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Extract pages from a PDF in PHP

Extract pages into a new PDF, remove pages, or split a PDF into one file per page. Here is the whole call in PHP, with the output it produced when we ran it.

Before you start

• An API key. Create a free account; it comes with free tokens every month. Put the key in an environment variable so it stays out of your code: export BLOODWEB_KEY=your_key
• PHP 7.4 or later with the curl extension, which most installs have.
• The input file in the same folder: report.pdf. Use your own; that is the name the code expects.

The code

Save it as pdf-split.php and run php pdf-split.php.

<?php
$ch = curl_init('https://bloodweb.net/api/v1/pdf-split');
curl_setopt_array($ch, [
    CURLOPT_POST           => true,
    CURLOPT_HTTPHEADER     => ['Authorization: Bearer ' . getenv('BLOODWEB_KEY')],
    CURLOPT_POSTFIELDS     => [
        'file' => new CURLFile('report.pdf'),
        'mode' => 'extract',
        'pages' => '2-4',
    ],
    CURLOPT_RETURNTRANSFER => true,
    CURLOPT_TIMEOUT        => 120,
]);
$body   = curl_exec($ch);
$status = curl_getinfo($ch, CURLINFO_RESPONSE_CODE);
if ($body === false) {
    exit(curl_error($ch) . "\n");
}
if ($status !== 200) {
    exit($status . ': ' . json_decode($body, true)['error']['message'] . "\n");
}
file_put_contents('pages.pdf', $body);

What you get

Tested 19 October 2026: this exact code ran against our test copy of the API, which runs the same service code as bloodweb.net, and produced this.

It writes pages.pdf: a PDF, 3 pages, 2 KB.

Change the call

Every option the PDF splitter takes. Add or change them the same way as the ones in the code.

• mode: extract: a PDF of the chosen pages, in the order given. remove: the PDF without the chosen pages. each: a zip with one PDF per chosen page. One of: extract, remove, each.
• pages: Pages such as 1-3,5 or 8- (to the end). Required for extract and remove; each defaults to all pages.

If it fails

A failed call is not charged. The answer is JSON with an error object; the code above prints its message. The usual ones:

• 401 missing_key or invalid_key: BLOODWEB_KEY is not set in the shell that runs the code, or the key was revoked.
• 415 unsupported_type: the file is not a type this service reads. The type is read from the file itself, so renaming a file does not change it.
• 413 file_too_large: the file is over the limit on the service page.
• 402 insufficient_tokens: the balance does not cover the call. Top up in the dashboard.
• 429 rate_limited: too many calls at once. Wait the seconds in the Retry-After header and send it again.

Every code and its fix is in the docs.

Next

• The PDF splitter page: every option, the limits, and Try it now in your browser.
• Getting started: keys, errors and rate limits for all the services.