PDF/A validation API

Ensure PDF/A files meet conformance levels with our PDF/A validation API. Automatically analyze PDF structure; lexical, syntactic, and semantic levels; and metadata, fonts, color space, and other properties in your app or workflow.

Built for seamless integration

Use a simple API to validate PDF/A compliance for documents in your own platform, or automate it with tools like Zapier — without dealing with complex validation logic or infrastructure.

Try it instantly on Zapier

No code? No problem. Connect Nutrient DWS Processor API to your favorite apps with Zapier to automate document workflows and save time on repetitive tasks.

Simple and transparent pricing

Select a package that suits your needs according to the number of credits you wish to spend. Each API tool and action has a specific credit cost.

Used by Lufthansa, Disney, Autodesk, UBS, Dropbox, IBM
Lufthansa
Disney
Autodesk
UBS
Dropbox
IBM

Try it out

This example will validate the conformance of an uploaded PDF file. It returns a report with the level of conformance of the PDF/A file and the errors encountered during validation.


Try it out in three steps

  1. Add a PDF named pdfa.pdf to your project folder.
  2. Run the code from the same folder.
  3. Open result.json to see the output.
curl -X POST https://api.nutrient.io/validate_pdfa \
-H "Authorization: Bearer your_api_key_here" \
-o result.json \
--fail \
-F file=@pdfa.pdf

Start now

Create an account to access your API key and start with 50 free credits per month

Start building with DWS Processor API in minutes — no payment information required.

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Frequently asked questions

What is a PDF/A validation API?

A PDF/A validation API checks whether a PDF conforms to the ISO 19005 (PDF/A) archiving standard with a single API call. With Nutrient’s DWS Processor API, you can confirm long-term archivability without building your own conformance checker.

How do I validate a PDF/A file programmatically?

Send your PDF to the Nutrient DWS Processor API, and it returns a validation result indicating whether the file is PDF/A compliant and what failed. You can call it via REST, Postman, curl, JavaScript, Python, Java, C#, or PHP.

What does the validator analyze?

It analyzes a PDF’s semantic levels, embedded fonts, metadata, color space, and other PDF/A requirements, and it’s validated against veraPDF for standards-accurate results.

Which programming languages does the API support?

You can call the API from any language that can make HTTP requests. We provide quick start examples for JavaScript, Python, Java, C# (.NET), and PHP, plus REST and a Postman collection.

Is there a free PDF/A validation API?

Yes. You can start for free — sign up to receive processing credits and try the PDF/A validation API before choosing a Processor API plan.

Ready to try it?

Create an account to get your DWS Processor API key and start making API calls.