MIGRATION GUIDES

How to Migrate from Rotativa to IronPDF in C#

게시됨:2월 1, 2026

Migrating from Rotativa to IronPDF addresses critical security vulnerabilities while modernizing your PDF generation workflow. This guide provides a complete, step-by-step migration path that eliminates the abandoned wkhtmltopdf dependency, enables support for modern CSS and JavaScript, and provides cross-platform compatibility beyond ASP.NET MVC.

Why Migrate from Rotativa to IronPDF

Understanding Rotativa

Rotativa has long been a popular choice among developers for generating PDFs in C#. It leverages the wkhtmltopdf tool to convert HTML content into PDF format. Rotativa is an open-source library specifically designed for ASP.NET MVC applications. However, while it has attracted a significant audience, Rotativa's reliance on an outdated technology stack presents challenges that might not be immediately evident to every developer.

At its core, Rotativa provides a simple way to integrate PDF generation into ASP.NET MVC projects, taking advantage of wkhtmltopdf for its backend functionalities.

Critical Security Advisory

Rotativa wraps wkhtmltopdf, which has CRITICAL UNPATCHED SECURITY VULNERABILITIES.

Attribute	Value
CVE ID	CVE-2022-35583
Severity	CRITICAL (9.8/10)
Attack Vector	Network
Status	WILL NEVER BE PATCHED
Affected	ALL Rotativa versions

wkhtmltopdf was officially abandoned in December 2022. The maintainers explicitly stated they will NOT fix security vulnerabilities. Every application using Rotativa is permanently exposed.

How the Attack Works


<iframe src="http://169.254.169.254/latest/meta-data/iam/security-credentials/"></iframe>
<img src="http://internal-database:5432/admin" />


<iframe src="http://169.254.169.254/latest/meta-data/iam/security-credentials/"></iframe>
<img src="http://internal-database:5432/admin" />

HTML

Impact:

Access AWS/Azure/GCP cloud metadata endpoints
Steal internal API data and credentials
Port scan internal networks
Exfiltrate sensitive configuration

The Technology Crisis

Rotativa wraps wkhtmltopdf, which uses:

Qt WebKit 4.8 (from 2012)
No Flexbox support
No CSS Grid support
Broken JavaScript execution
No ES6+ support

Rotativa vs IronPDF Comparison

Feature	Rotativa	IronPDF
Project Compatibility	ASP.NET MVC Only	Any .NET Project Type (MVC, Razor Pages, Blazor, etc.)
Maintenance	Abandoned	Actively Maintained
Security	Vulnerable due to wkhtmltopdf dependencies (CVE-2022-35583)	Regular updates and security patches
HTML Rendering	Outdated WebKit	Modern Chromium
CSS3	Partial	Supported
Flexbox/Grid	Not supported	Supported
JavaScript	Unreliable	Full ES6+
Razor Pages	Not supported	Supported
Blazor	Not supported	Supported
PDF Manipulation	Not available	Full
Digital Signatures	Not available	Full
PDF/A Compliance	Not available	Full
Async/Await	Synchronous only	Full async
Open Source	Yes, MIT License	No, Commercial License

For teams planning .NET 10 and C# 14 adoption through 2025 and 2026, IronPDF provides modern Chromium rendering and cross-platform support that Rotativa cannot offer.

Before You Start

Prerequisites

.NET Environment: .NET Framework 4.6.2+ or .NET Core 3.1+ / .NET 5/6/7/8/9+
NuGet Access: Ability to install NuGet packages
IronPDF License: Obtain your license key from ironpdf.com

NuGet Package Changes

# Remove Rotativa
dotnet remove package Rotativa
dotnet remove package Rotativa.AspNetCore

# Install IronPDF
dotnet add package IronPdf

# Remove Rotativa
dotnet remove package Rotativa
dotnet remove package Rotativa.AspNetCore

# Install IronPDF
dotnet add package IronPdf

SHELL

Remove wkhtmltopdf Binaries

Delete these files from your project:

wkhtmltopdf.exe
wkhtmltox.dll
Any Rotativa/ folders

These are the source of CVE-2022-35583. IronPDF needs no native binaries.

License Configuration

// Add in Program.cs or Startup.cs
IronPdf.License.LicenseKey = "YOUR-LICENSE-KEY";

// Add in Program.cs or Startup.cs
IronPdf.License.LicenseKey = "YOUR-LICENSE-KEY";

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Complete API Reference

Namespace Changes

// Before: Rotativa
using Rotativa;
using Rotativa.Options;
using Rotativa.AspNetCore;

// After: IronPDF
using IronPdf;
using IronPdf.Rendering;

// Before: Rotativa
using Rotativa;
using Rotativa.Options;
using Rotativa.AspNetCore;

// After: IronPDF
using IronPdf;
using IronPdf.Rendering;

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Core Class Mappings

Rotativa Class	IronPDF Equivalent
`ViewAsPdf`	`ChromePdfRenderer`
`ActionAsPdf`	`ChromePdfRenderer.RenderUrlAsPdf()`
`UrlAsPdf`	`ChromePdfRenderer.RenderUrlAsPdf()`
`Orientation` enum	`PdfPaperOrientation` enum
`Size` enum	`PdfPaperSize` enum

Page Placeholder Conversion

Rotativa Placeholder	IronPDF Placeholder
`[page]`	`{page}`
`[topage]`	`{total-pages}`
`[date]`	`{date}`
`[time]`	`{time}`
`[title]`	`{html-title}`
`[sitepage]`	`{url}`

Code Migration Examples

Example 1: HTML to PDF Conversion

Before (Rotativa):

// NuGet: Install-Package Rotativa.Core
using Microsoft.AspNetCore.Mvc;
using Rotativa.AspNetCore;
using System.Threading.Tasks;

namespace RotativaExample
{
    public class PdfController : Controller
    {
        public async Task<IActionResult> GeneratePdf()
        {
            var htmlContent = "<h1>Hello World</h1><p>This is a PDF document.</p>";

            // Rotativa requires returning a ViewAsPdf result from MVC controller
            return new ViewAsPdf()
            {
                ViewName = "PdfView",
                PageSize = Rotativa.AspNetCore.Options.Size.A4
            };
        }
    }
}

// NuGet: Install-Package Rotativa.Core
using Microsoft.AspNetCore.Mvc;
using Rotativa.AspNetCore;
using System.Threading.Tasks;

namespace RotativaExample
{
    public class PdfController : Controller
    {
        public async Task<IActionResult> GeneratePdf()
        {
            var htmlContent = "<h1>Hello World</h1><p>This is a PDF document.</p>";

            // Rotativa requires returning a ViewAsPdf result from MVC controller
            return new ViewAsPdf()
            {
                ViewName = "PdfView",
                PageSize = Rotativa.AspNetCore.Options.Size.A4
            };
        }
    }
}

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After (IronPDF):

// NuGet: Install-Package IronPdf
using IronPdf;
using System;

namespace IronPdfExample
{
    class Program
    {
        static void Main(string[] args)
        {
            var renderer = new ChromePdfRenderer();
            var htmlContent = "<h1>Hello World</h1><p>This is a PDF document.</p>";

            var pdf = renderer.RenderHtmlAsPdf(htmlContent);
            pdf.SaveAs("output.pdf");

            Console.WriteLine("PDF generated successfully!");
        }
    }
}

// NuGet: Install-Package IronPdf
using IronPdf;
using System;

namespace IronPdfExample
{
    class Program
    {
        static void Main(string[] args)
        {
            var renderer = new ChromePdfRenderer();
            var htmlContent = "<h1>Hello World</h1><p>This is a PDF document.</p>";

            var pdf = renderer.RenderHtmlAsPdf(htmlContent);
            pdf.SaveAs("output.pdf");

            Console.WriteLine("PDF generated successfully!");
        }
    }
}

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This example demonstrates the fundamental architectural difference. Rotativa requires returning a ViewAsPdf result from an MVC controller action, tying you to the ASP.NET MVC framework. The pattern only works within the MVC request pipeline and requires a Razor view to render.

IronPDF works anywhere: console applications, web APIs, Blazor, Razor Pages, or any .NET project type. You call RenderHtmlAsPdf() with an HTML string and save the result. No MVC controller required, no view dependency. See the HTML to PDF documentation for comprehensive examples.

Example 2: URL to PDF Conversion

Before (Rotativa):

// NuGet: Install-Package Rotativa.Core
using Microsoft.AspNetCore.Mvc;
using Rotativa.AspNetCore;
using System.Threading.Tasks;

namespace RotativaExample
{
    public class UrlPdfController : Controller
    {
        public async Task<IActionResult> ConvertUrlToPdf()
        {
            // Rotativa works within MVC framework and returns ActionResult
            return new UrlAsPdf("https://www.example.com")
            {
                FileName = "webpage.pdf",
                PageSize = Rotativa.AspNetCore.Options.Size.A4,
                PageOrientation = Rotativa.AspNetCore.Options.Orientation.Portrait
            };
        }
    }
}

// NuGet: Install-Package Rotativa.Core
using Microsoft.AspNetCore.Mvc;
using Rotativa.AspNetCore;
using System.Threading.Tasks;

namespace RotativaExample
{
    public class UrlPdfController : Controller
    {
        public async Task<IActionResult> ConvertUrlToPdf()
        {
            // Rotativa works within MVC framework and returns ActionResult
            return new UrlAsPdf("https://www.example.com")
            {
                FileName = "webpage.pdf",
                PageSize = Rotativa.AspNetCore.Options.Size.A4,
                PageOrientation = Rotativa.AspNetCore.Options.Orientation.Portrait
            };
        }
    }
}

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After (IronPDF):

// NuGet: Install-Package IronPdf
using IronPdf;
using System;

namespace IronPdfExample
{
    class Program
    {
        static void Main(string[] args)
        {
            var renderer = new ChromePdfRenderer();

            var pdf = renderer.RenderUrlAsPdf("https://www.example.com");
            pdf.SaveAs("webpage.pdf");

            Console.WriteLine("URL converted to PDF successfully!");
        }
    }
}

// NuGet: Install-Package IronPdf
using IronPdf;
using System;

namespace IronPdfExample
{
    class Program
    {
        static void Main(string[] args)
        {
            var renderer = new ChromePdfRenderer();

            var pdf = renderer.RenderUrlAsPdf("https://www.example.com");
            pdf.SaveAs("webpage.pdf");

            Console.WriteLine("URL converted to PDF successfully!");
        }
    }
}

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Rotativa's UrlAsPdf class requires returning an ActionResult from an MVC controller. IronPDF's RenderUrlAsPdf() method can be called from any context and returns a PdfDocument object directly. The URL rendering uses modern Chromium instead of wkhtmltopdf's vulnerable and outdated WebKit engine. Learn more in our tutorials.

Example 3: Headers and Footers with Page Numbers

Before (Rotativa):

// NuGet: Install-Package Rotativa.Core
using Microsoft.AspNetCore.Mvc;
using Rotativa.AspNetCore;
using Rotativa.AspNetCore.Options;
using System.Threading.Tasks;

namespace RotativaExample
{
    public class HeaderFooterController : Controller
    {
        public async Task<IActionResult> GeneratePdfWithHeaderFooter()
        {
            return new ViewAsPdf("Report")
            {
                PageSize = Size.A4,
                PageMargins = new Margins(20, 10, 20, 10),
                CustomSwitches = "--header-center \"Page Header\" --footer-center \"Page [page] of [toPage]\""
            };
        }
    }
}

// NuGet: Install-Package Rotativa.Core
using Microsoft.AspNetCore.Mvc;
using Rotativa.AspNetCore;
using Rotativa.AspNetCore.Options;
using System.Threading.Tasks;

namespace RotativaExample
{
    public class HeaderFooterController : Controller
    {
        public async Task<IActionResult> GeneratePdfWithHeaderFooter()
        {
            return new ViewAsPdf("Report")
            {
                PageSize = Size.A4,
                PageMargins = new Margins(20, 10, 20, 10),
                CustomSwitches = "--header-center \"Page Header\" --footer-center \"Page [page] of [toPage]\""
            };
        }
    }
}

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After (IronPDF):

// NuGet: Install-Package IronPdf
using IronPdf;
using IronPdf.Rendering;
using System;

namespace IronPdfExample
{
    class Program
    {
        static void Main(string[] args)
        {
            var renderer = new ChromePdfRenderer();

            renderer.RenderingOptions.TextHeader = new TextHeaderFooter()
            {
                CenterText = "Page Header",
                DrawDividerLine = true
            };

            renderer.RenderingOptions.TextFooter = new TextHeaderFooter()
            {
                CenterText = "Page {page} of {total-pages}",
                DrawDividerLine = true
            };

            var htmlContent = "<h1>Report Title</h1><p>Report content goes here.</p>";
            var pdf = renderer.RenderHtmlAsPdf(htmlContent);
            pdf.SaveAs("report.pdf");

            Console.WriteLine("PDF with headers and footers created successfully!");
        }
    }
}

// NuGet: Install-Package IronPdf
using IronPdf;
using IronPdf.Rendering;
using System;

namespace IronPdfExample
{
    class Program
    {
        static void Main(string[] args)
        {
            var renderer = new ChromePdfRenderer();

            renderer.RenderingOptions.TextHeader = new TextHeaderFooter()
            {
                CenterText = "Page Header",
                DrawDividerLine = true
            };

            renderer.RenderingOptions.TextFooter = new TextHeaderFooter()
            {
                CenterText = "Page {page} of {total-pages}",
                DrawDividerLine = true
            };

            var htmlContent = "<h1>Report Title</h1><p>Report content goes here.</p>";
            var pdf = renderer.RenderHtmlAsPdf(htmlContent);
            pdf.SaveAs("report.pdf");

            Console.WriteLine("PDF with headers and footers created successfully!");
        }
    }
}

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Rotativa uses CustomSwitches to pass command-line arguments to wkhtmltopdf, including header and footer configuration with placeholders like [page] and [toPage]. This string-based approach is error-prone and hard to validate at compile time.

IronPDF uses strongly-typed TextHeaderFooter objects with properties like CenterText and DrawDividerLine. The placeholder syntax changes from [page] to {page} and from [toPage] to {total-pages}. Typed properties provide IntelliSense, compile-time checking, and no risk of typos.

The MVC-Only Architecture Problem

Rotativa was designed for ASP.NET MVC 5 and earlier:

// ❌ Rotativa - Only works with classic MVC pattern
public class InvoiceController : Controller
{
    public ActionResult InvoicePdf(int id)
    {
        var model = GetInvoice(id);
        return new ViewAsPdf("Invoice", model);  // Tied to MVC Views
    }
}

// Problems:
// - No Razor Pages support
// - No Blazor support
// - No minimal APIs support
// - No ASP.NET Core native integration

// ❌ Rotativa - Only works with classic MVC pattern
public class InvoiceController : Controller
{
    public ActionResult InvoicePdf(int id)
    {
        var model = GetInvoice(id);
        return new ViewAsPdf("Invoice", model);  // Tied to MVC Views
    }
}

// Problems:
// - No Razor Pages support
// - No Blazor support
// - No minimal APIs support
// - No ASP.NET Core native integration

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IronPDF separates view rendering from PDF generation, which is actually more flexible—you can render any HTML, not just MVC views.

Async Pattern Migration

Rotativa blocks the thread; IronPDF supports full async/await:

// ❌ Rotativa - Blocks the thread
public ActionResult GeneratePdf()
{
    return new ViewAsPdf("Report");
    // This blocks the request thread until PDF is complete
    // Poor scalability under load
}

// ✅ IronPDF - Full async support
public async Task<IActionResult> GeneratePdf()
{
    var renderer = new ChromePdfRenderer();
    var pdf = await renderer.RenderHtmlAsPdfAsync(html);
    return File(pdf.BinaryData, "application/pdf");
    // Non-blocking, better scalability
}

// ❌ Rotativa - Blocks the thread
public ActionResult GeneratePdf()
{
    return new ViewAsPdf("Report");
    // This blocks the request thread until PDF is complete
    // Poor scalability under load
}

// ✅ IronPDF - Full async support
public async Task<IActionResult> GeneratePdf()
{
    var renderer = new ChromePdfRenderer();
    var pdf = await renderer.RenderHtmlAsPdfAsync(html);
    return File(pdf.BinaryData, "application/pdf");
    // Non-blocking, better scalability
}

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New Capabilities After Migration

After migrating to IronPDF, you gain capabilities that Rotativa cannot provide:

PDF Merging

var merged = PdfDocument.Merge(pdf1, pdf2, pdf3);
merged.SaveAs("complete.pdf");

var merged = PdfDocument.Merge(pdf1, pdf2, pdf3);
merged.SaveAs("complete.pdf");

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Digital Signatures

var signature = new PdfSignature("certificate.pfx", "password");
pdf.Sign(signature);

var signature = new PdfSignature("certificate.pfx", "password");
pdf.Sign(signature);

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Password Protection

pdf.SecuritySettings.UserPassword = "secret";

pdf.SecuritySettings.UserPassword = "secret";

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Watermarks

pdf.ApplyWatermark("<h1 style='color:red; opacity:0.3;'>DRAFT</h1>");

pdf.ApplyWatermark("<h1 style='color:red; opacity:0.3;'>DRAFT</h1>");

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PDF/A Archival Compliance

pdf.SaveAsPdfA("archive.pdf", PdfAVersions.PdfA3b);

pdf.SaveAsPdfA("archive.pdf", PdfAVersions.PdfA3b);

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Modern CSS Support

// This now works (broke in Rotativa)
var html = @"
    <div style='display: flex; justify-content: space-between;'>
        <div>Left</div>
        <div>Right</div>
    </div>
    <div style='display: grid; grid-template-columns: 1fr 1fr 1fr;'>
        <div>Col 1</div><div>Col 2</div><div>Col 3</div>
    </div>";
var pdf = renderer.RenderHtmlAsPdf(html);  // Works!

// This now works (broke in Rotativa)
var html = @"
    <div style='display: flex; justify-content: space-between;'>
        <div>Left</div>
        <div>Right</div>
    </div>
    <div style='display: grid; grid-template-columns: 1fr 1fr 1fr;'>
        <div>Col 1</div><div>Col 2</div><div>Col 3</div>
    </div>";
var pdf = renderer.RenderHtmlAsPdf(html);  // Works!

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Migration Checklist

Pre-Migration

Identify all Rotativa usage in codebase
Document CustomSwitches used for conversion to RenderingOptions
Note header/footer placeholder syntax for conversion ([page] → {page})
Obtain IronPDF license key from ironpdf.com

Package Changes

Remove Rotativa and Rotativa.AspNetCore NuGet packages
Delete wkhtmltopdf binaries (wkhtmltopdf.exe, wkhtmltox.dll)
Install IronPdf NuGet package

Code Changes

Update namespace imports (using Rotativa; → using IronPdf;)
Replace ViewAsPdf with ChromePdfRenderer + RenderHtmlAsPdf()
Replace UrlAsPdf with RenderUrlAsPdf()
Convert CustomSwitches to RenderingOptions properties
Update placeholder syntax ([page] → {page}, [topage] → {total-pages})
Replace PageMargins with individual MarginTop/MarginBottom/MarginLeft/MarginRight
Change to async pattern where appropriate
Add license initialization at application startup

Post-Migration

Verify all PDF generation works correctly
Compare PDF output quality (Chromium renders more accurately)
Verify CSS rendering improvements (Flexbox/Grid now work)
Test JavaScript execution (now reliable with Chromium)
Verify security scan passes (no more CVE-2022-35583 flags)
Update Docker configurations to remove wkhtmltopdf installation

커티스 차우

지금 바로 엔지니어링 팀과 채팅하세요

기술 문서 작성자

커티스 차우는 칼턴 대학교에서 컴퓨터 과학 학사 학위를 취득했으며, Node.js, TypeScript, JavaScript, React를 전문으로 하는 프론트엔드 개발자입니다. 직관적이고 미적으로 뛰어난 사용자 인터페이스를 만드는 데 열정을 가진 그는 최신 프레임워크를 활용하고, 잘 구성되고 시각적으로 매력적인 매뉴얼을 제작하는 것을 즐깁니다.

커티스는 개발 분야 외에도 사물 인터넷(IoT)에 깊은 관심을 가지고 있으며, 하드웨어와 소프트웨어를 통합하는 혁신적인 방법을 연구합니다. 여가 시간에는 게임을 즐기거나 디스코드 봇을 만들면서 기술에 대한 애정과 창의성을 결합합니다.

고객 성공 사례:

주목할 만한 개발자:

웹 세미나:

30일 무료 체험 시작하기

How to Migrate from Rotativa to IronPDF in C#

Why Migrate from Rotativa to IronPDF

Understanding Rotativa

Critical Security Advisory

How the Attack Works

The Technology Crisis

Rotativa vs IronPDF Comparison

Before You Start

Prerequisites

NuGet Package Changes

Remove wkhtmltopdf Binaries

License Configuration

Complete API Reference

Namespace Changes

Core Class Mappings

Page Placeholder Conversion

Code Migration Examples

Example 1: HTML to PDF Conversion

Example 2: URL to PDF Conversion

Example 3: Headers and Footers with Page Numbers

The MVC-Only Architecture Problem

Async Pattern Migration

New Capabilities After Migration

PDF Merging

Digital Signatures

Password Protection

Watermarks

PDF/A Archival Compliance

Modern CSS Support

Migration Checklist

Pre-Migration

Package Changes

Code Changes

Post-Migration

30일 무료 체험 시작하기

How to Migrate from Rotativa to IronPDF in C#

Why Migrate from Rotativa to IronPDF

Understanding Rotativa

Critical Security Advisory

How the Attack Works

The Technology Crisis

Rotativa vs IronPDF Comparison

Before You Start

Prerequisites

NuGet Package Changes

Remove wkhtmltopdf Binaries

License Configuration

Complete API Reference

Namespace Changes

Core Class Mappings

Page Placeholder Conversion

Code Migration Examples

Example 1: HTML to PDF Conversion

Example 2: URL to PDF Conversion

Example 3: Headers and Footers with Page Numbers

The MVC-Only Architecture Problem

Async Pattern Migration

New Capabilities After Migration

PDF Merging

Digital Signatures

Password Protection

Watermarks

PDF/A Archival Compliance

Modern CSS Support

Migration Checklist

Pre-Migration

Package Changes

Code Changes

Post-Migration

관련 기사

How to Migrate from ZetPDF to IronPDF in C#

How to Migrate from Scryber.Core to IronPDF in C#

How to Migrate from XFINIUM.PDF to IronPDF in C#

다음 단계: 30일 무료 체험 시작하기

다음 단계: 30일 무료 체험 시작하기

전 세계 수백만 엔지니어들이 신뢰하는 제품입니다.