Show HN: Pdf-rfc3161 – Pure JavaScript library for RFC 3161 PDF timestamps

[mdn0]

Hi HN,

I built pdf-rfc3161, a lightweight pure JavaScript/TypeScript library for embedding trusted RFC 3161 timestamps into existing PDFs. It runs in Node, Cloudflare Workers, and browsers - no native dependencies.

Great for proving a document existed at a specific time without full digital signatures. Supports LTV for long-term validation (embeds cert chains and revocation info).

Live demo: https://mingulov.github.io/pdf-rfc3161/

GitHub: https://github.com/mingulov/pdf-rfc3161

npm: https://www.npmjs.com/package/pdf-rfc3161 (latest released version is 0.1.3)

There's also a CLI: npx pdf-rfc3161-cli

It is early days - feedback very welcome! Missing features, real-world use cases, or improvement ideas?

Thanks!

[gettalong]

In case you don't know it: PyHanko provides a full and up-to-date implementation for digital signatures in PDF, including time stamping.

https://github.com/MatthiasValvekens/pyHanko

[mdn0]

Thank you for the reply and for mentioning pyHanko!

Yes, it is in Python and much more powerful/comprehensive.

I personally really prefer Python too, but unfortunately it is too heavy for Cloudflare Workers and similar edge environments (due to the WebAssembly overhead etc). It is survivable, but consumes significantly more resources.

That is exactly why I created this tool - it stays small and lightweight, and definitely would not grow into full signing support.