Designing a File-Safe PDF Processing Pipeline

The Problem

• Large PDFs could consume too much memory if processed naively.
• Temporary files and partial outputs had to be cleaned up safely.
• Processing steps needed to stay isolated so one failure would not break the whole request.

Architecture & Approach

• 1
  Go services with clear validation and processing boundaries
• 2
  Temporary storage for intermediate files and generated outputs
• 3
  Orchestrated transformation steps with explicit cleanup
• 4
  Error handling designed for safe failure and consistent responses

Challenges & Trade-offs

Outcomes & Results

• Explicit file lifecycle handling across document operations
• Clearer failure and cleanup boundaries for processing workflows