Command Line Utility (CLI)

rust-pdf-box includes a high-performance standalone command-line executable named pdfbox. It allows developers, sysadmins, and automation pipelines to manipulate, sign, stamp, and inspect PDF files without writing code.

Installation

Cargo Install

If you have Rust and Cargo installed:

cargo install --path . --bin pdfbox

Or install directly from git:

cargo install --git https://github.com/techwastiinfotech/rust-pdf-box.git --bin pdfbox

Pre-Compiled Standalone Binaries

Pre-compiled single-binary executables with zero external dependencies are published on every GitHub Release for:

Linux (x86_64)
Windows (x86_64)
macOS (Apple Silicon arm64 and Intel x86_64)

Subcommand Reference

1. Document Information (`info`)

Inspect document metadata, PDF version, catalog references, and page count:

pdfbox info sample.pdf

Example output:

=== PDF Document Info ===
File: sample.pdf
Version: 1.7
Page Count: 12
Title: Annual Financial Report 2026
Author: Techwasti Infotech
Producer: rust-pdf-box v0.1.0
Encrypted: false

2. Text Extraction (`text`)

Extract all readable text streams from a PDF file:

# Print to standard output
pdfbox text invoice.pdf

# Save directly to a text file
pdfbox text invoice.pdf extracted.txt

3. Watermarking (`watermark`)

Stamp a diagonal, semi-transparent watermark across all pages:

pdfbox watermark input.pdf watermarked.pdf "CONFIDENTIAL" [opacity] [angle_deg]

Example:

pdfbox watermark contract.pdf contract_marked.pdf "DRAFT VERSION" 0.2 45

4. Rubber Stamping (`stamp`)

Apply an official boxed rubber stamp in the upper right corner:

pdfbox stamp input.pdf stamped.pdf "<TITLE>" ["<SUBTITLE>"]

Example:

pdfbox stamp proposal.pdf approved.pdf "APPROVED" "Security Compliance Team"

5. Digital Signatures (`sign`)

Digitally sign a PDF document with an ISO 32000 CMS/PKCS#7 detached signature and an official visual appearance stamp:

pdfbox sign input.pdf signed.pdf "<SIGNER_NAME>" ["<REASON>"] ["<LOCATION>"]

Example:

pdfbox sign contract.pdf contract_signed.pdf "Techwasti Authority" "Enterprise Contract Agreement" "Bangalore, India"

6. Signature Verification (`verify`)

Verify detached digital signatures and detect if the document was altered or tampered with after signing:

pdfbox verify contract_signed.pdf

Example output:

=== Signature Verification ===
Found 1 signature(s):
  [1] Signer: CN=Techwasti Authority
      Filter: /Adobe.PPKLite
      SubFilter: /adbe.pkcs7.detached
      Status: VALID (Document integrity verified)

7. Merging PDFs (`merge`)

Merge multiple PDF documents into a single document:

pdfbox merge output.pdf file1.pdf file2.pdf file3.pdf

8. Splitting PDFs (`split`)

Split a multi-page PDF into single-page PDF files:

pdfbox split multi_page.pdf ./output_directory/

9. Flattening Forms (`flatten`)

Burn all interactive AcroForm fields into permanent page graphics so form inputs can no longer be edited:

pdfbox flatten input_form.pdf flattened.pdf

Keyboard shortcuts

rust-pdf-box Documentation