LaTeX to PDF Conversion Service

A high-performance, secure REST API for converting LaTeX documents to PDF format.

Features

• Simple API: Upload a ZIP file containing LaTeX documents and get a PDF back
• Secure Processing: Comprehensive security measures including input validation and sanitization
• Multiple Workers: Designed for concurrency with shared file system and SQLite database
• Robust Error Handling: Detailed error messages with LaTeX compilation logs
• Automatic Cleanup: Background process removes expired PDFs and temporary files
• Configurable Options: Multiple compilation runs, BibTeX support, custom main file name
• API Key Authentication: Optional security layer with configurable API keys
• Rate Limiting: Protection against API abuse
• Resource Control: Limits on file sizes and compilation time
• Docker Ready: Ready-to-use Docker and Docker Compose configurations

Quick Start

The easiest way to run the service is with Docker Compose:

# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/yourusername/tex2pdf.git
cd tex2pdf

# Start the service
docker-compose up -d

The service will be available at http://localhost:8000.

API Usage

Convert LaTeX to PDF

curl -X POST \
  -H "X-API-Key: 1234" \
  -F "zip_file=@my_latex_files.zip" \
  http://localhost:8000/tex2pdf

Response:

{
  "job_id": "28f5bf9b-587f-4f3c-a3de-4d737d9736ce",
  "status": "processing",
  "message": "Conversion job started"
}

Check Job Status

curl -X GET \
  -H "X-API-Key: 1234" \
  http://localhost:8000/tex2pdf/status/28f5bf9b-587f-4f3c-a3de-4d737d9736ce

Response:

{
  "job_id": "28f5bf9b-587f-4f3c-a3de-4d737d9736ce",
  "status": "completed",
  "created_at": 1741424390.6039968
}

Download PDF

curl -X GET \
  -H "X-API-Key: 1234" \
  -o output.pdf \
  http://localhost:8000/tex2pdf/download/28f5bf9b-587f-4f3c-a3de-4d737d9736ce

Health Check

curl http://localhost:8000/health

Response:

{
  "status": "healthy",
  "version": "1.0.0",
  "database": "connected",
  "storage": true
}

Advanced Usage

Compilation Options

You can customize the LaTeX compilation process:

curl -X POST \
  -H "X-API-Key: 1234" \
  -F "zip_file=@my_latex_files.zip" \
  -F "options={\"main_file\": \"document.tex\", \"num_runs\": 3, \"use_bibtex\": true}" \
  http://localhost:8000/tex2pdf

Options:

• main_file: Main LaTeX file to compile (default: main.tex)
• num_runs: Number of compilation runs (default: 2)
• use_bibtex: Run BibTeX for bibliography processing (default: false)

ZIP File Requirements

• The ZIP file must contain all necessary files for LaTeX compilation
• By default, the service looks for main.tex as the main file
• All referenced files (images, styles, etc.) should be included
• Paths in LaTeX files should be relative and match the ZIP structure

Configuration

The service can be configured via environment variables in the docker-compose.yml file:

Variable	Description	Default
ALLOWED_API_KEYS	Comma-separated list of valid API keys	"" (empty = no auth)
API_KEY_REQUIRED	Enable/disable API key validation	"true"
MAX_WORKERS	Number of uvicorn workers	2
MAX_UPLOAD_SIZE	Maximum file upload size in bytes	52428800 (50MB)
MAX_COMPILATION_TIME	Maximum LaTeX compilation time in seconds	240
RATE_LIMIT_WINDOW	Rate limiting window in seconds	60
MAX_REQUESTS_PER_WINDOW	Maximum requests per rate limit window	10
JOB_EXPIRY	Job expiry time in seconds	3600 (1 hour)
JOBS_DIR	Directory for storing PDF files	"/data/jobs"
DB_PATH	Path to SQLite database	"/data/db/jobs.db"

Deployment

System Requirements

• Docker and Docker Compose
• For running without Docker:
  • Python 3.10+
  • LaTeX distribution (texlive)
  • SQLite3

Production Deployment Considerations

For production deployments, consider:

1. Configure a reverse proxy (like Nginx) with HTTPS
2. Adjust resource limits based on your workload
3. Set strong API keys and restrict access
4. Mount persistent volumes for job data
5. Monitor disk usage and adjust JOB_EXPIRY accordingly
6. Set up logging to a centralized logging service

Architecture

The service uses a stateless design with background processing:

1. FastAPI Application: Handles HTTP requests and responses
2. SQLite Database: Stores job metadata and status
3. File System: Stores generated PDFs and temporary files
4. Background Tasks: Process LaTeX compilation asynchronously

Development

Local Development Setup

# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/yourusername/tex2pdf.git
cd tex2pdf

# Create a virtual environment
python -m venv venv
source venv/bin/activate  # On Windows: venv\Scripts\activate

# Install dependencies
pip install -r requirements.txt

# Run the service
uvicorn main:app --reload --host 0.0.0.0 --port 8000

Running Tests

pytest tests/

License

MIT License

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please feel free to submit a Pull Request.

Security Considerations

While this service implements several security measures:

• API key authentication
• Input validation
• Rate limiting
• Safe ZIP extraction
• Process isolation

Be aware that allowing users to run LaTeX compilation on your server carries inherent risks. Always deploy behind a secure gateway in production environments.