ApplicationBinary

`application/pdf`

PDF

Reference for application/pdf, the MIME type for Portable Document Format files used for documents, reports, and printable content.

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Expected extensions: .pdf

HTTP Content-Type Header

HTTP Header

Content-Type: application/pdf

Associated File Extensions

.pdf

Quick Facts

MIME Type	application/pdf
Category	Application
Type	Binary
Extensions	.pdf

Common Usage

PDF is the universal format for distributing documents that preserve layout across platforms. It is used for invoices, contracts, reports, scientific papers, government forms, ebooks, and print-ready artwork.

All major browsers include built-in PDF viewers.

Code Examples

HTML

<!-- Link or embed with explicit type -->
<link rel="stylesheet" href="file.pdf" type="application/pdf">

<!-- Or for script/media elements -->
<script type="application/pdf" src="file.pdf"></script>

Node.js

// Express.js
app.get('/file', (req, res) => {
  res.type('application/pdf');
  res.send(data);
});

// Node.js http
res.writeHead(200, { 'Content-Type': 'application/pdf' });

nginx

# nginx.conf — add to types block or use default
types {
    application/pdf  pdf;
}

# Or set for a specific location
location /api/ {
    default_type application/pdf;
}