# Onboarding — the pdfnative ecosystem in 90 seconds > **Pick your entry point:** the library for code, the CLI for shell scripts, MCP for AI assistants, and React for declarative JSX. They all produce the same ISO 32000-1 / PDF/A-conformant PDFs from the same zero-dependency engine. Live versions for every package are shown at the top of the [documentation home](../index.html). --- ## 1. Library (Node, browser, Deno, Bun) — 30 seconds ```bash npm install pdfnative ``` ```ts import { buildDocumentPDFBytes, registerFont, loadFontData } from 'pdfnative'; // Optional: enable a non-Latin script — register under the script code ('ar'), // then load the data and pass it via fontEntries (registration alone is a no-op): registerFont('ar', () => import('pdfnative/fonts/noto-arabic-data.js')); const ar = await loadFontData('ar'); if (!ar) throw new Error('Arabic font failed to load'); // Synchronous — returns a Uint8Array, not a Promise. const bytes = buildDocumentPDFBytes({ title: 'Hello pdfnative', // top-level, not inside metadata metadata: { author: 'Me' }, // author / subject / keywords only blocks: [ { type: 'heading', text: 'Hello pdfnative', level: 1 }, { type: 'paragraph', text: 'Pure native PDF, zero runtime dependencies.' }, ], fontEntries: [{ fontData: ar, fontRef: '/F3', lang: 'ar' }], // /F1 and /F2 are reserved layout: { tagged: 'pdfa2b' }, // optional PDF/A-2b }); // In Node: await fs.writeFile('out.pdf', bytes); // In browser: new Blob([bytes], { type: 'application/pdf' }); ``` Next: [Quick Start →](quickstart.html) · [Architecture →](architecture.html) · [PDF/A conformance →](pdfa.html) --- ## 2. CLI — 30 seconds ```bash npm install -g pdfnative-cli # or: npx pdfnative-cli ... ``` > The package is named `pdfnative-cli`, but the binary it puts on your PATH is > **`pdfnative`**. Under `npx`, either name works. ```bash # Check the environment first — the fastest way to confirm the install worked pdfnative doctor # Render a JSON document → PDF. Input and output are flags, not positionals; # with neither, render reads stdin and writes stdout. pdfnative render --input doc.json --output out.pdf --tagged pdfa2b # Sign it (auto-injects a signature placeholder if needed) pdfnative sign --input out.pdf --output signed.pdf \ --key signer.key --cert signer.crt --algorithm rsa-sha256 # Verify the embedded CMS signature pdfnative verify --input signed.pdf --json ``` Iteration helpers: `--watch` re-renders on save, `--template` deep-merges a base document under your input (caller wins; arrays replace), `--font` enables any of the 22 bundled scripts + colour emoji + the math font. v1.1.0 added `--stream-true`, `inspect --pdfua` (accessibility gate), and an agent-native `--json`/`E_*`/`--dry-run` contract; v1.2.0 added page-tree `merge` / `split` / `extract`, markup `annotate`, an AI-governance `govern` gate, and `render --outline` / `--font math` / `--inspect-layout`; v1.3.0 added `fill`, `encrypt`, `decrypt`, `extract-text` and `doctor`, native `chart` blocks in `render`, passwords on the page-tree commands, and PowerShell completion; **v1.4.0** adds the full PAdES ladder (`sign --timestamp`, `ltv`, `doc-timestamp`), signature-safe `metadata` edits, a CI-grade `compare` diff, and declarative `batch --manifest` pipelines (Node ≥ 22). > **Upgrading from v1.2.0?** `render --encrypt` was a silent no-op in that > release — documents you thought were encrypted were written in the clear. > v1.3.0 fixes it and unifies the flags under `--encrypt` / `--owner-password` / > `--user-password` / `--permissions`. Re-run any affected job. Next: [CLI guide →](cli.html) · [CLI playground →](../playgrounds/cli.html) --- ## 3. MCP (Claude Desktop, Cursor, Continue, Zed) — 30 seconds ```bash npm install -g pdfnative-mcp ``` Add the server to your client config — Claude Desktop example (`~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json` on macOS): ```json { "mcpServers": { "pdfnative": { "command": "npx", "args": ["-y", "pdfnative-mcp"] } } } ``` Then prompt your assistant: > *Create a PDF/A-2b invoice for ACME Inc, add a multilingual paragraph in Arabic, and sign it with my key.* The assistant calls `generate_basic_pdf` (with `pdfA: "pdfa2b"`), then `add_international_text` (with `lang: ["ar", "emoji"]`), `add_table`, `sign_pdf`, and finally `inspect_pdf` — confirming the result. v1.6.0 ships **28 tools**, including the complete PAdES ladder (`sign_pdf` with RFC 3161 timestamps, `add_ltv`, `timestamp_pdf`), the page-tree trio `merge_pdfs`, `split_pdf`, `extract_pages`, markup `annotate_pdf`, `update_metadata`, the read-only `inspect_layout` pagination preview, the network-free `draft_governance_issue`, plus `validate_pdf`, `verify_pdf`, `add_attachment`, `extract_attachments`, and `extract_text`. Next: [MCP guide →](mcp.html) · [MCP playground →](../playgrounds/mcp.html) --- ## 4. React (Next.js, Remix, any React 19 app) — 30 seconds ```bash npm install pdfnative-react pdfnative react ``` ```tsx import { Document, Heading, Text, Table, renderToBytes } from 'pdfnative-react'; const bytes = renderToBytes( Invoice #1024 Thank you for your business. , ); // → Uint8Array, a valid PDF ``` A custom React reconciler compiles your JSX to pdfnative blocks on-device — no DOM, no headless browser. Preview live with the `usePdf` hook / `PDFViewer`, or let AI agents author with the token-frugal `DocSpec`. **React 19 is a peer dependency of `pdfnative-react` only** — the engine stays zero-dependency. Next: [React guide →](react.html) · [React playground →](../playgrounds/react.html) --- ## What to read next - New to PDFs in code? Start with [Quick Start](quickstart.html) and [Architecture](architecture.html). - Need accessible / archive-grade output? Read [Accessibility](accessibility.html) and [PDF/A conformance](pdfa.html). - Hit a snag? See [Troubleshooting](troubleshooting.html) and the [FAQ](faq.html). - Curious about the trade-offs? The [FAQ](faq.html) compares pdfnative with pdfkit, jsPDF, and pdf-lib. If pdfnative saved you time, a ⭐ on [GitHub](https://github.com/Nizoka/pdfnative) helps others find it. Thanks!