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Generate the PDF in three stages: render a Django template to HTML, load that HTML in a headless Chromium page with Pyppeteer, and return the bytes in a normal Django HttpResponse. Use application/pdf and Content-Disposition so clients download the result. DRF’s Response is intended for data processed by renderers; Django’s response classes are the straightforward choice once page.pdf() has already produced PDF bytes (DRF responses; Django request and response objects).
Request-to-PDF flow
- Authenticate and validate the DRF request.
- Build the context from your database or request data.
- Render a dedicated Django template.
- Launch Chromium, load the rendered markup, and await
page.pdf(). - Close the page and browser in a
finallyblock. - Return the resulting bytes as a Django
HttpResponse.
This example uses an API view and accepts a customer ID. Adapt authentication, permissions, validation, and data access to your application.
Install Pyppeteer and plan Chromium availability
The project README states that Pyppeteer requires Python 3.8 or newer. On first use it can download Chromium when a suitable executable is not available; you can also run pyppeteer-install. In production, deliberately choose how the browser is installed, pin the library and browser combination you deploy, and verify required operating-system libraries in your image or host (Pyppeteer project README).
python -m pip install pyppeteerFor a repeatable container build, install the package during image creation and run the browser installation step there rather than making the first API request download a browser. Set an explicit executable path with executablePath when your image provides Chromium or Chrome.
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Create a print-oriented Django template
Put a template such as templates/invoices/invoice.html in your normal Django template directory. Keep styles self-contained or make every external URL reachable by the Chromium process. Print CSS is the default for PDF generation, so use @media print for page-specific rules.
<!doctype html>
<html>
<head>
<meta charset="utf-8">
<title>Invoice {{ invoice.number }}</title>
<style>
@page { size: A4; margin: 18mm 15mm 20mm; }
body { font-family: Arial, sans-serif; color: #222; }
h1 { margin: 0 0 12px; }
table { width: 100%; border-collapse: collapse; }
th, td { border-bottom: 1px solid #ddd; padding: 7px; text-align: left; }
.total { text-align: right; font-weight: 700; }
.avoid-break { break-inside: avoid; }
@media print { .screen-only { display: none; } }
</style>
</head>
<body>
<h1>Invoice {{ invoice.number }}</h1>
<p>{{ invoice.customer_name }}</p>
<table>
<thead><tr><th>Description</th><th>Amount</th></tr></thead>
<tbody>
{% for line in invoice.lines %}
<tr class="avoid-break"><td>{{ line.description }}</td><td>{{ line.amount }}</td></tr>
{% endfor %}
</tbody>
</table>
<p class="total">Total: {{ invoice.total }}</p>
</body>
</html>Django auto-escaping protects ordinary variable output. Do not mark untrusted request content as safe HTML. If the template references images, fonts, or styles, use absolute, authenticated URLs that the browser can access, or inline assets you control.
Implement the DRF endpoint
The following synchronous APIView renders the template, loads it with a data: URL, and returns a downloadable PDF. Loading the rendered document as a data URL avoids exposing a temporary HTML file. The exact loading approach is an implementation choice; Pyppeteer’s API provides the browser and page primitives.
from django.http import HttpResponse
from django.template.loader import render_to_string
from rest_framework.views import APIView
from rest_framework.permissions import IsAuthenticated
from rest_framework.response import Response
from rest_framework import status
from pyppeteer import launch
from .models import Invoice
class InvoicePdfView(APIView):
permission_classes = [IsAuthenticated]
async def get(self, request, invoice_id):
try:
invoice = Invoice.objects.prefetch_related("lines").get(
id=invoice_id, owner=request.user
)
except Invoice.DoesNotExist:
return Response({"detail": "Not found."}, status=status.HTTP_404_NOT_FOUND)
html = render_to_string("invoices/invoice.html", {"invoice": invoice})
browser = None
try:
browser = await launch(
headless=True,
args=["--no-sandbox", "--disable-setuid-sandbox"],
# executablePath="/usr/bin/chromium", # set in your image if needed
)
page = await browser.newPage()
await page.setContent(html, waitUntil="networkidle0")
pdf_bytes = await page.pdf({
"format": "A4",
"printBackground": True,
"margin": {
"top": "18mm", "right": "15mm",
"bottom": "20mm", "left": "15mm",
},
"preferCSSPageSize": True,
})
finally:
if browser is not None:
await browser.close()
response = HttpResponse(pdf_bytes, content_type="application/pdf")
response["Content-Disposition"] = (
f'attachment; filename="invoice-{invoice.id}.pdf"'
)
return responseUse an async server path that supports your deployment, or isolate the blocking browser work in a worker when your stack is synchronous. Do not return a DRF Response containing raw PDF bytes unless you have intentionally configured a renderer for that representation; a regular Django response is clearer for already-rendered bytes.
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Choose PDF options deliberately
Pyppeteer’s Page.pdf() supports paper format or explicit dimensions, margins, orientation, page ranges, background printing, and header/footer templates (Pyppeteer API reference).
| Requirement | Setting or technique |
|---|---|
| Paper | format: "A4", or custom width/height. |
| Margins | margin object with CSS lengths such as mm or in. |
| Landscape | landscape: true. |
| Background colors/images | printBackground: true. |
| Selected pages | pageRanges: "1-3" or another supported range. |
| Header/footer | displayHeaderFooter: true plus HTML templates and reserved margins. |
| CSS page rules | preferCSSPageSize: true when @page should control size. |
PDF rendering uses print media by default. If your design is written for screen media, call await page.emulateMedia("screen") before pdf(); otherwise your @media print rules and print defaults apply. For dynamic pages, wait for a selector, a known delay, or network idle before generating the file. With a data URL and inline markup, ensure fonts and images have finished loading before capture.
Headers, authentication, and data safety
- Apply DRF authentication and object-level authorization before querying the invoice. Never rely on an ID alone.
- Validate any user-controlled filename and keep it to a safe, predictable value.
- Do not pass secrets into template markup or browser-visible URLs. If the browser must fetch protected assets, use short-lived, scoped URLs or controlled request headers.
- Limit document size, page count, and request frequency. Chromium processes consume substantial memory and may outlive a timed-out HTTP request if cleanup is missing.
- Use a per-request browser for simple, low-volume endpoints. For higher throughput, a carefully managed browser pool can reduce startup work, but impose concurrency limits and recycle unhealthy processes.
Deployment, latency, and reliability
PDF creation starts a browser operation and is slower than serializing JSON. Set an application timeout that exceeds your page and browser timeouts, and return a useful server error when Chromium cannot start. In a worker-based architecture, enqueue a job and let the client poll for a completed file when documents are large or numerous.
Log request ID, document ID, browser launch failures, navigation timeouts, and PDF duration without logging private document contents. Keep Chromium dependencies in the same image tested in staging. Close pages and browsers in all exception paths, and monitor process count and memory. These are operational safeguards, not measured performance guarantees.
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Troubleshooting common failures
Chromium executable not found
Install the browser during deployment, run pyppeteer-install, or provide the correct executablePath. Confirm the service user can execute it.
Browser fails to start in a container
Install the operating-system libraries required by your Chromium build. Some restricted environments require sandbox configuration; only use --no-sandbox when you understand the isolation trade-off and have compensated with container or host security.
Blank or incomplete PDF
Check that the template renders valid HTML, that asset URLs are reachable from the server, and that you wait for the required selector or network activity. Inline critical CSS and images when external resources are unreliable.
Styles look different from the website
PDF uses print media by default. Add print rules, enable printBackground, or call emulateMedia("screen") before pdf() if screen styling is intentional.
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Images or fonts are missing
Use absolute URLs, verify DNS and authentication from the server environment, wait for loading, and check browser logs. A local filesystem path in HTML is not automatically available to Chromium.
Requests time out
Reduce page complexity, remove unnecessary third-party resources, set explicit navigation and application timeouts, and move long documents to an asynchronous worker. Always close the browser after cancellation or failure.
Download opens inline instead of prompting
Set Content-Disposition to attachment; filename="...pdf". Django documents as_attachment=True as the mechanism that sets this header when using a file response (Django response documentation).
Maintenance warning: Pyppeteer versus its recommended alternative
The Pyppeteer repository currently says: “Attention: this repo is unmaintained and has been outside of minor changes for a long time. Please consider playwright-python as an alternative.” That is a maintenance warning from the project itself, not evidence of a performance comparison. If a new project is not constrained to Pyppeteer’s API, evaluate playwright-python; if you must use Pyppeteer, pin versions, test Chromium upgrades, and budget time for compatibility fixes (Pyppeteer repository README).
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Frequently Asked Questions
Can I return a PDF from a DRF function view?
Yes. Render the template, await Pyppeteer’s PDF bytes, and return a Django HttpResponse from the function decorated with DRF’s api_view, applying the same authentication and validation decisions.
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Is a data URL required when loading rendered HTML?
No. It is a convenient choice for self-contained markup. You can instead serve a protected temporary URL or navigate to an application page, provided the browser can access every required asset.
Why does my PDF have an extra blank page?
Inspect CSS page size, margins, fixed-height containers, and forced page breaks. Conflicting @page dimensions and content wider than the printable area are common causes.
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