The e-signature API built to live inside your product.
The open alternative to DocuSign. Self-host the whole stack or use the managed cloud — with a typed SDK, AI field detection, a real audit trail, and no per-seat billing.
- ✓ESIGN / UETA consent
- ✓Append-only audit trail
- ✓PAdES digital seal
- ✓SHA-256 certificate
import { PenpactClient } from '@penpact/sdk';
const penpact = new PenpactClient({ apiKey: process.env.PENPACT_API_KEY! });
const envelope = await penpact.createEnvelope({
documentName: 'Mutual NDA',
signers: [{ name: 'Ada Lovelace', email: '[email protected]' }],
});
await penpact.uploadDocument(envelope.id, pdfBytes);
await penpact.placeFields(envelope.id, [
{ type: 'signature', signerId: envelope.signers[0].id,
page: 1, x: 72, y: 620, width: 200, height: 40 },
]);
// Your signer gets a link, consents, and signs.
// You get back a sealed, PAdES-signed PDF.
await penpact.send(envelope.id);From zero to a sent, sealed document — the whole flow, in one file.
The flow
Four calls. Then evidence.
- 01 Create an envelope
One call with the document name and signers.
- 02 Upload & place fields
Send a PDF, then place fields by coordinate, in the visual builder, or let AI propose them.
- 03 Send
Each signer gets a link, accepts the ESIGN disclosure, and signs — typed, drawn, or with a step-up code.
- 04 Get a sealed PDF
Penpact flattens the values, seals the PDF, and writes a Certificate of Completion.
Why developers pick it
Built like a developer tool, not a sales funnel.
A typed SDK, not a generated blob
A small, hand-written TypeScript client you can read in one sitting. No 200-method generated object model to learn — just the calls you need, fully typed.
AI field detection
Point Claude at the PDF and it proposes signature, date, and name fields. Review and send. Set ANTHROPIC_API_KEY to enable it when self-hosting.
Self-host in two minutes
docker compose up starts Postgres and the API and prints a working key. Every document stays on your own infrastructure, under AGPL-3.0.
Evidence built in
ESIGN consent, an append-only audit trail with IP and timestamps, a PAdES digital signature on the sealed PDF, and a SHA-256 Certificate of Completion.
No per-seat, no per-page
Usage-based on the managed cloud, free forever when you self-host. Signing is part of your product, not a per-envelope tax on every customer.
Embeddable signing
A hosted signing page and a drop-in, themeable React <Sign/> component. Your users sign inside your product, under your brand.
Coming from DocuSign?
The opposite stance, on purpose.
Per-envelope pricing, seat minimums, a generated SDK, and an iframe you style around. Penpact is open source, with a typed SDK and usage-based pricing — no seats, no per-page tax.
See the full comparison →Read the source. Run it yourself.
The core engine is on GitHub under AGPL-3.0. Self-host for free, or use the managed cloud when you would rather not run the infrastructure.
Early development (v0.1.0). The API is not stable yet and the consent text is pending a lawyer's review. We would rather say that plainly.