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To convert an HTML invoice into a PDF with APITemplate.io in Laravel, send the invoice HTML in a JSON request to POST https://rest.apitemplate.io/v2/create-pdf-from-html, authenticate with the X-API-KEY header, and use the returned download_url. If the invoice layout repeats, a saved APITemplate.io template is another option: keep the layout in the template and send invoice data from Laravel.
Choose raw HTML or a reusable invoice template
| Approach | Best fit | Where the layout lives | Request input |
|---|---|---|---|
Raw HTML: /v2/create-pdf-from-html |
An invoice assembled dynamically in Laravel or a one-off document | Your Laravel application | HTML body, optionally CSS, Jinja2 data and PDF settings |
Reusable template: /v2/create-pdf |
Invoices that share a recurring design | APITemplate.io’s template editor | Template ID and invoice data as JSON |
For an HTML invoice already built by your application, raw HTML is the most direct route. For recurring invoices, a saved template separates the design from invoice-specific values. APITemplate.io describes both workflows, but there is no established speed or cost advantage for either.
Generate a PDF from Laravel invoice HTML
Laravel’s HTTP Client can send the JSON request and set a timeout. The following example expects $invoiceHtml and $invoiceCss to contain the document markup and stylesheet. It uses the documented raw-HTML endpoint and the provider’s example settings; check the endpoint documentation for current accepted setting names and values.
<?php
use IlluminateSupportFacadesHttp;
$response = Http::withHeaders([
'X-API-KEY' => config('services.apitemplate.key'),
'Accept' => 'application/json',
])->timeout(100)->post('https://rest.apitemplate.io/v2/create-pdf-from-html', [
'body' => $invoiceHtml,
'css' => $invoiceCss,
'settings' => [
'paper_size' => 'A4',
'orientation' => '1',
'print_background' => '1',
],
])->throw();
$pdfUrl = $response->json('download_url');
if (! is_string($pdfUrl) || $pdfUrl === '') {
throw new RuntimeException('APITemplate.io did not return a download URL.');
}
return redirect()->away($pdfUrl);The endpoint expects JSON with a required body field containing the HTML string. It also accepts optional css, data for Jinja2 placeholders in the body, and settings for PDF output configuration. A successful response includes download_url, transaction_ref and status. The provider’s renderer is Chromium-based and its documentation describes CSS and JavaScript rendering, along with headers, footers, page numbers, paper size and margins. See the APITemplate.io v2 generation documentation for the current request schema.
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Configure the API key server-side
Keep the key in server-side configuration or an environment variable, not in browser JavaScript or invoice HTML. For example, define a Laravel service configuration entry that reads an environment variable, then reference it as config('services.apitemplate.key'). Avoid logging credentials or invoice contents where they could expose customer or payment information.
Use a timeout that fits your application
The example uses a 100-second timeout, matching a maximum shown in APITemplate.io’s PHP client repository for an endpoint configuration. That is not a universal Laravel timeout recommendation: choose a limit compatible with the current provider region, your web-server or worker limits, and the time budget for the request. Laravel documents that a timeout raises a connection exception. See Laravel 13.x HTTP Client documentation and the APITemplate.io PHP client repository.
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Handle the returned URL deliberately
Check that the response includes a usable download_url before redirecting or fetching the PDF. The documentation cited here does not establish the URL’s retention period, access controls or lifetime, so do not assume it is a permanent invoice archive. If invoices must remain available, implement storage and access controls appropriate to your application.
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- Create the template: In the APITemplate.io console, create a PDF template with the HTML editor. Put variable values in Jinja2 placeholders, such as
{{invoice_number}}; loops can represent line items, and conditionals can handle optional fields. - Preview the document: Use the template preview and sample JSON workflow to check how representative invoice data renders.
- Send invoice data from Laravel: Call
POST /v2/create-pdfwith the template ID and the invoice fields as JSON, authenticating withX-API-KEY. - Handle the result: Validate the response and use its PDF
download_urlas appropriate for your application.
The visual editor is an option for simpler layouts; the HTML editor provides fuller control over HTML, CSS and JavaScript. See APITemplate.io’s template editor documentation for its template workflow and current details.
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Reliability, performance and cost considerations
- HTTP errors: Laravel’s HTTP Client does not automatically throw for 4xx or 5xx status responses. Call
throw()when those responses should become exceptions, or inspect the status and return a controlled error to the caller. - Slow or bulk generation: Laravel queues can be an implementation choice when a request should not hold a user’s web request open. APITemplate.io documents synchronous and asynchronous generation and webhook notifications in its methods overview; verify the exact endpoint and callback behavior before building an asynchronous flow.
- Timeouts: A client timeout can interrupt a slow render, and a timeout longer than your application or worker limit may not help. Align the API request with the surrounding infrastructure’s limits.
- Rendering checks: Test representative invoices that include long line-item tables, multi-page content, non-ASCII text and optional sections. The available documentation describes renderer capabilities but does not establish how a specific invoice will paginate.
- Cost and quality: The available documentation does not establish a cost or rendering-quality advantage between raw HTML and template generation. Compare the provider’s current plan terms against your expected workload rather than assuming either method is cheaper.
- Data handling: Treat invoices and API keys as sensitive. The endpoint instructions do not define a complete privacy or retention policy; consult the provider’s current terms for your compliance needs.
Troubleshoot common failures
| Symptom | Likely cause | What to check |
|---|---|---|
| Unauthorized or rejected request | Missing or invalid API key, or an incorrectly named header | Send the key in X-API-KEY and confirm the server-side configuration resolves to the intended value. |
| Request rejected as invalid | Missing required HTML body or malformed JSON structure | Confirm the payload contains a string in body; check optional CSS, data and settings against the endpoint’s current schema. |
| Laravel does not enter the failure path for an HTTP error | Laravel does not throw automatically for 4xx or 5xx responses | Use throw() or inspect the response status explicitly. |
| Connection exception or timeout | Rendering took longer than the configured timeout, or the request could not complete | Check the timeout against your application’s limits and inspect the exception; consider queue-based handling for work that should not block a web request. |
| PDF URL is missing | The response was not a successful generation result or its JSON differs from the expected shape | Check HTTP status and response JSON before reading download_url; do not redirect without validating it. |
| Layout or pagination differs from expectations | Invoice content, CSS, page settings or dynamic data affect rendering | Preview representative data, verify print styles and confirm current setting names and values in the API documentation. |
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