The 10 biggest advantages of webPDF for developers!

Benefits for developers

There are many PDF tools for companies. But what concrete advantages does webPDF offer for software developers? That is exactly what this article is about.

webPDF is not just a PDF reader or PDF editor. It is a server-based PDF solution that is integrated directly into business processes. With webPDF as a central PDF server, documents can be converted, edited and further processed.

10 convincing arguments for developers​

  1. Web services and technology openness: webPDF is platform-independent and Java-based. PDF documents are created and processed via web services, without tying you to a specific programming language.

  2. Flexible API interface: You can choose between SOAP and REST web services. More details can be found here and here. With SOAP, parameters are transferred as XML; with REST, as XML or JSON. The parameter definitions are based on an XSD schema, from which wrapper classes can be generated, for example with XJC in Java.

  3. High integration capability: webPDF can be integrated into existing enterprise applications such as SAP, IBM Domino, Microsoft Exchange or SharePoint, as well as into custom developments and specialized software.

  4. Free testing options: A free trial version and the webPDF portal make it easy to get hands-on experience quickly.

  5. Deployment as a VM: webPDF can be used as a virtual machine, including quick deployment via OVF. More information is available here.

  6. Alternative via Docker: As an alternative to the VM, a Docker image is available. This is especially useful in data centers and cluster environments and saves installation and configuration effort.

  7. Central administration and lower operating costs: Maintenance and updates are handled centrally on the server. Clients access the functionality via browser without local installation. More on that here.

  8. Powerful webPDF portal: PDF documents can be created and edited directly in the browser, including functions such as watermarks, signatures, barcodes, OCR and document editing.

  9. Security and data sovereignty: Processing takes place locally within the company. Sensitive data does not leave your own infrastructure.

  10. GitHub repositories, documentation and support: Public repositories support fast integration, for example the Java library. In addition, there is documentation and support.

Technical implementation notes​

With SOAP, parameter definitions are based on XML/XSD. In many programming languages, wrapper classes can be generated from this, for example in Java with XJC. This significantly simplifies the object-oriented parameterization of web service calls.