SnapPDF + n8n

What you can build

• Native node with typed parameters for all 15 operations.
• Credential store encrypts your SnapPDF key at rest (fernet on self-host).
• n8n Expressions let you transform SnapPDF output with JavaScript inline.
• Works in parallel with any other n8n node — S3, Postgres, HTTP Request, RabbitMQ, etc.
• The community fork also ships a lower-level "SnapPDF HTTP" node for bleeding-edge endpoints.

Setup

1. 01
   Install or upgrade n8n to 1.52+

   Docker: `docker pull n8nio/n8n:latest`. npm: `npm i -g n8n@latest`. The SnapPDF node is bundled in core — no extra package needed.
2. 02
   Add a SnapPDF credential

   n8n UI → Credentials → New → search "SnapPDF API". Paste the `sk_live_…` key. Hit "Test" — n8n pings /api/v1/health with the key and reports success.
3. 03
   Create a new workflow

   Workflow → New. Add your trigger (Webhook, Cron, Email, etc.).
4. 04
   Add the SnapPDF node

   Click + → search "SnapPDF" → select. Pick the credential and the operation.
5. 05
   Bind inputs via expressions

   Use the `={{ $json.file }}` expression syntax to reference earlier nodes. File inputs accept URLs, base64, or binary data from the previous node (n8n auto-converts).
6. 06
   Handle errors explicitly

   Set the "On Error" mode to "Continue (using error output)". Route the error branch to a Slack notifier or DLQ.
7. 07
   Activate the workflow

   Flip the toggle. n8n runs it on its schedule or on webhook hit.
8. 08
   Monitor in execution log

   Every run shows the SnapPDF request + response JSON. Save executions for debugging.

Code example

Webhook → OCR incoming scanned invoices → extract vendor + amount → append to Postgres.

{
  "nodes": [
    {
      "parameters": { "path": "scan-inbox", "method": "POST" },
      "name": "Webhook",
      "type": "n8n-nodes-base.webhook"
    },
    {
      "parameters": {
        "resource": "pdf",
        "operation": "ocr",
        "fileSource": "url",
        "fileUrl": "={{ $json.pdf_url }}",
        "searchablePdf": true,
        "languages": ["eng"]
      },
      "name": "SnapPDF OCR",
      "type": "n8n-nodes-base.snappdf",
      "credentials": { "snappdfApi": "SnapPDF Prod" }
    },
    {
      "parameters": {
        "resource": "pdf",
        "operation": "extractText",
        "fileSource": "binary",
        "binaryProperty": "pdf"
      },
      "name": "SnapPDF Extract Text",
      "type": "n8n-nodes-base.snappdf"
    },
    {
      "parameters": {
        "functionCode": "const text = $input.item.json.text;\nconst vendor = text.match(/Bill to: (.+)/)?.[1];\nconst amount = text.match(/Total: \\$(\\d+\\.\\d{2})/)?.[1];\nreturn { json: { vendor, amount } };"
      },
      "name": "Parse",
      "type": "n8n-nodes-base.function"
    },
    {
      "parameters": {
        "table": "scanned_invoices",
        "columns": "vendor,amount,received_at"
      },
      "name": "Postgres",
      "type": "n8n-nodes-base.postgres"
    }
  ]
}

FAQ

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