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POST/api/v1/analyze/pdf-inspect

PDF Inspection

Analyze the internal structure of a PDF document. Returns detailed information about metadata, fonts, images, security settings, page composition, and optimization recommendations. Choose from three analysis depths depending on your needs.

Content-Type: multipart/form-data

Parameters

ParameterTypeRequiredDefaultDescription
filefileRequired-The PDF file to analyze.
analysis_depthstringOptionalstandardOne of: quick, standard, deep.
include_page_detailsbooleanOptionaltrueInclude per-page analysis in the response (applicable for standard and deep).

Analysis Depths

quick< 500ms

Basic document info, metadata, security settings, and page/font/image counts. Best for quick validation or file triage.

standard< 2sDefault

Everything in quick, plus full font inventory, image inventory, per-page details, and content composition analysis.

deep< 5s

Everything in standard, plus optimization analysis and actionable recommendations for reducing file size and improving compatibility.

Code Examples

cURL

bash
curl -X POST "https://app.alternapdf.com/api/v1/analyze/pdf-inspect" \
  -H "X-API-Key: YOUR_API_KEY" \
  -F "file=@document.pdf" \
  -F "analysis_depth=standard" \
  -F "include_page_details=true"

Python

python
import requests
import json

url = "https://app.alternapdf.com/api/v1/analyze/pdf-inspect"
headers = {"X-API-Key": "YOUR_API_KEY"}

files = {
    "file": ("document.pdf", open("document.pdf", "rb"), "application/pdf"),
}

data = {
    "analysis_depth": "standard",
    "include_page_details": "true",
}

response = requests.post(url, headers=headers, files=files, data=data)
result = response.json()

print(json.dumps(result, indent=2))
print(f"Pages: {result['basic_info']['page_count']}")
print(f"File size: {result['basic_info']['file_size_bytes']} bytes")

JavaScript

javascript
const fs = require("fs");
const FormData = require("form-data");
const axios = require("axios");

const form = new FormData();
form.append("file", fs.createReadStream("document.pdf"));
form.append("analysis_depth", "standard");
form.append("include_page_details", "true");

const response = await axios.post(
  "https://app.alternapdf.com/api/v1/analyze/pdf-inspect",
  form,
  {
    headers: {
      "X-API-Key": "YOUR_API_KEY",
      ...form.getHeaders(),
    },
  }
);

console.log(JSON.stringify(response.data, null, 2));
console.log(`Pages: ${response.data.basic_info.page_count}`);
console.log(`File size: ${response.data.basic_info.file_size_bytes} bytes`);

Response

200JSON analysis report
json
{
  "analysis_depth": "standard",
  "basic_info": {
    "page_count": 24,
    "pdf_version": "1.7",
    "file_size_bytes": 1548290,
    "title": "Annual Report 2025",
    "author": "Finance Team",
    "creator": "Microsoft Word",
    "creation_date": "2025-12-15T10:30:00Z"
  },
  "security": {
    "is_encrypted": false,
    "has_permissions_password": false,
    "permissions": {
      "printing": "allowed",
      "copying": "allowed",
      "modifying": "allowed"
    }
  },
  "fonts": [
    {
      "name": "Arial",
      "type": "TrueType",
      "embedded": true,
      "subset": true,
      "pages_used": [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]
    }
  ],
  "images": {
    "total_count": 12,
    "total_size_bytes": 890400,
    "formats": ["JPEG", "PNG"],
    "items": [
      {
        "page": 1,
        "width": 1200,
        "height": 800,
        "format": "JPEG",
        "size_bytes": 245000
      }
    ]
  },
  "pages": [
    {
      "page_number": 1,
      "width_pt": 612,
      "height_pt": 792,
      "rotation": 0,
      "has_text": true,
      "has_images": true,
      "text_length": 2450
    }
  ],
  "composition": {
    "text_heavy_pages": 18,
    "image_heavy_pages": 4,
    "blank_pages": 2
  }
}

The response structure varies by analysis depth. The quick depth returns basic_info, security, and counts only. The deep depth adds an optimization object and recommendations array.