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POST
/
documents
curl --request POST \ --url https://api.luminpdf.com/v1/documents \ --header 'Content-Type: application/json' \ --header 'X-API-Key: <api-key>' \ --data ' { "method": "file-upload", "document_name": "Patient Form", "location": { "type": "workspace", "folder_id": "123456" }, "document_data": { "file_url": "https://files.luminpdf.com/download/nda-acmecorp-abc123.pdf" } } '
{
  "id": "doc_abc123def456",
  "name": "Patient Form",
  "created_at": 1748456885430,
  "updated_at": 1748456885430,
  "location": {
    "type": "workspace",
    "workspace_id": "123456",
    "folder_id": "789"
  },
  "size": 245678,
  "mime_type": "application/pdf",
  "preview_url": "https://app.luminpdf.com/viewer/doc_abc123def456"
}
This endpoint supports two methods, selected by the method field:
  • file-upload - import an existing file from a URL or multipart upload
  • template - generate a PDF from a Lumin PDF template and optionally prefill fields
Copy examples from the dropdown to quickly get the sample request body for each method. The response returns a document_id in the id field. Use that ID with PDF operation endpoints such as Merge Documents or Compress Document.

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Upload from file

Set method to file-upload and provide the file via document_data.file_url or a multipart document_data.file upload.

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Supported file formats

PDF, DOCX, XLSX, PPTX, DOC, XLS, PNG, JPEG/JPG

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File size limits

PlanMax size
Free20 MB
Paid200 MB

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Create from template

Set method to template, provide a pdf_ template ID, and optionally prefill form fields.
  1. List templates with List Templates and find a template whose ID starts with pdf_.
  2. Optionally inspect fields with Get Template Details.
Only PDF templates (pdf_ prefix) are supported for document creation.
FieldDescription
document_data.template_idPDF template ID (must start with pdf_).
document_data.fieldsOptional key–value pairs for form fields defined in the template. Supports text and checkbox fields.
This endpoint requires the following scope:pdf:files

Authorizations

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X-API-Key
string
header
required

Provide your API key in the X-API-Key header, e.g., X-API-Key: YOUR_API_KEY.

Body

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method
enum<string>
required

Import from a file (PDF or other supported formats).

Available options:
file-upload
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document_name
string
required

Human-friendly title of the document (1–255 characters).

Required string length: 1 - 255
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location
object
required
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document_data
object
required

Payload for file-upload method.

Response

Returns the summary of the created document.

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id
string
required

Unique identifier of the document in Lumin.

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name
string
required

Human-friendly name of the document.

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created_at
integer<unix-epoch>
required

Unix timestamp (milliseconds) when the document was created.

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updated_at
integer<unix-epoch>
required

Unix timestamp (milliseconds) when the document was last updated.

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location
object
required

Where the document is stored.

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size
integer
required

Size of the PDF file in bytes.

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mime_type
string
required

MIME type of the file (e.g. application/pdf).

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preview_url
string<uri>
required

URL to open the document in Lumin's viewer.