deployment. A prerendered site can publish prebuilt PDF files, while request-time generation requires an adapter and a non-prerendered endpoint.
Should I use Puppeteer or Playwright?
Either works. Choose based on the dependency already in your project, the browser runtimes your host supports, and whether you want to reuse Playwright’s testing APIs.
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Why does a PDF have a different number of pages after a CSS change?
Paper size, margins, scale, font loading, and print rules all change pagination. Set these explicitly and wait for fonts before capturing.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I generate a PDF without exposing the source page publicly?
Yes. Render a protected route in a server-side browser context with controlled cookies or headers, or build the document from trusted server data. Do not place credentials in the target URL.
What is the safest way to accept a URL from a user?
Allowlist permitted origins and protocols, reject private-network destinations, impose navigation and output limits, and log failures without recording secrets.
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