Data Retention

Overview

Shablonix is not an archive. A direct PDF response (Accept: application/pdf) is returned in the HTTP response and is not stored. When a generated file is stored for later download (PDF or HTML), it is automatically deleted after 72 hours by default.

• Stored files are available for 72 hours after creation
• Every API response includes an expires_at timestamp
• Webhook payloads also include the expiration time
• Expired files return a 404 error when accessed

Expiration Details

Every generation response includes an expires_at field indicating when the file will be permanently deleted.

API Response

The expires_at field appears in all generation responses:

{
  "id": "a1b2c3d4-e5f6-7890-abcd-ef1234567890",
  "status": "completed",
  "format": "pdf",
  "created_at": "2024-01-15T10:30:00.000Z",
  "completed_at": "2024-01-15T10:30:01.234Z",
  "expires_at": "2024-01-18T10:30:00.000Z",
  "file_url": "/v1/generate/a1b2c3d4.../download",
  "file_size": 142857,
  "render_time_ms": 1234
}

Webhook Payload

Webhook notifications for completed documents also include the expiration time:

{
  "id": "evt_abc123xyz",
  "type": "document.completed",
  "created_at": "2024-01-15T10:30:01Z",
  "data": {
    "id": "a1b2c3d4-e5f6-7890-abcd-ef1234567890",
    "status": "completed",
    "file_url": "/v1/generate/a1b2c3d4.../download",
    "file_size": 142857,
    "render_time_ms": 1234,
    "expires_at": "2024-01-18T10:30:00.000Z"
  },
  "api_version": "2024-01-01"
}

Download Header

The download endpoint includes the expiration time in a response header:

Downloading Files

Download generated files using the file_url from the generation response before they expire.

# Download a generated document
curl -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY" \
  https://api.shablonix.online/v1/generate/{generation_id}/download \
  -o document.pdf

Expired File Behavior

When you attempt to access an expired file, the API returns a 404 error:

{
  "statusCode": 404,
  "message": "Generated file has expired and is no longer available"
}

This applies to both the download endpoint and the generation status endpoint. To get the document again, you must create a new generation request.

Best Practices