Recommended way to embed PDF in HTML?

Leveraging Adobe PDF Embed API

When a richer PDF interaction is desired, consider the Adobe PDF Embed API. Armed with an Adobe clientId, it lets you streamline how PDFs are viewed and interacted with. This method comes with perks such as analytics, responsive design, and search capabilities.

Tried-and-true embedding methods

<embed> and <iframe> elements

<embed src="yourPDFpath" width="600" height="500" type="application/pdf">
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The <embed> tag embeds the PDF directly yet falls short on fallback support. Conversely, <iframe> is like a mini-browsing window in your HTML document.

PDF.js for real-time display

For displaying real-time content or avoiding dependence on Adobe's infrastructure, PDF.js, a JavaScript-based open-source library, is a great solution. It doesn't necessitate uploading PDFs to external servers.

Google Drive viewer for Android users

To cater to Android Chrome users, the Google Drive viewer serves as a good fallback:

<embed src="https://drive.google.com/viewerng/viewer?embedded=true&url=yourpublicPDFurl" width="600" height="500">
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Remember to replace yourpublicPDFurl with your accessible PDF's URL. It uses Google's robust infrastructure ensuring a consistent viewing experience.

Enhancing user experience with web parameters

Inclusion of web parameters in your PDF's URL can amend the user's viewing experience. Though it can change view modes and UI features, browser compatibility varies.

Broadening your compatible net

Integrating <object> with <embed>

To warrant wider compatibility with different browsers, nest <embed> within <object>:

<object data="yourPDFpath" type="application/pdf" width="600" height="500">
  <embed src="yourPDFpath" type="application/pdf" />
  <p><b>Maybe it's invisible ink? PDF can't be displayed.</b> Try <a href="yourPDFpath">downloading</a> instead?</p>
</object>
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This method covers your bases: if one approach flops, the other steps in.

Remember the elder browsers

Remember to consider the compatibility of the method you chose with various browsers, especially the older ones. Resources like Can I Use can verify <embed>, <object>, or JavaScript-based solution compatibility.

PDF embedding sans Flash

For those feeling nostalgic, JavaScript-based viewers such as PDF.js provide a means to embed PDF without the now-defunct Flash.

Accessibility and best practices

Always keep accessibility in mind and adhere to best practices, such as providing a download link. It's not only nice, it's necessary for accessibility compliance.

Potential issues and workarounds

Testing, testing

Always test your PDF embedding across browsers and devices for consistency. If it fails, guide users to an alternative access point like a download link.

Google PDF Viewer has its limitations

Google PDF Viewer requires your PDF to be publicly accessible. This may not be feasible due to privacy or security issues. If so, opt for other environments like Adobe PDF Embed API or server-side rendering.

A word about performance

Embedding large PDFs can slow down your website. Best to optimize PDFs for web use to reduce loading times. Methods to consider are compression and lazy loading.