Encrypt PDF, Password Protect PDF Content, API Tool

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Request

POST

Headers

Api-Key

Don't have a key? Create an account to get one.

Response-Type

Poll for the status of a request by ID. Request IDs can be found in the JSON response of POST requests sent to any pdfRest endpoint.

Required Parameters

file

File to be uploaded and processed.

Alphanumeric ID (UUID) of existing file on server to be processed.

new_open_password

New open password. Must be a string between 6 and 128 characters long.

Optional Parameters

current_open_password

Existing open password

current_permissions_password

Existing permissions password

output

Name of the generated output file, without extension

Code

curl -X POST "https://api.pdfrest.com/encrypted-pdf" \ 
  -H "Accept: application/json" \ 
  -H "Content-Type: multipart/form-data" \
  -H "Api-Key: xxxxxxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxxxxxxxxxx" \

Response

The response for your API Call will display here.

Once you've sent your POST request and received a valid response, you can download your output file using the output URL.

Build Your Solution

You have document processing problems, we have Solutions. Explore the many ways pdfRest can align your documents with your business objectives.

Browse all solutions

Convert Documents into Encrypted PDFs for Archiving

Integrate pdfRest with Microsoft Power Automate

A locked PDF is unlocked to allow editing and then locked again after the edits are completed

Create Secure Document Workflows with PDF Password Protection

Integrate PDF API Tools with Salesforce Apex Code

Control your Backend with pdfRest API Toolkit Self-Hosted

Why is pdfRest the best API to encrypt PDF with password?

pdfRest offers the best solution for encrypting PDF documents with a password, because it supports automated security workflows, removing and changing passwords, and secure AES 256-bit encryption technology.

Automated Security Workflow

The pdfRest toolkit is purpose-built to easily integrate into both new and existing solutions the document management tools needed to transform your data into formats that are compatible and secure.

Encrypt PDF provides many ways for developers to automate the entire document lifecycle, and chainable API requests mean that once a file is uploaded once, many different tools can be used to shape what the final product is based on your requirements. Sensitive images can be uploaded once, converted to PDF format, encrypted with AES 256-bit security, and stored in whatever platform your policies require.

All of this and more is easy with pdfRest.

Change Passwords and Remove Encryption

A tool can have multiple functions and the Encrypt PDF API Tool is no exception. In the same way that a hammer can both drive and pull nails, Encrypt PDF can both secure a document as well as change existing security.

Provided that you have the existing password, you can change the password for distribution to different shareholders by supplying the current password and setting a new password with the /encrypted-pdf API endpoint. You can also use the /decrypted-pdf API endpoint to remove encryption entirely and open the document to be accessible to a wider audience.

Trust in Secure Encryption Technology

Modern businesses rely on many best-practices to secure their digital property. Whether it's in-transit, at-rest, file-level, or software-based, encryption is one of the largest areas of growth and pdfRest has a tool for that!

Powered by the Adobe® PDF Library™, with the same industry-leading security trusted by hundreds of thousands of companies world-wide, the pdfRest Encrypt PDF API Tool will help you rest easy knowing that your documents are safe and secure with AES 256-bit encryption, virtually impenetrable from brute-force attacks and even state-of-the-art quantum computing.

Check out other videos

Start from Code Examples

See more code examples in our GitHub repository

Need more help?

Start with a Tutorial for step-by-step guidance

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Customize Your Solution

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

File

The file parameter allows you to select a local file to be uploaded to pdfRest’s processing server for processing.

This is a required field unless you include the id parameter instead.

See Documentation

The id parameter allows you to submit a resource ID for a file already on the processing server. Each of our API Tools assigns a unique resource ID to all uploaded input files and generated output files and returns these IDs in the response to each API Call. This allows you to store the IDs from one call and submit them to the next, chaining requests together without having to download intermediate files between requests.

This is a required field unless you include the file parameter instead.

See Documentation

Output

The output parameter lets you set a filename (without extension) for your encrypted or decrypted PDF.

See Documentation

New Open Password

The new_open_password parameter allows you to enter a new open password for your PDF. An open password encrypts your PDF and prevents unauthorized users from viewing your document.

See Documentation

Current Open Password

The current_open_password parameter lets you enter an open password that was already applied to your input document.

When encrypting: Use with new_open_password to change the open password on your document.

When decrypting: Use this parameter to verify your document’s open password so it can be removed.

See Documentation