How to convert an HTML file to PDF using wkhtmlpdf in Java

Question

I want to convert an HTML file into a PDF file using wkhtmltopdf. wkhtmltopdf is the best option for me as it renders the HTML file using WebKit. The problem is that I want to do the same using Java but wkhtmltopdf does not provide any Java API.

I can use Runtime.exec() or ProcessBuilder to fork a new process from Java and create the PDF output using wkhtmtopdf in that process. But, as I am developing a web based application, I am not allowed to create so many new processes in the server.

Is there any other way so that I can use wkhtmltopdf? I really want to use it as it's giving me the exact output.

Or, is there any other open source browser engine that provides a Java API that can render my HTML page just like wkhtmltopdf?

Answer 1

Give htmltopdf-java a try. It uses the native libraries generated by wkhtmltopdf, so you should expect the same result with more control over the flow.

(I am the author of this library)