How to Split PDF with cURL, Tutorial

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Why Use Split PDF with cURL?

The pdfRest Split PDF API Tool is a powerful resource that enables users to programmatically split a PDF document into separate files. This tutorial will guide you through the process of sending an API call to Split PDF using cURL, a versatile command-line tool used for transferring data with URLs. By using cURL, you can easily integrate this functionality into your own applications or workflows, automating the process of splitting PDFs without the need for manual intervention.

Imagine you have a large PDF report that you need to distribute to different departments, but each department only needs to see certain pages relevant to their work. Instead of manually extracting pages and creating multiple documents, you can use the Split PDF API to automate the task, saving time and reducing the potential for errors. This capability is particularly useful for businesses that handle large volumes of documents and need to streamline their document management processes.

Split PDF with cURL Code Example

curl -X POST "https://api.pdfrest.com/split-pdf" \
  -H "Accept: application/json" \
  -H "Content-Type: multipart/form-data" \
  -H "Api-Key: xxxxxxxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxxxxxxxxxx" \
  -F "file=@/path/to/file" \
  -F "output=example_out"

Refer to the source code for this example.

Breaking Down the Code

The provided cURL command is composed of several parts, each serving a specific purpose in the API call:

-X POST "https://api.pdfrest.com/split-pdf"

This line specifies the HTTP method (POST) and the endpoint URL for the Split PDF API.

-H "Accept: application/json"

Here, we're setting a header to tell the server we expect to receive JSON-formatted responses.

-H "Content-Type: multipart/form-data"

This header indicates that the request body will be sent as multipart/form-data, which is necessary for uploading files.

-H "Api-Key: xxxxxxxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxxxxxxxxxx"

This is where you'll include your personal API key for authentication with the pdfRest API.

-F "file=@/path/to/file"

The '-F' flag denotes form data being sent with the request. The "file" parameter is used to specify the path to the PDF file you wish to split.

-F "output=example_out"

The "output" parameter is used to define the base name for the output files. The API will append numbers to this base name to create unique filenames for the split documents.

Beyond the Tutorial

By following the steps above, you have learned how to make a multipart API call to split a PDF document using cURL. This is just one of the many features available through the pdfRest API. To further explore the capabilities of pdfRest, you can demo all of the API Tools in the API Lab. For a comprehensive understanding of the API and its features, refer to the API Reference Guide.

Note: This is an example of a multipart API call. Code samples using JSON payloads can be found in our GitHub repository.