← PDF to text

Extract text from a PDF in Node.js

Extract the text from a PDF, keeping the layout or as plain reading order, for all pages or a range. Here is the whole call in Node.js, 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
• Node.js 18 or later. Nothing to install: fetch, FormData and Blob are built in. Save the file with the .mjs ending so await works at the top level.
• 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-to-text.mjs and run node pdf-to-text.mjs.

// Node.js 18 or later: fetch, FormData and Blob are built in.
import { readFile, writeFile } from "node:fs/promises";

const form = new FormData();
form.append("file", new Blob([await readFile("report.pdf")]), "report.pdf");
form.append("pages", "1-3");

const res = await fetch("https://bloodweb.net/api/v1/pdf-to-text", {
  method: "POST",
  headers: { Authorization: `Bearer ${process.env.BLOODWEB_KEY}` },
  body: form,
});
if (!res.ok) throw new Error(`${res.status}: ${(await res.json()).error.message}`);
await writeFile("report.txt", Buffer.from(await res.arrayBuffer()));

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 report.txt: a text file, 1 KB.

Quarterly report, page 1
A sample page made for the code examples.

Quarterly report, page 2
A sample page made for the code examples.

Quarterly report, page 3
A sample page made for the code examples.

Change the call

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

• pages: Pages to read, such as 1-3,5 or 8- (to the end).
• layout: Keep the physical layout (columns and tables stay lined up). Off gives plain reading order.
• format: text: one plain-text body, pages separated by form feeds. json: {"pages": [{"page": 1, "text": "..."}]}. One of: text, json.

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• 401 missing_key or invalid_key: BLOODWEB_KEY is not set in the shell that runs the code, or the key was revoked.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 to text page: every option, the limits, and Try it now in your browser.
• Getting started: keys, errors and rate limits for all the services.