API Tools
Restrict PDF

Restrict PDF

Restrict PDF is a REST API tool that applies usage restrictions to a PDF as a security measure to limit the ways in which viewers can interact with the document, such as printing, editing, or copying text.

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Parameters

Api-Key

Required Parameters

POST

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

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Why is pdfRest the best API to apply restrictions to PDF?

pdfRest offers the best solution for restricting PDF documents with a permissions password, because it supports advanced restriction modification, top quality security, and flexible restriction options.

Modifying Existing Restrictions

The Restrict PDF API tool empowers your application with security features that apply to more than just new documents. Existing files and permissions are easily modified, opening your documents to new and expanding audiences.

We often think of security as a one-way workflow, it doesn't need to be. Enhance your security with two-way automation. Incoming documents can be secured with the Restrict PDF tool and processed through the Encrypt PDF tool for secure storage with an additional layer of encryption-at-rest. When the files are ready for distribution and viewing, reverse them through the process to open them to only their intended audience.

All of this and more is ready-built, only with pdfRest.

Top Quality Security

Security is the foundation of every good technology and pdfRest allows you to rest easy knowing that the the industry's best document security has been made so simple to implement with your new and existing projects.

Powered by the Adobe® PDF Library™, pdfRest's Restrict PDF API Tool leverages the same technology and security capabilities found in Adobe Acrobat. pdfRest supports automation that removes human error from implementation of security best-practices.

Flexible Restriction Options

The suite of tools within pdfRest provide flexibility to developers when crafting the unique security solutions their data requires. With calls to the Restrict PDF API, there are over 40,000 distinct permission combinations that can be applied to documents, saving development time and providing maximum value with one easy tool.

Adobe Acrobat security settings such as "Printing Allowed", "Changes Allowed", "Enable copying of text, images...", and their associated permissions passwords are are all fully compatible with Restrict PDF.

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Start from Code Examples

First, you'll need an API Key - to:
- Stay anonymous with a Guest API Key for 10 free API Calls
- Sign up for an upgraded API Key with unlimited, continuous service
Choose your programming language
Copy and paste the code to your project
Update Api-Key field with your unique API Key
Update file with the local path to your input
Run this code to send an API Call

See more code examples in our
GitHub repository

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curl -X POST "https://api.pdfrest.com/restricted-pdf" \
  -H "Accept: application/json" \
  -H "Content-Type: multipart/form-data" \
  -H "Api-Key: xxxxxxxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxxxxxxxxxx" \
  -F "file=@../Sample_Input/ducky.pdf" \
  -F "output=example_out" \
  -F "new_permissions_password=password" \
  -F "restrictions[]=print_low" \
  -F "restrictions[]=accessibility_off"curl -X POST "https://api.pdfrest.com/restricted-pdf" \
  -H "Accept: application/json" \
  -H "Content-Type: multipart/form-data" \
  -H "Api-Key: xxxxxxxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxxxxxxxxxx" \
  -F "file=@../Sample_Input/ducky.pdf" \
  -F "output=example_out" \
  -F "new_permissions_password=password" \
  -F "restrictions[]=print_low" \
  -F "restrictions[]=accessibility_off"

Need more help?

Start with a Tutorial for step-by-step guidance

How to Remove PDF Restrictions with cURL

How to Remove PDF Restrictions with Java

How to Remove PDF Restrictions with JavaScript in NodeJS

How to Remove PDF Restrictions with PHP

How to Remove PDF Restrictions with Python

How to Restrict PDF in .NET with C#

How to Restrict PDF with cURL

How to Restrict PDF with Java

How to Restrict PDF with JavaScript in NodeJS

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Customize Your 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.

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.

Output

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

New Permissions Password

The new_permissions_password parameter allows you to apply a new permissions password to your new PDF. You can use a permissions password to restrict various operations in your PDF such as editing, copying, and printing. Use with restrictions[] to identify restrictions to apply to your output document. By default, the permissions password prevents unauthorized changes to PDF security settings and prevents page extraction.

Current Permissions Password

The current_permissions_password parameter lets you enter a permissions password that has already been applied to your input document.

When restricting: Use with new_permissions_password to change the permissions password on your document.

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

Restrictions[]

The restrictions[] parameter lets you indicate the restrictions you would like to apply to your document. Restrictions can include one or more of the following:

print_low
print_high
edit_document_assembly
edit_fill_and_sign_form_fields
edit_annotations
edit_content
copy_content
accessibility_off

Current Open Password

The current_open_password parameter allows you to send an open password that was applied to the input document. Use this parameter to keep encryption on a document when you add, change, or remove the permissions password; otherwise, the open password may be overridden and removed.

See Documentation

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