crates.io · pdfluent

Rust PDF SDK

A pure-Rust PDF library for processing, rendering, signing, and converting PDF documents. Ships as a Cargo crate under the AGPLv3, with generally available Python, Node.js, WebAssembly, .NET, and Java bindings. The free build is the whole SDK: every feature, no watermark, nothing to activate. If the copyleft does not work for you, a commercial licence lifts it — prices published, bought self-service, no sales call.

Install the free SDK Documentation Source (GitHub)

Installation

Add via cargo:

$cargo add pdfluent@1.0.0

Or edit Cargo.toml directly:

toml

[dependencies]
pdfluent = "1"

Enable optional feature flags (XFA, signatures, OCR, etc.):

toml

[dependencies]
pdfluent = { version = "1", features = ["xfa", "signatures"] }

Quick example

Extract all text from a PDF in five lines:

rust

use pdfluent::PdfDocument;

fn main() -> pdfluent::Result<()> {
    let doc = PdfDocument::open("invoice.pdf")?;
    let text = doc.extract_text()?;
    println!("{text}");
    Ok(())
}

See the full API reference for forms, signatures, rendering, PDF/A conversion, and more, or the Cookbook for ten recipes that are compiled on every release.

What's included

AcroForms (production-grade)

XFA form processing — experimental, under active development

PDF/A validation and conversion

AES-256 encryption and digital signatures (PAdES B-B, B-T, B-LT)

Text extraction and page rendering

WebAssembly, Node.js, and Python bindings — production-ready

No runtime dependencies — pure Rust

Offline licence validation — no phone-home

Same feature set across all licence tiers. Tiers differ on developer count and the number of products you ship — not on which SDK capabilities you can use. Full feature list →

Licensing

PDFluent uses an offline, signed-file licence. Three modes — pick what fits your stage.

Default

Unlicensed (no key)

Use the SDK with no configuration. All features work. Output PDF files are stamped with a Producer watermark.

Free

Free under the AGPLv3

The complete SDK, in production, at any scale. Nothing is withheld and nothing expires. The AGPL asks one thing back: publish your own corresponding source.

Install it →

Yearly

Commercial licence

The right not to publish your own source. Four self-service buttons — per organisation, or per product when you ship PDFluent inside something you sell. No seats, no quotes.

View pricing →

There is no licence key and nothing to activate. The SDK makes no network call at any point, so it works air-gapped by construction. Pricing →