# borb-pdf/borb

borb is a library for reading, creating and manipulating PDF files in python.

Repository: https://github.com/borb-pdf/borb
Canonical: https://ross.abutalabs.com/products/borb
Homepage: https://borbpdf.com/
Language: Python
License: NOASSERTION
License Family: other
Topics: pdf, pdf-generation, pdf-converter, pdf-conversion, pdf-library, python, python3, typesetting, library, sdk
Last push: 2026-08-26T18:39:58+00:00

## Health v2 (maintenance only)
Score: 94/100 (v2, computed 2026-09-03T02:20:16.233290+00:00)
- activity 99, release rhythm 84, longevity 100
- inputs: {"age_days": 2125, "days_push": 7, "days_rel": 30, "gap_med": 40.0, "n_releases_24m": 7}
- flags: no_license
- formula: round(0.45*activity + 0.35*rhythm + 0.20*longevity); archived -> min(score, 10)

## Adoption (not part of the score)
Stars 3570, forks 157 (observed 2026-08-28T04:08:10.652446+00:00)

## What it is
borb is a pure Python library for reading, creating, and manipulating PDF files, modeling documents in a JSON-like structure with a high-level page layout API. It is dual-licensed under AGPLv3 with paid commercial tiers, and offers optional add-ons like Markdown-to-PDF conversion and text find-and-replace.

## Use cases
- generate invoices and reports as pdfs from python
- extract text and images from pdf files
- add annotations, tables, and lists to existing pdfs
- convert markdown documents to pdf
- edit pdf metadata programmatically
- automate pdf document generation pipelines

## When to choose
- you need a pure Python PDF toolkit with no external dependencies
- you want a high-level layout API for generating structured documents like reports or invoices
- your project is open source and AGPLv3 compliance is acceptable
- you need to read, write, and modify PDFs within one library

## When to avoid
- you need a permissive license for closed-source or commercial SaaS use without paying for a license
- you need heavy-duty PDF form filling or digital signature features beyond borb's scope
- you prefer battle-tested alternatives like ReportLab or pypdf with larger communities

## Facets
- artifact type: library
- maturity: active
- function: pdf, templating, parser, sdk
- domain: pdf, files, developer-tools
- platform: python, cross-platform
- tags: pdf-generation, pdf-manipulation, document-layout, agpl-dual-license, pure-python, automation

## Member repositories
- borb-pdf/borb (main) score 94

## Provenance
- Observed fields: from GitHub, fetched 2026-08-28T04:08:10.652446+00:00.
- Health v2: computed from the inputs above; adoption is never an input.
- Inferred fields (summary, facets, guidance): AI-extracted, prompt v1, taxonomy v1, on 2026-08-29T18:34:07.211303+00:00, confidence not recorded.
  - readme: https://github.com/borb-pdf/borb (fetched 2026-08-28T04:08:10.652446+00:00, sha 9720fb44b7cc)
  - homepage: https://borbpdf.com/ (fetched 2026-08-29T09:28:13.368728+00:00, sha dbd6bb53c871)
  - registry_pypi: https://pypi.org/pypi/borb/json (fetched 2026-08-29T09:28:13.381016+00:00, sha a6c35843faf8)
  - site_page: https://borbpdf.com/pricing.html (fetched 2026-08-29T09:28:13.378698+00:00, sha 92022305dc65)
- Data as of 2026-08-30T08:39:29.467469+00:00.