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SPECIFICTION
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PoDoFo

podofo.github.io

Free plan WindowsmacOSLinuxAPI
Visit podofo.github.io
Spec score 7.5 #23 of 31 in PDF SDKs

Spec sheet

Purpose
PoDoFo is a free portable C++ library for parsing, modifying, and creating PDF files.Read 7 Oct 2026 · github.com
Intended users
The project describes PoDoFo as a C++17 PDF manipulation library and documents its use as a library in CMake applications.Read 7 Oct 2026 · github.com
Platforms
Its public CI builds and tests on Ubuntu Linux, macOS, and Windows; Android and iOS cross-compilation may work but may not be supported.Read 7 Oct 2026 · github.com
Integrations
The project documents builds through APT, Homebrew, vcpkg, Conan, and CMake package integration.Read 7 Oct 2026 · github.com
License
The library is offered under LGPL 2.0 or later or, at the user's option, MPL 2.0; the tools use GPL 2.0 or later.Read 7 Oct 2026 · github.com
Limitations
PoDoFo does not support rendering PDF content, and text writing does not yet perform proper text shaping or kerning.Read 7 Oct 2026 · github.com
PDF features
Its C++17 API supports PDF parsing, entity inspection, writing, and incremental updates.Read 7 Oct 2026 · github.com
Requirements
Building the library requires a C++17 compiler, CMake 3.23, and dependencies including FreeType, OpenSSL, LibXml2, and zlib.Read 7 Oct 2026 · github.com
Signing
It supports PAdES-B compliant PDF signing, RSA/ECDSA, and asynchronous or deferred signing.Read 7 Oct 2026 · github.com
Standards
It can preserve PDF/A and PDF/UA compliance in supported operations such as adding annotations or form fields.Read 7 Oct 2026 · github.com
Text and fonts
It supports Unicode text extraction, CJK text handling, text drawing, CID encoding generation, and font subsetting.Read 7 Oct 2026 · github.com
Thread safety
The library is generally not thread-safe; its documentation advises using objects on their creation thread or guarding document access with a mutex.Read 7 Oct 2026 · github.com
Tools and support
The separate PoDoFo tools are unsupported, untested, and unmaintained, and their compilation is disabled by default; the project directs technical support inquiries to GitHub issues.Read 7 Oct 2026 · github.com

Plans and prices

PoDoFo Free Free portable C++ PDF library · No rendering support · Text writing lacks proper shaping/kerning Read 7 Oct 2026 · github.com

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