What it does
Apache PDFBox includes standalone Java tools for text and image extraction, form-data exchange, overlays, merging, and document inspection. PDFDebugger exposes the internal structure of a PDF.
Use export:text with a page range for a section of text, export:images for embedded pictures, or FDF/XFDF when form values should travel separately from page design. Choose an output path explicitly: encryption and form-data import can otherwise overwrite the input. Overlay and split commands offer page-specific controls and output naming. PDFBox 3 needs Java 8 or later; some image formats and cryptographic operations need optional libraries. The Apache 2.0 project includes a local Java API as well as command-line tools.
Strengths
- Provides structural operations, form-data tools, and a graphical debugger.
Watch out for
- Some commands reuse the input file when an output path is omitted.
Best for
- Technical PDF processing from Java command-line tools
Sources
- Apache PDFBox | Command-Line Tools (Oct 26, 2026)
- PDFBox3 Java runtime and optional image/crypto dependencies (Oct 26, 2026)
- Apache PDFBox library and Apache2 licensing (Oct 26, 2026)