jsPDF

Common errors

• TypeError: jsPDF is not a constructor

  cause Attempting to instantiate `jsPDF` using a default import or incorrect CommonJS `require` statement, when it is exported as a named export.
  fix Use named import: `import { jsPDF } from 'jspdf';` for ESM or `const { jsPDF } = require('jspdf');` for CommonJS.

• Error: fs.readFileSync is not a function

  cause This error can occur in browser environments if you are trying to use features of the Node.js specific build (e.g., saving to local file paths directly without browser download prompts) or if the build tool incorrectly bundles the Node.js version.
  fix Ensure your build system is configured to use the browser-compatible UMD or ES builds (e.g., `jspdf.umd.min.js` or `jspdf.es.min.js`). If in Node.js, ensure `jspdf` is resolving to its `jspdf.node.js` variant.

• SecurityError: The operation is insecure.

  cause When trying to save a PDF in a browser environment, this can happen if the browser's security policies (e.g., related to iframes or sandboxed environments) prevent file downloads or local storage operations.
  fix Ensure your application is served over HTTPS and not running in a highly restricted sandbox. Test in a standard browser environment. Some browser extensions might also interfere with file downloads.

• UnhandledPromiseRejectionWarning: Error: Path traversal detected. Access to file system denied.

  cause This warning/error occurs in Node.js environments with jsPDF v4.0.0+ when an operation attempts to access the file system without explicit permission, due to the new security restrictions.
  fix If you genuinely need file system access, set `jsPDF.allowFsRead = true;` after `const doc = new jsPDF();` or enable Node.js `--permission` flag. **Only do this if you fully trust the file paths being accessed.**

Warnings

• breaking jsPDF v3.0.0 officially dropped support for Internet Explorer. Code relying on IE-specific features or older JavaScript environments may break.
  Fix: Ensure your target browser environment is modern (not IE) or use appropriate polyfills if compatibility with very old browsers is essential, though not officially supported.
• breaking In Node.js builds, v4.0.0 introduced a critical path traversal/local file inclusion fix. File system access is now restricted by default. Attempts to read local files via paths outside explicit allowances will fail.
  Fix: To enable file system access, use Node.js's `--permission` flag or set `jsPDF.allowFsRead` property to `true`. Exercise caution and validate all file paths if enabling this feature: `const doc = new jsPDF(); doc.allowFsRead = true;`
• gotcha jsPDF has had numerous security vulnerabilities related to PDF Object Injection, HTML Injection, JavaScript Execution, and Denial of Service (DoS) in various modules (AcroForm, addImage, addJS, output methods) across versions 3.0.1, 3.0.2, 4.1.0, 4.2.0, and 4.2.1.
  Fix: Always use the latest stable version of jsPDF. Critically, **sanitize all user-provided input** before passing it to any jsPDF method, especially `text`, `html`, `addImage`, `addSvgAsImage`, and form-related functions. Consider using DOMPurify explicitly if you are handling untrusted HTML input.
• gotcha Starting with v3.0.0, the `html` function relies on an updated `dompurify` dependency (v3.2.4+). Older versions of `dompurify` (or not having it installed) may leave `html` function susceptible to XSS vulnerabilities. Later versions (v4.1.0 and v4.2.x) also explicitly upgrade `dompurify` due to further vulnerabilities.
  Fix: Ensure `dompurify` is installed as a dependency and that you are using a recent version of jsPDF (v4.2.1 or newer is recommended) to benefit from the latest security patches for HTML rendering.

Install

• npm install jspdf npm
• yarn add jspdf yarn
• pnpm add jspdf pnpm

Imports

• jsPDF
  wrong:

  import jspdf from 'jspdf';
  import { default as jsPDF } from 'jspdf';

  correct:

  import { jsPDF } from 'jspdf';

  jsPDF is exported as a named export. Default imports are incorrect.
• jsPDF
  wrong:

  const jsPDF = require('jspdf');

  correct:

  const { jsPDF } = require('jspdf');

  When using CommonJS in Node.js, `jsPDF` is a named property of the module export.
• jsPDF
  wrong:

  const jsPDF = window.jspdf;

  correct:

  const { jsPDF } = window.jspdf;

  For browser script-tag usage, the library populates a global `window.jspdf` object, which contains `jsPDF` as a named property.

Quickstart

This quickstart code demonstrates how to initialize a jsPDF document, add basic text and shapes, and save the resulting PDF file. It uses the default A4 portrait format and millimeters for units, then outputs 'my-first-document.pdf'.

import { jsPDF } from 'jspdf';

// Create a new PDF document with default settings (A4, portrait, millimeters)
const doc = new jsPDF();

// Add text to the document
doc.text('Hello, jsPDF World!', 10, 10); // 'Hello, jsPDF World!' at x=10mm, y=10mm

// Add another line of text with a different font size
doc.setFontSize(16);
doc.text('This is a test document generated by jsPDF.', 10, 20);

// Add a rectangle (x, y, width, height, style)
doc.rect(10, 30, 50, 20, 'S'); // 'S' for stroke

// Save the document, triggering a download in browsers or writing to file in Node.js
doc.save('my-first-document.pdf');

console.log('PDF document generated and saved!');