Shared PDF Generation Between Frontend and Backend: One Template, Two Platforms

This article addresses the common problem of PDF inconsistency when generating invoices or documents in both frontend (browser) and backend (email/API) environments. It explains the pitfalls of duplicating PDF code with different libraries like jsPDF and PDFKit, which lead to bugs such as mismatched customer names or pricing. The proposed solution is a shared package using @react-pdf/renderer within a Turborepo monorepo, ensuring type-safe, identical PDF output across Next.js and NestJS. The article covers implementation details, usage examples for both platforms, and best practices for maintaining a single source of truth for PDF templates, reducing code duplication and improving reliability.