--- title: "PHP PDF annotation library: Drop-in ready | Nutrient" canonical_url: "https://www.nutrient.io/guides/web/annotations/php/" md_url: "https://www.nutrient.io/guides/web/annotations/php.md" last_updated: "2026-11-11T12:21:34.520Z" description: "Add PDF annotations to your PHP app with Nutrient Web SDK. Create, edit, and remove highlights, ink, notes, and shapes in the browser." --- # PHP PDF annotation library Nutrient Web SDK is a JavaScript library for creating, removing, and editing PDF annotations. It is fully compatible with PHP and offers developers a robust API for programmatic annotation management, as well as a beautiful UI for working with 17 PDF annotation types in any PHP-based web app. [Launch demo](https://www.nutrient.io/demo/annotations/) ## Key capabilities - **17 annotation types** — Highlight, text, ink, note, shapes, and more - **Create, edit, remove** — Programmatically or by using the UI - **Import and export** — Manage annotations in XFDF or JSON files - **Annotation events** — Trigger workflows or automations - **Cloudy annotations** — Cloudy border effect - **Custom appearances** — Replace or enhance annotation rendering - **Synchronize** — To a server, multiple users, devices, or sessions - **Customizable UI** — Hide annotation types or create custom tooltips - **Extendable** — Add signing, editing, forms, and more ## Guides for annotation **[What are annotations?](https://www.nutrient.io/guides/web/annotations/introduction-to-annotations/what-are-annotations.md)**\ Learn about the basics of PDF annotations **[Supported annotation types](https://www.nutrient.io/guides/web/annotations/introduction-to-annotations.md)**\ Learn about the types of annotations supported by Nutrient **[Annotation data formats](https://www.nutrient.io/guides/web/annotations/introduction-to-annotations/data-formats.md)**\ Learn about using external files to manage annotations **[Geometry primitives](https://www.nutrient.io/guides/web/annotations/geometry.md)**\ Learn about the basic geometry data types exposed by Nutrient **[Working with annotations](https://www.nutrient.io/guides/web/annotations/introduction-to-annotations/working-with-annotations.md)**\ Learn how Nutrient loads annotations **[Synchronization overview](https://www.nutrient.io/guides/web/annotations/synchronization.md)**\ Learn about the different approaches to annotation syncing **[Storing annotation data](https://www.nutrient.io/guides/web/annotations/synchronization/storing-annotation-data.md)**\ Learn best practices for storing annotation data **[Concurrent user conflict resolution](https://www.nutrient.io/guides/web/annotations/synchronization/conflict-resolution.md)**\ Learn best practices for conflict resolution with concurrent users **[Saving annotations overview](https://www.nutrient.io/guides/web/annotations/save/overview.md)**\ Learn the two ways Nutrient allows making changes to documents **[Embed annotations into a PDF](https://www.nutrient.io/guides/web/annotations/save/embed-into-pdf.md)**\ How to embed annotations into a PDF document **[Save annotations to external storage](https://www.nutrient.io/guides/web/annotations/save/to-external-storage.md)**\ How to save annotations to external storage **[Auto save annotations](https://www.nutrient.io/guides/web/annotations/annotation-saving-mechanism.md)**\ How to configure the way changes are automatically saved **[Import and export using server-backed](https://www.nutrient.io/guides/web/annotations/import-and-export/server-backed.md)**\ How to import/export annotations using server-backed mode **[Import and export to/from Instant JSON](https://www.nutrient.io/guides/web/importing-exporting/instant-json.md)**\ How to import/export annotations to/from Instant JSON **[Import and export to/from XFDF](https://www.nutrient.io/guides/web/importing-exporting/xfdf-support.md)**\ How to import/export annotations to/from XFDF **[Import and export to/from a database](https://www.nutrient.io/guides/web/annotations/import-and-export/database.md)**\ How to import/export annotations to/from a database **[Create an annotation](https://www.nutrient.io/guides/web/annotations/create-edit-and-remove/create.md)**\ How to create an annotation **[Edit an annotation](https://www.nutrient.io/guides/web/annotations/create-edit-and-remove/edit.md)**\ How to edit an annotation **[Remove an annotation](https://www.nutrient.io/guides/web/annotations/create-edit-and-remove/remove.md)**\ How to remove an annotation **[Annotation permissions](https://www.nutrient.io/guides/web/annotations/create-edit-and-remove/permissions.md)**\ How to configure annotation editing permissions **[Add an image annotation](https://www.nutrient.io/guides/web/annotations/create-edit-and-remove/add-image.md)**\ How to add an image to a PDF as an annotation **[Detect changes to annotations](https://www.nutrient.io/guides/web/annotations/detecting-if-annotations-have-changed.md)**\ How to detect annotation changes that originate from the UI **[Annotation flags](https://www.nutrient.io/guides/web/annotations/annotation-flags.md)**\ How to configure annotation behavior and capabilities **[Annotation author name](https://www.nutrient.io/guides/web/annotations/annotation-author-name.md)**\ How to configure the author name for annotations **[Customize annotation display logic](https://www.nutrient.io/guides/web/best-practices/business-logic.md)**\ How to configure the logic used to display annotations in the viewer **[Customize appearance streams](https://www.nutrient.io/guides/web/annotations/appearance-streams.md)**\ How to render existing appearance streams **[Annotation customization](https://www.nutrient.io/guides/web/annotations/custom-rendered-annotations.md)**\ How to create a custom annotation **[Hiding annotations](https://www.nutrient.io/guides/web/annotations/customization/hiding-annotations.md)**\ How to hide individual annotations or annotation types **[Customize default properties](https://www.nutrient.io/guides/web/customizing-the-interface/using-annotation-presets.md)**\ How to configure the default value for annotation properties **[Store custom data in an annotation](https://www.nutrient.io/guides/web/annotations/custom-data-in-annotations.md)**\ How to store and process custom data inside an annotation **[Annotation replies](https://www.nutrient.io/guides/web/annotations/comments-and-replies/replies.md)**\ Learn about displaying annotation replies as threaded conversations **[Stamp a document with built-in stamps](https://www.nutrient.io/guides/web/features/stamp-annotation-templates.md)**\ How to stamp a document programmatically or with the UI **[Stamp configuration](https://www.nutrient.io/guides/web/annotations/stamp-annotation-configuration.md)**\ How to create a custom stamp **[Flatten annotations](https://www.nutrient.io/guides/web/annotations/flatten.md)**\ How to flatten annotations and burn them into the PDF **[Annotate on an image](https://www.nutrient.io/guides/web/annotations/annotate-on-images/create-edit-and-remove.md)**\ How to annotate a PNG, JPG, or TIFF **[Image document specification](https://www.nutrient.io/guides/web/annotations/annotate-on-images/specification.md)**\ Learn how PNGs, JPGs, or TIFFs are annotated by Nutrient **[PDF actions support](https://www.nutrient.io/guides/web/annotations/pdf-actions.md)**\ Learn about the PDF actions supported by Nutrient **[Link annotations](https://www.nutrient.io/guides/web/annotations/link-annotations.md)**\ How to create, detect, and customize link annotations **Call to Action** Start your free trial for unlimited access and expert support. [Learn More](https://www.nutrient.io/sdk/web/getting-started/other-frameworks/javascript.md) ## FAQ Here are a few frequently asked questions about annotations in Nutrient Web SDK. #### What is Nutrient Web SDK? Nutrient Web SDK is a JavaScript library that allows developers to create, edit, and manage PDF annotations in web applications. #### How many annotation types does Nutrient support? It supports 17 different annotation types, including highlights, ink, notes, and shapes. #### Can annotations be managed programmatically? Yes, annotations can be created, edited, and removed programmatically or via the UI. #### What file formats are supported for importing and exporting annotations? Nutrient supports importing and exporting annotations in XFDF and JSON formats. #### Is the Nutrient UI customizable? Yes, you can customize the UI, including hiding annotation types and creating custom tooltips. --- ## Related pages - [JavaScript PDF annotation library](/guides/web/annotations.md) - [Angular PDF annotation library](/guides/web/annotations/angular.md) - [Rotate PDF annotations using JavaScript](/guides/web/annotations/annotation-rotation.md) - [ASP.NET PDF annotation library](/guides/web/annotations/aspnet.md) - [Blazor PDF annotation library](/guides/web/annotations/blazor.md) - [Choose the right annotation workflow setup](/guides/web/annotations/choose-the-right-annotation-workflow-setup.md) - [Flattening annotations in PDFs](/guides/web/annotations/flatten.md) - [HTML5 PDF annotation library](/guides/web/annotations/html5.md) - [jQuery PDF annotation library](/guides/web/annotations/jquery.md) - [Laravel PDF annotation library](/guides/web/annotations/laravel.md) - [Next.js PDF annotation library](/guides/web/annotations/nextjs.md) - [Nuxt.js PDF annotation library](/guides/web/annotations/nuxtjs.md) - [React PDF annotation library](/guides/web/annotations/react.md) - [Svelte PDF annotation library](/guides/web/annotations/svelte.md) - [TypeScript PDF annotation library](/guides/web/annotations/typescript.md) - [Vue.js PDF annotation library](/guides/web/annotations/vuejs.md)