Unlocking text from PDF files is essential for content indexing, automation, and data analysis. With the GroupDocs.Parser Cloud SDK for Node.js, you can programmatically extract plain or structured text from PDFs through a simple RESTful API — without relying on heavyweight tools or manual parsing.

Why to Extract Text from PDF??

Extracting text from PDFs is vital for:

  • Building document management or OCR pipelines.
  • Automating data collection from contracts, invoices, and reports.
  • Enabling full-text search for digital archives.
  • Cleaning and structuring content for AI/ML models.

Let’s cover following topics in more details:

Text Extraction REST API

The GroupDocs.Parser Cloud SDK for Node.js is a lightweight, high-performance wrapper for interacting with the GroupDocs.Parser Cloud REST API. It enables developers to extract structured or unstructured content, such as:

  • Text (entire document, specific pages, or selected areas)
  • Images
  • Metadata
  • Document fields
  • Structured data from tables or forms

It supports numerous formats — including PDF, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, MSG, ZIP, and more.

Prerequisites

  • Install the GroupDocs.Parser Cloud SDK for Node.js:
npm install groupdocs-parser-cloud

Create an account at the GroupDocs.Cloud Dashboard to obtain your Client ID and Client Secret for authentication. For further information, please visit this article.

How to Extract Text from PDF using Node.js

Follow these steps to extract text from a PDF using the Node.js SDK.

Step 1: Set up Configuration:

const { ParserApi, Configuration, ImagesRequest, FileInfo, ImagesOptions } = require("groupdocs-parser-cloud");

const config = new Configuration("YOUR_CLIENT_ID", "YOUR_CLIENT_SECRET");
const parserApi = new ParserApi(config);

Step 2: Configure PDF File Input: Initialize an object of the TextRequest class and pass the instance of the TextOptions class.

const fileInfo = new FileInfo();
fileInfo.filePath = "sample.pdf";

const options = new TextOptions();
options.fileInfo = fileInfo;

const request = new TextRequest(options);

Step 3: Extract Text from PDF: Invoke the text method, and it will return the plain text content of your PDF.

parserApi.text(request).then(response => {
    console.log("Extracted text content:");
    console.log(response.text);
}).catch(err => {
    console.error("Error extracting text:", err);
});

You can see the output of the above code sample in the image below:

pdf text extractor

Extract Text from PDF via cURL

If you prefer command-line operations or want to integrate into a script? You can extract text using cURL with the GroupDocs.Parser REST API.

Step 1 – Generate Access Token:

curl -X POST "https://api.groupdocs.cloud/connect/token" \
-d "grant_type=client_credentials&client_id=YOUR_CLIENT_ID&client_secret=YOUR_CLIENT_SECRET" \
-H "Content-Type: application/x-www-form-urlencoded"

Step 2 – Extract Images via REST API:

curl -v -X POST "https://api.groupdocs.cloud/v1.0/parser/text" \
-H  "accept: application/json" \
-H  "authorization: Bearer {ACCESS_TOKEN}" \
-H  "Content-Type: application/json" \
-d 
    "{  
        \"FileInfo\": 
        {
            \"FilePath\": \"Binder1.pdf\",
            \"StorageName\": \"internal\"
        },
        \"StartPageNumber\": 0,
        \"CountPagesToExtract\": 1
    }"
  • Replace <ACCESS_TOKEN> with the one you generated.

Benefits of Using cURL with GroupDocs.Parser API

  • No SDK Required: Use REST directly for quick integration.
  • Platform Agnostic: Works with any OS or language.
  • Ideal for CI/CD Pipelines: Automate text extraction in DevOps environments.
  • Lightweight: No installations beyond cURL.

Online Text Extractor

If you’re looking for a no-code solution, then use our the Free Online PDF Text Extractor powered by GroupDocs.Parser Cloud.

Online text Extractor

Conclusion

GroupDocs.Parser Cloud SDK for Node.js makes it effortless to extract text from PDFs, whether you need full content parsing, data mining, or document automation. With support for RESTful calls and cURL integration, this API is ideal for building modern, scalable document-processing apps in Node.js or other environments.

📚 Additional Resources

Frequently Asked Questions – FAQs

How do I extract images from Word?

You can use GroupDocs.Parser Cloud SDKs to extract text from PDF files programmatically. Please visit this link for further details.

What is the pricing model?

We offer a single pay as you go pricing model. For further information, please visit pricing guide.