How to Create a Password-Protected PDF in Laravel Using FPDF and FpdiProtection

Introduction:
When building applications that involve document generation, especially in fields like finance or legal, security often becomes a top priority. In this tutorial, we’ll explore how to create password-protected PDFs in a Laravel application using the FPDF library alongside FpdiProtection, which allows us to set permissions and protect PDF files with a user and owner password.

Let’s dive into the setup!

Requirements:
Before we start, ensure you have a Laravel project set up. You’ll also need the FPDF and FpdiProtection libraries.

Step 1: Install FPDF and FpdiProtection
To create a password-protected PDF, install both FPDF and FpdiProtection via Composer. Run the following command in your terminal:

composer require setasign/fpdf setasign/fpdi-protection

This command adds both libraries to your project, where FPDF handles PDF creation and FpdiProtection provides the functionality to secure the PDF with passwords.

Step 2: Create a Controller for PDF Generation:
In Laravel, it’s helpful to use a controller to manage the PDF generation process. Let’s create a PdfController and add a method to generate…