Convert HTML to PDF via ConvertAPI and Save to Disk

Overview

This workflow automates the conversion of an HTML document into a PDF file using the ConvertAPI service. It is ideal for generating downloadable reports, invoices, or any web-to-PDF transformation on demand. The workflow is triggered manually for testing, but can be adapted to run on a schedule or in response to an event (e.g., a webhook).

It demonstrates how to construct an HTML string, convert it to a binary file using a Code node, send that file to ConvertAPI for PDF conversion, and finally save the resulting PDF to the local disk.

Step-by-Step Nodes

1. When clicking 'Test workflow' (Manual Trigger) — No auth. Starts the workflow on demand for testing purposes. Does not require any credentials.

2. Create HTML (Set node) — No auth. Uses the Set node to create a new string field named data containing a complete HTML5 document. The content includes a title, a paragraph, and a section with a footer — a minimal but valid HTML file.

3. Convert HTML to File (Code node) — No auth. A JavaScript Code node that takes the HTML string from the previous step and converts it into a binary buffer. The buffer is then encoded as a base64 string and attached to the item as binary data (field data) with MIME type application/octet-stream and filename file.html.

4. Convert File to PDF (HTTP Request) — Authentication: API Key (via a credential of type genericCredentialType or environment variables). Sends a POST request to the ConvertAPI endpoint (URL read from $env.API_BASE_URL) with the binary HTML file as multipart form‑data. The response is expected as a file (binary data). The Accept header is set to application/octet-stream.

5. Write Result File to Disk (Read/Write File) — No auth. Writes the received PDF binary data to the local file system with the filename document.pdf. The data property name is set to =data, which refers to the binary data from the previous node.

Note: The workflow also includes error‑handling logic (error handler nodes) that are not shown in this simplified export but help manage failures during the HTTP request or file writing steps.

Setup Instructions

1. Create a ConvertAPI account at https://www.convertapi.com/ and obtain your API secret.
2. Configure n8n environment variables:
   • API_BASE_URL — the base URL of the ConvertAPI endpoint (e.g., https://v2.convertapi.com/convert/html/to/pdf).
   • If using a credential, create an n8n credential of type genericCredentialType and store your API secret. Otherwise, modify the HTTP Request node to pass the secret via a query parameter or header (e.g., Authorization: Bearer YOUR_SECRET).
3. Run the workflow by clicking the “Execute Workflow” button or manually triggering it.

Use Cases & Variations

• Report generation: Replace the static HTML with dynamic data from a database or Google Sheets to generate custom PDF reports.
• Invoice automation: Combine with a trigger (e.g., a webhook from an e‑commerce platform) to convert order confirmation HTML into a PDF invoice and email it.
• Batch conversion: Loop through multiple HTML templates or data rows to create multiple PDFs.
• Cloud storage: Instead of saving to disk, use an S3, Google Drive, or Dropbox node to store the resulting PDF online.

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