Data Retention

Overview

All generated documents (PDF, PNG, HTML, DOCX) are stored temporarily and automatically deleted after 24 hours. This retention policy ensures efficient storage usage while giving you ample time to download or transfer your files.

• Generated files are available for 24 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": "2024-01-16T10:30:00.000Z",
  "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": "2024-01-16T10:30:00.000Z"
  },
  "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.com/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