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Documentation Index

Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.blinkpdf.io/llms.txt

Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

This guide walks you through everything you need to generate your first PDF with Blink PDF. By the end you’ll have a working API key, a successful render, and a PDF file saved locally — in about five minutes.
1

Create your account and get an API key

Sign up for a free account at app.blinkpdf.io/login. The free tier includes 500 renders per month with no credit card required.Once you’re logged in:
  1. Open the API Keys section of your dashboard.
  2. Click Create new key.
  3. Copy the key — it starts with sk_live_ and is shown only once.
Store your API key somewhere safe immediately. For security reasons, the dashboard will not show the full key again after you navigate away. If you lose it, you’ll need to rotate it and update any services using the old key.
2

Make your first API call

Send a POST request to https://api.blinkpdf.io/v1/render with your Markdown content in the request body. Replace sk_live_... with your actual API key.
curl -X POST https://api.blinkpdf.io/v1/render \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer sk_live_..." \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "markdown": "# Invoice 0042\n\nHi Jane, thanks for your business!\n\n## What'\''s included\n\n- **Pro plan** — unlimited renders\n- Priority support\n\n**Total: $39** — paid on May 23, 2026.",
    "metadata": { "title": "Invoice 0042" }
  }' \
  --output invoice.pdf
A successful response looks like this:
HTTP/1.1 200 OK
Content-Type: application/pdf
X-Render-Ms: 96
X-Request-Id: req_8f3e2a...
The body is a raw PDF binary. Two response headers give you visibility into every render:
HeaderDescription
X-Render-MsTotal server-side render time in milliseconds
X-Request-IdUnique request ID — include this when contacting support
The median render time is ~100ms. If you see a higher value on your first request, subsequent calls to the same node will be even faster — there are no cold starts.
3

Save and verify the PDF

If you used the curl command above, the --output invoice.pdf flag writes the PDF directly to disk. For Python and Node.js, the examples above write invoice.pdf to your current working directory.Open the file in any PDF viewer to confirm the render. You should see a formatted document with the heading Invoice 0042, a bullet list, and the total line — all typeset from the Markdown you sent.
Every PDF produced by Blink PDF is PDF/UA-1 compliant, meaning it passes accessibility audits and works correctly with screen readers — no extra configuration required.
4

Move your API key to an environment variable

Before you ship any code, move your API key out of your source files and into an environment variable. Hardcoded keys are a common source of credential leaks.
export BLINKPDF_API_KEY="sk_live_..."
Then reference it in your code:
import os, requests

response = requests.post(
    "https://api.blinkpdf.io/v1/render",
    headers={"Authorization": f"Bearer {os.environ['BLINKPDF_API_KEY']}"},
    json={"markdown": "# Hello, world!"},
)
See the Authentication guide for a full security checklist and details on key rotation.

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What to explore next

Authentication

Key formats, security best practices, environment variables, and error handling.

API Reference

Every request parameter, response header, and error code for POST /v1/render.

AI & LLM Workflows

Connect OpenAI or Claude output to Blink PDF for fully automated document pipelines.

Plans & Pricing

Compare tiers from Free (500/mo) to Enterprise with custom volume and SLAs.