Converting files from one format to another is a critical capability needed in many applications today. However, all file conversion APIs work differently. When building an application that involves document and media conversions, carefully evaluating and selecting the right conversion API vendor is key.
There are several key parameters like supported formats, accuracy, security, scalability, and pricing that need careful analysis. Here’s a detailed elaboration of essential things to keep in mind when selecting a file conversion API.
Supported Input and Output Formats
The first thing to look at is which input formats the API supports converting from, and which output formats it can convert to. Most file conversion APIs support common Microsoft Office formats like Word, Excel, PowerPoint, as well as PDF. However, support for less common formats like OpenOffice, ePub, HTML, and image formats varies.
Make sure to select an API that handles all the input formats your application will need to ingest, and can convert them to the required output formats.
Conversion Accuracy and Fidelity
When documents are converted from their native format, especially complex formats like DOCX and PPTX, formatting, images, charts, and other elements can get lost or corrupted. Evaluating how accurately and completely an API converts files is critical.
Look for conversion APIs that retain maximum fidelity and formatting accuracy when converting documents. Features like native conversions using Office apps, retaining bookmarks and annotations, and applying security settings on output PDFs indicate better conversion quality.
Customization and Control
Requirements around customizing conversions and controlling output vary across applications. See if the API provides options to:
- Split or merge input files
- Convert specific pages or page ranges
- Apply passwords/encryption on output files
- Add headers, footers, watermarks
- Compress image output to specific sizes
More control over customizing the conversion process allows better integration into your workflows.
Speed and Scalability
Conversion speed and the ability to scale to high volumes are vital for production applications. Test out conversion turnaround times for the API using average-sized files. Also, confirm if the API offers options for asynchronous conversions for large files and batches.
Most vendors provide SLAs around uptime and have tiers to scale to thousands of conversions per hour. Factor your usage volumes while selecting the right plan. You should also emphasize the web design accordingly.
Platform and SDK Support
Ease of integration into your tech stack should be assessed by checking the API’s platform and SDK support. Most conversion APIs today provide SDKs for .NET, Java, Python, Node.js, and PHP and offer integrations for cloud platforms like Azure, AWS, and Google Cloud.
Some even have SDK-less integration using webhook callbacks for uploads and downloads.
Security
For applications dealing with sensitive documents, security practices around file storage and transmission are paramount.
Evaluate the API vendor’s security standards compliance, protocols for SSL encryption in transit and at rest, data privacy policies, and access controls to the conversion infrastructure.
Pricing Considerations
File conversion API pricing can range from completely free tiers for small usage to paid plans going up to thousands of dollars monthly for enterprise-scale usage.
Factor in the number of users, average file sizes, and conversion volumes while arriving at the right pricing tier for your needs. Some vendors also provide custom pricing for large customers.
Conclusion
The key capabilities to evaluate are the breadth of input/output formats, conversion accuracy, customization options, speed and scalability, security, platform support, and pricing. Ranking the shortlisted APIs on these parameters helps determine the best fit for your specific file conversion needs.
