Vite App

--- title: "Add PDF functionality with JavaScript + Vite" canonical_url: "https://www.nutrient.io/sdk/web/getting-started/other-frameworks/javascript/" md_url: "https://www.nutrient.io/sdk/web/getting-started/other-frameworks/javascript.md" last_updated: "2026-05-23T00:08:18.235Z" description: "Learn how to integrate Nutrient Web SDK into your JavaScript application. Step-by-step guide for adding PDF viewing, editing, and annotation features." --- # Add PDF functionality with JavaScript + Vite Nutrient Web SDK is a JavaScript PDF library for viewing, annotating, and editing PDFs directly in the browser. Use it to add PDF capabilities to any web app. This guide walks you through the steps to integrate Nutrient Web SDK into your project. By the end, you’ll be able to render a PDF document in the user interface (UI). **Test without installing** You can test the SDK capabilities in our playground. [Read more](https://nutrient.io/demo/sandbox/) **View example** Prefer to jump straight into code? View the example repo on GitHub. [Read more](https://github.com/PSPDFKit/nutrient-examples/tree/main/examples/javascript-vite) ## Installation You can load Nutrient Web SDK directly from Nutrient’s content delivery network (CDN). Nutrient maintains the CDN for customers, and it’s our recommended way to get started. For more control and flexibility, use the local installation option. #### Note: Creating a new project (optional) If you don’t yet have a JavaScript project set up, create one with Vite: ```sh pnpm create vite nutrient-javascript-example --template vanilla ``` ### CDN installation **Steps:** 1. Add the following `

``` 2. You’re now ready to use Nutrient Web SDK and reference `window.NutrientViewer` in the client-side code. ### Install via package manager **Steps:** 1. Add the Nutrient Web SDK (`@nutrient-sdk/viewer`) dependency: ```bash npm install @nutrient-sdk/viewer # or yarn add @nutrient-sdk/viewer # or pnpm install @nutrient-sdk/viewer ``` 2. If you tried CDN installation first, make sure to remove the script tag: ```html

``` 3. You’re now ready to use Nutrient Web SDK locally in your JavaScript + Vite app. ## CSS setup requirements > Nutrient Web SDK requires that the mounting container has an explicit width and height before calling `NutrientViewer.load()`. The container cannot be `0×0` pixels or the SDK will fail to initialize. **Steps:** 1. For new Vite projects — Remove conflicting CSS from your `style.css` file. The default Vite template includes CSS that interferes with container dimensions: ```css /* style.css - Remove these properties from body */ display: flex; place-items: center; ``` 2. Ensure your viewer container has explicit dimensions. The examples in this guide use inline styles (`style="height: 100vh; width: 100vw;"`), which is the recommended approach for most projects. 3. For existing projects — Check for any CSS framework styles that might interfere with container positioning or dimensions, and override them as needed. ## Rendering a PDF ### CDN installation **Steps:** 1. Load the PDF file in `main.js`: ```js // main.js const container = document.getElementById("app"); // Ensure there's only one `NutrientViewer` instance. window.NutrientViewer.unload(container); const { NutrientViewer } = window; if (container && NutrientViewer) { NutrientViewer.load({ container, document: "https://www.nutrient.io/downloads/nutrient-web-demo.pdf", }).then((instance) => { console.log("Nutrient loaded", instance); }).catch((error) => { console.error(error.message); }); } ``` 2. Ensure your HTML has the container element with explicit dimensions: ```html // index.html Vite App

``` 3. Start the development server: ```bash npm run dev # or yarn dev # or pnpm dev ``` 4. You’ll see the PDF rendered in the Nutrient Web SDK user interface (UI). ### Install via package manager **Steps:** 1. With package manager installation, access the Nutrient Web SDK module directly. Update your `main.js` file to load the PDF file, as shown below: ```js // main.js (async () => { const container = document.getElementById("app"); const NutrientViewer = (await import("@nutrient-sdk/viewer")).default; // Ensure there's only one `NutrientViewer` instance. NutrientViewer.unload(container); if (container && NutrientViewer) { NutrientViewer.load({ container, useCDN: true, document: "https://www.nutrient.io/downloads/nutrient-web-demo.pdf", }).then((instance) => { console.log("Nutrient loaded", instance); }).catch((error) => { console.error(error.message); }); } })(); ``` > **Note:** Adding `useCDN: true` will load the SDK assets from the CDN if `baseUrl` isn’t provided. This flag was introduced in version 1.9.0. If your setup relies on the previous behavior of autodetecting the assets without `baseUrl`, you can omit this flag for now, but be aware that this behavior is deprecated. In future versions, loading from CDN will become a default when `baseUrl` isn’t explicitly provided. `useCDN: true` has no effect if `baseUrl` is set. **Optional**: If you decide to self-host the Nutrient Web SDK assets as [described in this guide](https://www.nutrient.io/guides/web/self-host-assets.md), make sure to provide a `baseUrl` in your configuration, as shown below: ```js NutrientViewer.load({ container, useCDN: true, document: "https://www.nutrient.io/downloads/nutrient-web-demo.pdf", baseUrl: `${window.location.protocol}//${window.location.host}/${ import.meta.env.PUBLIC_URL?? "" // Usually empty for Vite, but supports custom deployments. }`, }); ``` 2. Ensure your HTML has the container element with explicit dimensions: ```html // index.html Vite App

``` 3. Start the development server: ```bash npm run dev # or yarn dev # or pnpm dev ``` ## Next steps This section outlines additional steps for setting up your project. ### TypeScript with CDN installation Nutrient Web SDK comes with built-in support for TypeScript. This should work out of the box for the package manager installation. For the CDN installation, follow the steps mentioned in the TypeScript with CDN installation section of the [TypeScript](https://www.nutrient.io/sdk/web/getting-started/typescript.md) guide. ### Optimizing the CDN installation If you use the CDN installation approach in production, we recommend considering optimizations such as [prefetching](https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Glossary/Prefetch). ### Optimizing load performance If your app doesn't open a PDF immediately — for example, the user navigates to a viewer on a different page — call [`NutrientViewer.preloadWorker()`](https://www.nutrient.io/api/web/functions/NutrientViewer.preloadWorker.html) early in your app to fetch and compile the WebAssembly artifacts in the background. When `NutrientViewer.load()` runs later, it can start rendering without waiting for them. ```js // Call early — for example, on app init or after login. NutrientViewer.preloadWorker(); ``` Refer to the [performance best practices](https://www.nutrient.io/guides/web/best-practices/performance.md) guide for more optimization techniques. ## Troubleshooting If you encounter issues, refer to the [common issues](https://www.nutrient.io/guides/web/troubleshooting/common-issues.md) guide. > **Note for developers using AI coding assistants**: To get accurate troubleshooting help, copy the content from the [troubleshooting](https://www.nutrient.io/guides/web/troubleshooting/common-issues.md) guide and include it in your prompt, along with your specific error. **Test without installing** You can test the SDK capabilities in our playground. [Read more](https://nutrient.io/demo/sandbox/) **View example** Prefer to jump straight into code? View the example repo on GitHub. [Read more](https://github.com/PSPDFKit/nutrient-examples/tree/main/examples/javascript-vite) --- ## Related pages - [Add PDF functionality with Electron](/sdk/web/getting-started/other-frameworks/electron.md) - [Add PDF functionality with Angular](/sdk/web/getting-started/other-frameworks/angular.md) - [Add PDF functionality with ASP.NET](/sdk/web/getting-started/other-frameworks/aspnet.md) - [Add PDF functionality with jQuery](/sdk/web/getting-started/other-frameworks/jquery.md) - [Add PDF functionality with Blazor](/sdk/web/getting-started/other-frameworks/blazor.md) - [Add PDF functionality with Nuxt](/sdk/web/getting-started/other-frameworks/nuxt.md) - [Add PDF functionality with Flutter](/sdk/web/getting-started/other-frameworks/flutter.md) - [Add PDF functionality with Laravel](/sdk/web/getting-started/other-frameworks/laravel.md) - [Add PDF functionality with PWA](/sdk/web/getting-started/other-frameworks/pwa.md) - [Add PDF functionality with Svelte](/sdk/web/getting-started/other-frameworks/svelte.md) - [Add PDF functionality with PHP](/sdk/web/getting-started/other-frameworks/php.md) - [Add PDF viewing and editing to Vue applications](/sdk/web/getting-started/other-frameworks/vue.md)