Now with 4 LaTeX engines & async compilation

Never install
TeX Live again.

Compile LaTeX to PDF with a single API call. No installs. No maintenance. No limits.

Free tier included · No credit card required

~/formatex
0K+
Compilations served
0+
Developers
<0ms
Avg compile time
0%
Uptime

Every pain point, solved.

Self-hosted LaTeX is painful. FormatEx eliminates every problem with a single API.

4 GB TeX Live installs

Every server needs a full distribution. Every container rebuild downloads it again.

One API call

Send LaTeX, get PDF. No installs, no config, no maintenance.

Version conflicts

Packages break across TeX Live releases. What compiled yesterday fails today.

Always up to date

We maintain TeX Live so you never worry about package versions again.

Security nightmares

Shell escape, arbitrary file reads, sandbox escapes. LaTeX is powerful and dangerous.

Sandboxed by default

Every compilation runs in an isolated environment. Shell escape is impossible.

Scaling is painful

Compilation is CPU-heavy and hard to parallelize. One stuck job blocks everything.

Scales automatically

Async job queue with horizontal worker scaling. Handle thousands of compilations.

How it works.

Send LaTeX→We compile→Get your PDF
~/formatex
curl -X POST https://api.formatex.dev/api/v1/compile \
  -H "X-API-Key: fx_live_a8k2mP9..." \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"latex": "\\documentclass{article}...", "engine": "pdflatex"}'
compiling
[pdflatex] Processing document.tex
[pdflatex] Pass 1/1 completed
[pdflatex] Output: document.pdf (24,891 bytes)
[pdflatex] Duration: 142ms
response
HTTP/1.1 200 OK
Content-Type: application/pdf
X-Compile-Duration-Ms: 142
X-Engine: pdflatex

-> document.pdf (24.3 KB)

Everything you need.

A complete compilation platform, not just an endpoint.

Four LaTeX Engines

pdflatex, xelatex, lualatex, latexmk. Pick the right engine for each document.

pdflatexStandard documents, math
xelatexUnicode, custom fonts
lualatexLua scripting, advanced
latexmkAuto multi-pass builds

Sub-100ms Compilation

Simple documents compile in under 100ms. Complex papers in seconds, not minutes.

<100ms

Sync & Async Modes

Get PDFs immediately or submit jobs and poll for status. Your workflow, your choice.

POST /compile → 200 PDF
POST /async → 202 → poll → PDF

Real-Time Usage Dashboard

Track compilations by engine, success rate, and duration. Export data anytime.

JanDec

Per-User API Keys

Create, rotate, and revoke keys instantly. SHA-256 hashed at rest.

fx_live_a8k2mP9...Active
fx_test_bR4nJ6k...Revoked

Production-Ready Security

Sandboxed compilation, input sanitization, rate limiting, OWASP headers, zero data retention. Every compilation is isolated.

Sandboxed compilation
Input sanitization
Rate limiting
OWASP headers
Zero data retention

Four LaTeX engines.

Pick the right tool for each document.

pdfLaTeX

The workhorse. Fast, reliable, battle-tested with the widest package support.

Standard documentsmathType1 fonts
\documentclass{article}
\usepackage{amsmath}
\begin{document}
\section{Euler's Identity}
\[ e^{i\pi} + 1 = 0 \]
\end{document}

Who uses FormatEx.

From AI tools to solo developers, LaTeX compilation at any scale.

AI Tool Builders

Companies building AI apps that generate LaTeX

Your LLM generates LaTeX. We compile it to PDF. No TeX Live on your servers, no compilation headaches.

EdTech Platforms

Educational technology serving students and teachers

Render math-heavy exams, worksheets, and course materials as beautiful PDFs at scale.

Document Automation

Invoice, certificate, and report generators

Template-driven PDF generation with pixel-perfect LaTeX typesetting. Better than HTML-to-PDF.

Individual Developers

Solo devs and indie hackers

Skip the TeX Live setup. Get an API key and start compiling in 30 seconds. Free tier included.

Enterprise-grade security.

Every compilation runs in a locked-down sandbox. Your data is never stored.

0+
dangerous commands blocked

Sandboxed Compilation

-no-shell-escape enforced on all engines. System commands completely blocked.

0
bytes retained after compilation

Input Sanitization

Blocks \write18, \directlua, pipe commands, null bytes, and more.

0x
layer rate limiting

Rate Limiting

Redis-based per-IP rate limiting at both Nginx and application level.

0
security headers

OWASP Headers

CSP, X-Frame-Options, X-Content-Type-Options, HSTS, and Referrer-Policy.

0
worker internet access

Network Isolation

Workers run on an internal network with no internet access. Full container isolation.

0
bit key hashing

SHA-256 Key Hashing

API keys stored as hashes. Raw key shown once on creation, never stored.

Works with every language.

Copy, paste, compile.

curl -X POST https://api.formatex.dev/api/v1/compile \
  -H "X-API-Key: fx_live_a8k2mP9..." \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "latex": "\\documentclass{article}\\begin{document}Hello, World!\\end{document}",
    "engine": "pdflatex"
  }' \
  --output document.pdf

Simple, transparent pricing.

Start free, scale as you grow.

MonthlyAnnual-17%

Free

Try the API

$0

100/mo compilations

  • pdflatex engine
  • 30s timeout
  • 1 MB max file size
  • 2 API keys

Developer

For side projects

$12/mo

2,000/mo compilations

  • All 4 engines
  • 120s timeout
  • 5 MB max file size
  • 5 API keys
  • Soft usage limits

Pro

Recommended

For production apps

$49/mo

15,000/mo compilations

  • All 4 engines
  • 300s timeout
  • 10 MB max file size
  • 10 API keys
  • Priority queue

Scale

For high volume

$199/mo

100,000/mo compilations

  • All 4 engines
  • 300s timeout
  • 10 MB max file size
  • 25 API keys
  • Priority queue
No credit card requiredCancel anytimeAll plans include API access
See full pricing details

Get your API key in 30 seconds

Join hundreds of developers who compile LaTeX without the infrastructure headache.

$ formatex register
✓ Account created
$ formatex keys create
✓ fx_live_a8k2mP9x...
$ formatex compile doc.tex
✓ document.pdf (42KB, 87ms)