Add PDF Processing to Your n8n Workflows

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Build PDF processing into your workflow

n8n is a low-code automation platform that visually connects your applications, APIs, files, and databases, reducing the orchestration code you need to write. The pdfRest community node adds PDF processing to those workflows, so you can convert, compress, merge, or OCR documents as part of the process you’re already building.

Start the workflow

An email arrives, a file appears, or a schedule runs.
Process the PDF

Convert, compress, OCR, merge, or chain several operations.
Send the result

Save to storage, update a database, or notify your team.

Get Started View on npm Workflow Templates

Requires self-hosted n8n. Available operations vary by pdfRest deployment and plan. Cloud Starter and Container Trial apply watermarks or text redactions.

One pdfRest credential. 51 operations.

Finish the workflow you’re already building.

An attachment arrives by email. A file lands in Drive. A webhook starts a process. You know what needs to happen next: compress the PDF, recognize its text, merge its pages, or prepare it for another system. Add the pdfRest node, choose the operation, and connect the result to the next step. You don’t need to write code to make PDF processing part of the flow.

Choose an engine your product can grow with.

The workflow connects the steps. The PDF engine determines how well each document is processed.

Building PDF handling yourself means choosing libraries, managing compatibility, and troubleshooting files that behave differently from your test documents. pdfRest is built on the Adobe PDF Library, giving your workflows a trusted commercial PDF engine without requiring your team to assemble and maintain one.

The node calls the same API as a direct integration, giving you a path from an n8n workflow to a feature in your product or a broader PDF processing workflow.

Run processing where your documents belong.

Use pdfRest Cloud for hosted processing, or deploy pdfRest through Container or AWS when processing needs to stay within infrastructure you control. Pair a private deployment with self-hosted n8n to keep the PDF step inside your network.

Connect PDF processing to the systems you already use

n8n is the automation layer between email, local drives, databases, Google Drive, Google Sheets, Slack, your customer relationship management (CRM) system, and your own webhooks. PDF processing is one step in that larger flow. Receive a file, process it with pdfRest, and pass the result to the next system.

Save the finished PDF to a drive or database, send it by email, record the result in Sheets, or notify your team in Slack. You choose how the steps connect; pdfRest provides the PDF engine behind them.

Your first workflow

From incoming file to compressed PDF

A file arrives in Google Drive. n8n sends it to pdfRest for compression, then saves the smaller PDF to your chosen folder. You connect and configure the steps visually, set to run automatically, with no custom PDF-processing code required.

Get the connected workflow and step-by-step setup instructions. Import it into n8n, add your pdfRest API key and Google Drive credentials, and choose your folders.

View workflow template

Get started

Three steps to your first PDF workflow.

1. Choose your pdfRest deployment

Cloud: Sign up for pdfRest and copy your API key from the dashboard. Choose the US or EU endpoint. Cloud Starter applies watermarks or, for some output types, text redactions; compare plans for the operations and usage you need.

Self-hosted: Deploy pdfRest through Container or AWS and have its Deployment URL ready. Configure product licensing in pdfRest; the n8n credential does not require an API key for self-hosted deployments. Container Trial applies watermarks or, for some output types, text redactions.

2. Choose how to run self-hosted n8n

Already running self-hosted n8n? Continue to step 3. Otherwise, choose one of the two local setup options below: run n8n directly with Node.js, or run it in Docker. Both are self-hosted n8n, and either can connect to pdfRest Cloud or a self-hosted pdfRest endpoint that it can reach.

You don’t need Docker to use the pdfRest community node with pdfRest Cloud. Running n8n in Docker and deploying pdfRest Container are separate choices.

Option 1: Run n8n directly with Node.js

Install a current Node.js 22 or 24 release, the major versions supported by the pdfRest node README. Also check the requirements of the n8n version you choose. Open Terminal on macOS or Linux, or PowerShell on Windows, and check your installation:

node --version
npm --version

Start n8n:

npx n8n

If prompted to install n8n, confirm and wait for startup to finish. Open http://localhost:5678 in your browser and complete the initial account setup. Then continue to step 3 to install the pdfRest community node.

Keep the terminal open while using n8n. Press Ctrl+C to stop it. To return later, run npx n8n again under the same operating-system user account. Local n8n data is stored in that user’s .n8n directory by default.

This starts a local instance for building and testing workflows. Your computer and the n8n process must stay running for workflows to execute. External webhook triggers require a reachable HTTPS address.

Option 2: Run n8n with Docker

Prefer a containerized n8n instance? Follow this alternative setup instead of Option 1. Stop any n8n instance already using port 5678 before starting it.

A. Open Docker and your terminal

Install and start Docker Desktop. Open Terminal on macOS or Linux, or PowerShell on Windows. Check that Docker is running:

docker info

If you see a connection error, wait for Docker Desktop to finish starting and try again.

B. Create storage for your workflows

docker volume create pdfrest_n8n_data

This volume preserves n8n’s saved workflows and credentials across container restarts.

C. Start n8n

Paste this as one command. It runs in the background and makes the editor accessible only from your computer:

docker run -d --name pdfrest-n8n -p 127.0.0.1:5678:5678 -e GENERIC_TIMEZONE=Etc/UTC -e TZ=Etc/UTC -e N8N_ENFORCE_SETTINGS_FILE_PERMISSIONS=true -v pdfrest_n8n_data:/home/node/.n8n n8nio/n8n

This example uses UTC. Replace both Etc/UTC values with your timezone if you want scheduled workflows to follow local time.

D. Open the editor

Visit http://localhost:5678 in your browser and complete the initial account setup. You’re ready to install the pdfRest node in step 3.

If the editor hasn’t appeared yet, check startup progress:

docker logs --tail 50 pdfrest-n8n

E. Stop and return later

Stop your local instance:

docker stop pdfrest-n8n

Next time, open Docker and restart the existing instance:

docker start pdfrest-n8n

Run the creation command in C only once. Your computer and Docker must remain running for workflows to execute. Incoming webhooks from external services need a reachable HTTPS address; localhost is for local testing. For an always-on deployment, follow n8n’s deployment guide.

Setup reference: n8n’s Docker documentation. The command above adapts the basic example for a local, persistent instance.

3. Install the community node

In self-hosted n8n, open Settings, then Community Nodes, then Install. Enter @pdfrest/n8n-nodes-pdfrest and complete the installation. Add the pdfRest API Toolkit node to your workflow and create a pdfRest API credential.

For pdfRest Cloud: Select the US or EU API Base URL and enter your pdfRest API key.

For self-hosted pdfRest: Select Self-Hosted or Container Deployment and enter its Deployment URL. No API key is required in this credential. Your n8n instance must be able to reach the configured endpoint.

The node is not yet verified or available on n8n Cloud. Install it through Community Nodes on self-hosted n8n.

Configure the file input and output

A Google Drive trigger watches a folder. Download each new PDF from Google Drive as n8n file data, then pass it to the pdfRest node.

Select Compress PDF and choose Input File. Set Input File Data Field Name to the field containing the downloaded PDF; the default is data. Enable Download Output Files so the node returns the processed PDF alongside its JSON response.

Connect the output file to a Google Drive upload node and save it to your “compressed” folder. The default Output File Data Field Name is data. Match that field in the upload node, then test the workflow with a sample PDF.

Start from a template

The planned templates will be available as downloadable JSON files with the workflow steps already connected. With the pdfRest community node installed in your self-hosted n8n instance, download a template, import the JSON into n8n, and add your credentials for pdfRest and the connected services.

Store your credentials securely in n8n rather than in the downloaded workflow JSON. Review any account-specific settings, such as folders or destinations, then test the workflow with a sample file.

Template downloads are coming soon.

Auto-compress oversized PDFs in Google Drive
Email document intake: OCR only when needed, classify, route
Local-folder prepress on self-hosted n8n (coming)
Sanitize before external release (coming)

51 operations, one node

Choose from 51 PDF operations in your n8n canvas, including conversion, compression, optical character recognition (OCR), merging, splitting, redaction, signing, extraction, and more. Use one tool for a single step, or chain multiple pdfRest nodes together. For example, add searchable text to a scanned PDF with OCR, redact sensitive text, then compress the result.

Connect that sequence to the triggers your workflow needs: an email attachment, a new file in Drive, a webhook, or a schedule. Different triggers can feed the same PDF processing steps, so you can reuse the sequence across the ways documents enter your workflow.

PDF to PostScript and ZUGFeRD operations are available in the pdfRest API Toolkit but are not yet included in the n8n node. We plan to add them after the node completes verification.

Questions

Do I need to know how to code?

You can configure the pdfRest node in n8n’s visual editor without writing custom integration code. If you don’t already have self-hosted n8n, an administrator may need to help with the initial setup.

We’re continually adding downloadable workflow templates. Once self-hosted n8n and the pdfRest community node are installed, import a template, connect your credentials, and update any workflow-specific settings, such as folders or destinations. You can have your first test running in minutes.

Does the pdfRest node work on n8n Cloud?

The pdfRest community node currently requires self-hosted n8n and is not available on n8n Cloud. Self-hosted n8n can connect to pdfRest Cloud or a reachable self-hosted pdfRest deployment.

Which pdfRest plan do I need?

Choose the deployment and plan that fit your workflow. Cloud Starter and Container Trial let you evaluate pdfRest, with watermarks or, for some output types, text redactions applied to the output. Paid plans remove these evaluation restrictions. Operation availability and usage limits vary by deployment and plan. Compare the Cloud, Container, and AWS options.

Where do my files go?

To the pdfRest endpoint you choose in the credential: Cloud in the US (api.pdfrest.com) or EU (eu-api.pdfrest.com), or your private pdfRest deployment through Container or AWS. Your workflow connections determine where files are received and sent. For Cloud, files are deleted on the schedule in our file retention documentation.

Is the node open source?

Yes. The node is MIT licensed. pdfRest itself is a commercial service built on the Adobe PDF Library. View the source on GitHub.

Add the PDF step. Keep building your workflow.

Start with the operation you need today, backed by an engine you don’t have to maintain.

Get an API key

Built on the Adobe PDF Library. SOC 2 Type 2 audited.

Add PDF Processing to Your n8n Workflows with pdfRest