Invoice PDF Generator Template

A minimal .NET 10 template that demonstrates dynamic PDF generation from strongly-typed Blazor invoice components rendered to HTML and converted to PDF with PuppeteerPagePool.

Core Idea

This project shows how to build a document-generation API where:

1. Data is generated (or can be supplied from your own domain/service layer).
2. A strongly-typed Blazor component renders the invoice HTML server-side.
3. A pooled Chromium page converts that HTML into a print-ready PDF.
4. A single API endpoint returns the PDF file.

It is designed as a template foundation for reusable, maintainable document rendering pipelines.

What This Demonstrates

• Dynamic invoice generation using typed models.
• Component-based document templates (header, info panel, item table, totals, message).
• Print/PDF-friendly monochrome layout with responsive behavior.
• Efficient PDF rendering via reusable browser/page pooling.
• Minimal API delivery (GET /api/invoices/pdf) for immediate integration.

Setup

Prerequisites

• .NET SDK 10.x
• Windows/Linux/macOS environment capable of running Chromium (Puppeteer)

Install and Run

git clone <your-repo-url>
cd Invoice-Pdf-Generator
dotnet restore
dotnet run --project InvoicePdf.WebAPI

Default endpoint:

• GET /api/invoices/pdf -> returns application/pdf

Development API docs (Swagger UI):

• /swagger (enabled in Development environment)

Runtime Options

PDF output is fixed to A4 format for consistent print layout.

Endpoint:

• GET /api/invoices/pdf

How It Operates

Runtime pipeline:

1. Endpoint receives request (GET /api/invoices/pdf).
2. Invoice data factory creates a dynamic invoice model.
3. Blazor HtmlRenderer renders invoice components into HTML.
4. PuppeteerPagePool loads HTML and prints PDF bytes.
5. API responds with file download (application/pdf).

This separation keeps document styling and layout in template components while preserving backend service boundaries.

Extension Possibilities

Use this template to build:

• Billing invoices for SaaS, agencies, professional services
• Quotations and estimates
• Purchase orders
• Credit notes
• Delivery notes
• Subscription renewal notices
• Payroll slips and expense statements
• Branded customer statements per tenant/client

You can add more template components (e.g., receipt, quote, statement) and route each to its own endpoint or parameterized selector.

Production Use Cases

• Generate customer-ready PDFs on demand from business events.
• Batch export invoices for accounting periods.
• Produce tenant-specific branded documents from one backend.
• Serve PDFs directly to frontend apps, portals, or external integrations.
• Keep templates versioned in source control with deterministic rendering rules.

Notes

• Template intentionally renders without a logo block for a cleaner print-first layout.
• Data generation currently uses Bogus for template/demo behavior.
• Replace the random data factory with your real application data source when integrating into production systems.