> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.runpulse.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Introduction

> Pulse turns complex documents into reliable text, tables, structured JSON, citations, and reusable extraction artifacts.

Pulse turns complex documents into reliable text, tables, structured JSON, citations, and reusable extraction artifacts.

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Start in the Platform" icon="browser" href="/platform-quickstart">
    Build and test your first pipeline visually.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Start with the API" icon="code" href="/quickstart">
    Parse a document from Python, TypeScript, or REST.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Choose a Workflow" icon="route" href="/concepts/choose-workflow">
    Decide between Extract, Schema, Tables, Split, and Batch.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Security & Compliance" icon="shield-check" href="/security/overview">
    Review data handling, API key, storage, and compliance guidance.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

Pulse parses PDFs, spreadsheets, presentations, images, Word documents, and other enterprise files. It is built for document understanding rather than basic OCR: layout, reading order, tables, charts, figures, citations, and structured extraction are first-class parts of the workflow.

***

## How it works

```mermaid theme={null}
flowchart LR
    A[Upload document] --> B["/extract"]
    B --> C{Need structure?}
    C -->|Single schema| D["/schema"]
    C -->|Multi-section| E["/split"]
    E --> F["/schema (split mode)"]
    C -->|Content only| G[Done — markdown + tables]
```

1. **Extract** a document into markdown, tables, figures, bounding boxes, chunks, and an `extraction_id`.
2. **Choose a downstream step**: Schema for JSON fields, Tables for table-first output, or Split for topic-based page groups.
3. **Chain or scale** the workflow with saved presets, async jobs, batch endpoints, webhooks, and SDKs.

***

## How to use Pulse

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="API & SDKs" icon="code" href="/quickstart">
    For developers building automated pipelines. Available in Python, TypeScript, and REST.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Pulse Platform" icon="browser" href="/platform-quickstart">
    Visual document processing UI. Upload files, build pipelines, and see results instantly.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

***

## Pipeline Steps

<CardGroup cols={3}>
  <Card title="Extract" icon="file-lines" href="/api-reference/endpoint/extract">
    Parse documents into markdown, tables, and figures with layout-aware processing.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Split" icon="scissors" href="/api-reference/endpoint/split">
    Divide documents into topic-based page groups for targeted processing.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Schema" icon="brackets-curly" href="/api-reference/endpoint/schema">
    Apply schemas to extract structured JSON data from documents or topics.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Tables" icon="table" href="/api-reference/endpoint/tables">
    Reconstruct structured tables, merge cross-page tables, and convert charts.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

***

## Popular Workflows

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Sample Documents" icon="file-pdf" href="/cookbooks/sample-documents">
    Start with realistic PDFs for Platform and API tests.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Bank Statement To JSON" icon="building-columns" href="/cookbooks/invoice-to-json">
    Extract account metadata, balances, transactions, and checks.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Annual Report Split -> Schema" icon="diagram-project" href="/cookbooks/annual-report-split-schema">
    Split a long report and apply per-topic schemas.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Financial Tables" icon="table" href="/cookbooks/financial-tables-excel">
    Reconstruct table-first outputs for review and analysis.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Production Webhooks" icon="webhook" href="/cookbooks/webhooks-production">
    Handle long-running async jobs cleanly.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

***

## Get started

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Platform Quickstart" icon="browser" href="/platform-quickstart">
    Build a pipeline visually.
  </Card>

  <Card title="API Quickstart" icon="rocket" href="/quickstart">
    Parse your first document in code.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

## Base URL

All API requests should be made to:

```
https://api.runpulse.com
```

## Need Help?

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Support" icon="life-ring" href="/support">
    Troubleshooting, contacts, and support request tips.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Email Support" icon="envelope" href="mailto:support@trypulse.ai">
    [support@trypulse.ai](mailto:support@trypulse.ai)
  </Card>
</CardGroup>