For most Java developers, using a build tool like Apache Maven or Gradle is the standard approach. This automatically handles the "Kernel" JAR and its necessary dependencies. com.itextpdf Artifact ID: kernel
For a bundled download, the official iText GitHub often provides a .zip file containing all the core JARs (Kernel, IO, Layout, etc.) for a specific release. com.itextpdf.kernel.pdf jar download
9.x.x (Versions as recent as 9.6.0 are available as of early 2026) Add the following to your pom.xml : For most Java developers, using a build tool
The com.itextpdf.kernel.pdf package is the bedrock of the iText 7 library, providing the essential low-level APIs required to create, read, and manipulate PDF documents. Unlike high-level layout tools, the "Kernel" module gives you direct access to the internal PDF structure, including dictionaries, streams, and page objects. If you require the standalone
com.itextpdf kernel 9.6.0 Use code with caution.
If you require the standalone .jar file without a build tool, you can download it directly from the Central Repository . Select the version you need and download kernel-x.x.x.jar along with its required companions like io and layout .
Downloading this JAR enables several critical PDF functions: com.itextpdf » kernel - Maven Repository