Pdf Api Improvements
PDF API: Return PDF as URL Instead of Base64
Released: September 30, 2025
What's New
The PDF API can now return PDFs as URLs instead of base64-encoded strings, enabling seamless integration when saving generated PDFs back to Tadabase from API calls.
Before vs. After
Before: Base64 Encoding
Previously, the PDF API returned PDFs as base64-encoded strings:
- Large, unwieldy data payloads
- Required decoding before use
- Difficult to save directly to file fields
- Complex integration workflow
After: URL Response
Now PDFs can be returned as direct URLs:
- Clean, simple URL reference
- Direct file access
- Easy to save to Tadabase file fields
- Streamlined integration
Primary Use Case: Save PDF Back to Tadabase
This feature is specifically designed for API workflows where you:
- Generate a PDF via API
- Need to save that PDF back to a Tadabase file field
- Want to avoid base64 encoding/decoding complexity
Example Workflow
API Integration Example
- External system calls Tadabase PDF API to generate invoice
- PDF API returns URL to the generated PDF
- External system makes second API call to update record with PDF URL
- PDF is now attached to the record in Tadabase
- No base64 encoding/decoding needed
How to Use
When calling the PDF API, specify that you want a URL response instead of base64. Check the API documentation for the specific parameter to include in your request.
Key Benefits
- Simpler Integration: No encoding/decoding required
- Smaller Payloads: URLs are much smaller than base64 strings
- Direct Access: Use the URL immediately in file fields
- Faster Processing: Skip conversion steps
- Better Performance: Reduced data transfer
Backward Compatibility
The base64 response format is still available. This is an optional enhancement - existing integrations using base64 continue to work without changes.
We'd love to hear your feedback.