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7/17/2026
The original title is: "We replaced Chromium with a 1MB HTML-to-PDF library for Azure Functions"

The original title is: "We replaced Chromium with a 1MB HTML-to-PDF library for Azure Functions"

Original: We replaced Chromium with a 1MB HTML-to-PDF library for Azure Functions

Short summary

A technical evaluation of Bhowra.Ink, a Chromium-free HTML-to-PDF renderer for .NET, as a replacement for headless-browser PDF pipelines in serverless environments. The author argues that static business documents like invoices and payslips don't need a full browser stack, which adds hundreds of MB of binaries, slow cold starts, and CVE patching overhead. The library aims to be a managed .NET assembly with no external processes, though the evaluation acknowledges browser-based rendering remains necessary for JavaScript-heavy or SPA documents.

  • •Bhowra.Ink offers a 1MB Chromium-free HTML-to-PDF library for .NET, targeting serverless environments
  • •Eliminates browser binaries, cold starts, and CVE patching for static document generation
  • •Browser-based rendering still recommended for JS-heavy, SPA, or canvas-dependent documents

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