# pdfcpu — PDF Processing Toolkit for Go and the Command Line

> A comprehensive Go library and CLI for PDF manipulation including merge, split, watermark, encrypt, optimize, and validate operations. Requires no external dependencies like Ghostscript.

## Install

Save as a script file and run:

# pdfcpu — PDF Processing Toolkit for Go and the Command Line

## Quick Use
```bash
# Install the CLI
go install github.com/pdfcpu/pdfcpu/cmd/pdfcpu@latest

# Merge PDFs
pdfcpu merge output.pdf input1.pdf input2.pdf

# Split a PDF into single pages
pdfcpu split input.pdf output_dir/

# Add a watermark
pdfcpu stamp add -mode text -- "DRAFT" "" input.pdf
```

## Introduction
pdfcpu is a pure Go library and command-line tool for processing PDF files. It covers the full spectrum of common PDF operations without relying on external tools like Ghostscript or Poppler.

## What pdfcpu Does
- Merges, splits, rotates, and reorders PDF pages
- Adds text and image watermarks or stamps to pages
- Encrypts and decrypts PDFs with AES-256 or RC4
- Validates PDF files against the PDF specification
- Optimizes file size by removing redundant objects and compressing streams

## Architecture Overview
pdfcpu is written entirely in Go with no CGo dependencies. It implements a PDF parser and writer that handles the full PDF object model including cross-reference tables, object streams, and incremental updates. The CLI wraps the library API and supports batch operations across multiple files.

## Self-Hosting & Configuration
- Install via `go install` or download prebuilt binaries from GitHub Releases
- Available in Homebrew, AUR, and Docker Hub
- No configuration file required; all options are passed via CLI flags
- The Go library can be imported directly into Go projects
- Supports stdin/stdout piping for integration into shell pipelines

## Key Features
- Pure Go implementation with zero external dependencies
- Full PDF spec compliance including PDF 2.0 support
- Batch processing support for operating on multiple files at once
- Page-level operations: extract, insert, remove, rotate individual pages
- Form filling and flattening for automated document workflows

## Comparison with Similar Tools
- **Ghostscript** — C-based and heavyweight; pdfcpu is a single Go binary with no system dependencies
- **qpdf** — C++ PDF transformation tool; pdfcpu offers a similar feature set in pure Go
- **PyPDF** — Python library; pdfcpu is faster and works as both a CLI and Go library
- **pdftk** — Java-based PDF toolkit; pdfcpu has no JVM requirement and is easier to deploy
- **Stirling PDF** — web-based PDF suite; pdfcpu is a CLI/library for automation and scripting

## FAQ
**Q: Does pdfcpu support password-protected PDFs?**
A: Yes. It can encrypt and decrypt PDFs using AES-128, AES-256, or RC4 encryption.

**Q: Can I use pdfcpu as a Go library?**
A: Yes. The library API mirrors the CLI functionality and is well-documented.

**Q: Does it handle scanned PDFs or OCR?**
A: No. pdfcpu works with the PDF structure, not image content. Use a separate OCR tool first.

**Q: Is PDF 2.0 supported?**
A: Yes. pdfcpu supports reading and writing PDF 2.0 compliant files.

## Sources
- https://github.com/pdfcpu/pdfcpu
- https://pdfcpu.io/


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Source: https://tokrepo.com/en/workflows/asset-ef46d767
Author: Script Depot