Install NextPDF

At a glance

Install any NextPDF distribution with one package manager command. PHP distributions use Composer; the Python software development kit (SDK) uses pip. Choose the tab for what you are building. Run the command, then verify the result at the bottom of this page.

One engine, several front doors

The core engine is nextpdf/core. Framework integrations, Hypertext Markup Language (HTML) renderers, the server, and the Python client each add one package on top. They do not replace the core engine; they install it for you.

Requirements

NextPDF targets one modern runtime. These constraints come directly from the packages’ own composer.json files.

Requirement	Constraint	Notes
PHP	>=8.4 <9.0	Composer refuses to install on PHP 8.3 or below, or on PHP 9.
Composer	2.7 or newer	Required for dependency resolution and autoloader generation.
ext-mbstring	Required	Multi-byte string handling for text layout.
ext-zlib	Required	Stream compression for Portable Document Format (PDF) objects.
Chrome or Chromium	Optional	Only for the Artisan renderer (writeHtmlChrome()).
Gotenberg service	Optional	Only for office and HTML conversion through Gotenberg.
Python	3.10 or newer	Only for the Python SDK.

ext-mbstring and ext-zlib ship enabled in every supported PHP build. Integrations check for them during boot and stop with a clear message if either one is missing.

Install core

To generate and inspect PDF files from PHP, you need only the core engine.

composer require nextpdf/core

Commit composer.lock so every deployed worker resolves the same engine version. After installation, continue to Your first PDF.

Install a framework integration

Install one framework adapter to get container bindings, response helpers, and queue jobs. Each adapter declares nextpdf/core and resolves it for you.

Laravel

composer require nextpdf/laravel

Auto-discovery registers the service provider and the Pdf facade. Then publish the configuration file:

php artisan vendor:publish --tag=nextpdf-config

See the Laravel install guide and the Laravel quickstart.

Symfony

composer require nextpdf/symfony

In a Symfony Flex application, the bundle registers itself. In a non-Flex application, add NextPDF\Symfony\NextPdfBundle to config/bundles.php yourself. See the Symfony install guide.

CodeIgniter

composer require nextpdf/codeigniter

CodeIgniter 4 discovers the Services class and the pdf() helper automatically, so you do not need manual registration. See the CodeIgniter install guide.

Install a renderer or service

NextPDF renders HTML to PDF in three ways. Install the option for where you want rendering to happen. None of these replaces writeHtml(), the built-in pure-PHP HTML pipeline in the core engine.

Artisan (Chrome)

composer require nextpdf/artisan

This package adds headless-Chrome rendering through the Chrome DevTools Protocol (CDP). You also need a Chrome or Chromium binary that the host can reach. After installation, call writeHtmlChrome() on a document. See the Artisan quickstart.

Cloudflare

composer require nextpdf/cloudflare guzzlehttp/guzzle

Rendering runs through Cloudflare Browser Rendering at the edge. The bridge depends only on PHP Standards Recommendation (PSR) contracts PSR-18 and PSR-17, so you supply your own Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) client (Guzzle shown here). See the Cloudflare install guide.

Gotenberg

composer require nextpdf/gotenberg guzzlehttp/guzzle

This package converts office documents and HTML through a Gotenberg service. You provide a PSR-18 client and a reachable Gotenberg instance. See the Gotenberg install guide.

Renderers reach outside PHP

Artisan launches a browser process, and Cloudflare and Gotenberg call a network service. Treat HTML as untrusted. Read each package’s security-and-operations page before you render user-influenced input.

Install the server

NextPDF Server (also called Connect) is a standalone service. It exposes the engine over Model Context Protocol (MCP), Representational State Transfer (REST), and gRPC.

composer require nextpdf/server

The package adds console entry points to vendor/bin/, including vendor/bin/nextpdf-mcp (the MCP stdio server) and vendor/bin/nextpdf-server (the REST server). The REST and gRPC transports also need the RoadRunner binary:

./vendor/bin/rr get-binary

See the Connect install guide and the Connect quickstart.

Install the Python SDK

The Python SDK is the typed client for a running NextPDF Server. Install it from the Python Package Index (PyPI):

pip install nextpdf

The SDK needs Python 3.10 or newer and a reachable NextPDF Server endpoint. See the Python SDK quickstart.

Verify the install

Confirm each distribution installed correctly before you start writing code.

Core / PHP

composer show nextpdf/core

A version line confirms that the engine is installed and available to the autoloader.

Laravel

php artisan package:discover --ansi

The output lists nextpdf/laravel among the discovered packages.

Symfony

php bin/console debug:container nextpdf

The container reports the nextpdf.document alias and the PdfFactory service.

Server

./vendor/bin/generate-skills --dry-run --list-tools

This boots the registry and prints the tools this installation exposes without starting a server.

Python

nextpdf version

A version string confirms the SDK imports cleanly.

See also

Your first PDF Generate a PDF from PHP and render HTML to PDF.

Choose your path Decide which distribution and HTML renderer fit your application.

Integrations The full extension map and selection guide.

Connect (server) Run the engine as a network service over MCP, REST, and gRPC.