Render with a saved template

Use a saved template when the same document is generated again and again, such as invoices, quotes or reports. The layout lives in your account; each request carries only the data that changes.

1. Save the template

Create it in the portal, under Templates, with a live preview, or through the API:

curl -X POST https://api.example.com/v1/templates \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $RUSTEDF_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{ "name": "Invoice", "source": "<h1>Invoice {{ number }}</h1><p>{{ total | currency(code=\"USD\") }}</p>",
        "locale": "en-US", "sample_data": { "number": "2025-0042", "total": "2040.50" } }'

The response includes the template id. See Templates for the syntax.

2. Render it

Send the id and the data:

curl -X POST https://api.example.com/v1/render \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $RUSTEDF_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{ "template_id": "0194f2c0-…", "data": { "number": "2025-0042", "total": "2040.50" } }' \
  -o invoice.pdf

The locale of the template is used unless the request sends its own, so one template can serve every market: send "locale": "de-DE" and the same invoice comes out formatted for Germany.

Why use it

• The HTML does not travel with every request, so requests stay small.
• Designers and developers edit the template in the portal and test it with sample data, without a deploy on your side.
• Every change raises the template version, and the next render uses the new one.
• Templates are private to your account; another account’s id answers 404.

Your plan limits how many templates you can keep; see Plans and credits. For the full list of request fields and the response, see Rendering a PDF. If you would rather send the HTML yourself, see With inline HTML.