API Polling

API Polling

API Polling is a REST API tool that supports asynchronous monitoring for the status of requests sent to any pdfRest endpoint. It's designed to give developers granular control over long-running PDF processing tasks, ensuring workflow flexibility and preventing front-end timeouts for even the most complex operations.

Key Benefits of API Polling

  • Avoid timeouts by getting an instant requestId response, especially for complex PDF conversions or advanced document optimizations.
  • Enhance workflow flexibility by designing robust asynchronous workflows, initiating multiple PDF processing tasks concurrently without waiting for each to complete.
  • Gain granular status monitoring using the requestId to check the progress of any pdfRest API call at your own pace, enabling efficient application management.
  • Enjoy universal compatibility by seamlessly integrating API polling with all pdfRest tools, simplifying development and promoting consistent code reusability across your projects.
  • Optimize efficient resource management by allowing your application to move on to other tasks while waiting for PDF job completion.
  • Ensure reliable asynchronous processing for time-consuming PDF automation workflows without blocking your main application thread.
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Why pdfRest for API Polling?
pdfRest offers the best solution for polling request statuses, because it prevents timeouts, offers workflow flexibility, and is universally supported across the toolkit.

Avoid Timeouts with Instant Responses

Some document processing steps can take time, especially for complex tasks like large file conversions or advanced document optimizations. Waiting for the entire process to complete before receiving a response can lead to timeouts on the front-end or otherwise bog down a synchronous workflow. API Polling solves this by providing immediate control.

When initiating a request to any of the pdfRest endpoints, set the Response-Type header parameter to requestId to enable API Polling and receive an instant response with a requestId. Instead of waiting for the entire process to finish, you can then use the /request-status endpoint with the requestId to check its progress at your own pace. This allows you to design a workflow that avoids timeouts and lets you initiate requests without needing to wait for the entire process to complete before proceeding.

Enhanced Flexibility and Workflow Control

API Polling empowers you to design workflows tailored to your specific needs. Imagine building an application that utilizes a series of asynchronous pdfRest tasks. Traditionally, you'd need to wait for each task to complete before continuing to next steps in your workflow. Polling offers greater flexibility!

Initiate all tasks with API Polling enabled, and then use the /request-status endpoint to monitor their progress independently. This allows your application to efficiently manage and react to each task's completion individually, rather than being tied to a single, linear workflow.

Complete Toolkit Compatibility

API Polling seamlessly integrates with all pdfRest tools, offering a unified approach to managing asynchronous tasks. No matter which pdfRest tool you use, simply enable API Polling on your request to receive a requestId. This consistency simplifies development and reduces the need to learn separate methods for handling different asynchronous functionalities.

With API Polling, you can leverage a single approach for all your pdfRest workflows, streamlining development and promoting code reusability.

Start from Code Examples
See more code examples in our GitHub repository

Need more help?

Start with a Tutorial for step-by-step guidance

How to Poll for API Request Status with cURL
Customize Your Solution

Learn about the parameters for this tool to create your custom solution.

Request Id

The requestId value is returned in the response from a call sent to any of the pdfRest endpoints when Response-Type: requestId is added as a header parameter with that processing request.

To poll for the status of the request, this value can be used in subsequent calls to the /request-status endpoint by placing it directly in the URL in this format:

https://api.pdfrest.com/request-status/xxxxxxxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxxxxxxxxxx

Replace the x's with the requestId value.

See Documentation

Safe & Secure

Confidently process your sensitive data with pdfRest. Our platform is fortified for robust, Enterprise-grade security and compliance, including GDPR, HIPAA, and SOC 2 Type 2 certification in progress. Your data's protection is our priority.

Frequently Asked Questions
Need more help? Contact Us or visit our documentation.

The API Polling tool is a REST API that supports asynchronous monitoring for the status of any pdfRest request. It's designed to give developers granular control over long-running PDF processing tasks, helping to prevent front-end timeouts and enabling more flexible workflows.

To enable API Polling for any pdfRest tool, you must set the Response-Type header parameter to requestId in your initial request. This tells the API to return an immediate response containing a unique requestId instead of waiting for the processing to finish. You can then use this requestId to check the status of your task at your own pace.

API Polling is essential for managing long-running operations, especially complex conversions or large document optimizations that might exceed typical front-end timeout limits. It allows your application to start a task, get an immediate response, and then move on to other tasks while the pdfRest server handles the processing.

API Polling enhances workflow flexibility by allowing you to design asynchronous workflows. You can initiate multiple PDF processing tasks concurrently without waiting for each to complete. For example, you can start a batch of 100 PDF conversions and then check the status of each one independently, allowing your application to manage and react to each task's completion individually.

pdfRest provides the best solution for API polling because it helps you avoid timeouts, offers enhanced workflow flexibility, and provides complete toolkit compatibility. It allows for a unified approach to managing asynchronous tasks across all pdfRest tools, promoting code reusability and simplifying development.

Ensuring the security and privacy of your data is a top priority at pdfRest. Our platform is built for robust, enterprise-grade security and compliance, including GDPR and HIPAA. All your files are secured with encryption during both transit and at-rest, and they are permanently deleted after the stated file retention period (30 minutes for most plans). For complete details, please refer to our Data Processing Agreement (DPA).

To facilitate GDPR compliance for your API polling workflows, pdfRest processes your data within the European Union and adheres to other strict data protection requirements. You can ensure all processing occurs within the EU by sending your API calls to the dedicated EU endpoint, https://eu-api.pdfrest.com/request-status. Please note that a GDPR usage fee may apply for some plans. For more information, please review our Data Processing Agreement.

Integrating the API Polling tool is straightforward. We offer comprehensive API documentation and code samples in many programming languages. The API Lab also allows you to test and generate code snippets directly from your browser, simplifying the setup and ensuring a smooth integration experience.

While pdfRest offers two self-hosted options, API Polling is exclusively available with the Cloud API service.

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