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This tool requires a publicly accessible PDF URL. If your file is stored locally or in memory, you can upload it to our temporary bucket first using the Get Signed Upload URL endpoint.
POST https://api.pdfnoodle.com/v1/tools/compress-pdf

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Request

curl --location 'https://api.pdfnoodle.com/v1/tools/compress-pdf' \
--header 'Authorization: Bearer pdfnoodle_api_123456789' \
--header 'Content-Type: application/json' \
--data '{
    "url": "https://example.com/large-document.pdf",
    "compressLevel": "medium",
    "finalFilename": "compressed-document.pdf",
    "expiration": 3600
}'

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Response

{
  "status": "SUCCESS",
  "url": "https://s3.amazonaws.com/...",
  "fileName": "compressed-document.pdf",
  "urlValidUntil": "2025-01-01T02:00:00.000Z",
  "metadata": {
    "originalSize": "2.5 MB",
    "compressedSize": "1.2 MB",
    "reduction": "52%"
  }
}
The response includes a metadata object with compression details so you can see exactly how much the file size was reduced. The compressed file is stored persistently and can be re-downloaded at any time from the dashboard logs.

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Compression Levels

LevelQualityBest for
lowHighest quality, least compressionPrint-ready documents
mediumBalanced quality and sizeGeneral use, email attachments
highMost compression, lower qualityWeb viewing, maximum size reduction
The medium compression level is the default and works well for most use cases. Use low when you need to preserve maximum quality (e.g., print materials) and high when file size is the priority.

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Operation Tracking

Each compress operation creates a record in your dashboard logs, allowing you to:
  • View all past compress operations with their status and metadata
  • Re-download compressed files at any time via the logs table
  • Track usage across your team
Business and Scale plans: Compress operations are unlimited and do not count toward your PDF generation quota.Starter plans: Compress operations count toward your total volume quota.

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Async Mode

By default, the request waits for the compression to complete before returning a response. If you set async: true, the endpoint returns immediately with a requestId and statusUrl that you can use to poll for the result.
Async Response (200 OK)
{
  "requestId": "pdfnoodle_request_123456789",
  "statusUrl": "https://api.pdfnoodle.com/v1/tools/status/pdfnoodle_request_123456789",
  "message": "The tool is being executed asynchronously. Check the status using the status URL."
}
Use the Get Tool Status endpoint to check the result.

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Request Timeout (>30 seconds)

Even without async: true, if the operation takes more than 30 seconds it will automatically be processed in the background.
If the compression takes longer than 30 seconds, you’ll receive a 202 Accepted response with a requestId and statusUrl to poll for the result:
Timeout (202 Accepted)
{
  "requestId": "pdfnoodle_request_123456789",
  "statusUrl": "https://api.pdfnoodle.com/v1/tools/status/pdfnoodle_request_123456789",
  "message": "Couldn't complete the operation within 30 seconds, it is being processed asynchronously. Check the status using the status URL."
}

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Parameters

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url
string
required
A valid, publicly accessible URL pointing to the PDF file you want to compress.
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compressLevel
string
default:"medium"
The compression intensity. Must be one of: "low", "medium", or "high". Default: "medium".
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finalFilename
string
The desired filename for the compressed PDF. Must end with .pdf. If not provided, the original filename from the URL will be used, or a random name will be generated.
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expiration
number
default:"3600"
Number of seconds that the generated signed URL will take to expire. Must be between 60 (1 minute) and 604800 (7 days). Default: 3600 (1 hour).
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async
boolean
default:"false"
If true, the request returns immediately with a requestId and statusUrl instead of waiting for the operation to complete. You can then poll the Get Tool Status endpoint to check when the result is ready.