---
title: "Ant API"
source: https://dev.pageseeder.com/guide/publishing/ant_api.html
description: "The Ant API enables batch processing in PageSeeder through Apache Ant tasks, allowing automation at server, project, group, or document levels. It builds on core PageSeeder tasks, coordination libraries, and optional extensions for specialized functionality."
last_updated: 2026-08-11T16:32:49+10:00
tokens: ~1082
---

# Ant API

In addition to PageSeeder’s [Bridge](/reference/glossary/bridge.md) Java API, there is also an API based on [**Apache Ant**](https://ant.apache.org/). Ant is a powerful, cross-platform, open source solution for [batch processing](/reference/glossary/batch_processing.md). It can interact directly with a large range of libraries for technologies such as applications, network functionality and data formats. This makes Ant an ideal companion to publishing systems.

Coupled with the external Java API, the Ant API can be used to create batch-oriented tasks. These tasks can be scheduled or invoked to process content at the [server](/reference/glossary/pageseeder_server.md), [project](/reference/glossary/project.md), [group](/reference/glossary/group.md) or [document](/reference/glossary/document.md) level. 

![ANT API](/content/images/api/ant_api.webp)

Custom [Ant tasks](/guide/publishing/ant_api/tasks.md) are built on top of:

- Core PageSeeder Ant tasks providing atomic functionalities.
- An Ant library coordinating multiple sets of Ant tasks for complex processes.
- Optional [Ant extensions](/guide/publishing/ant_api/extensions.md) for specialized tasks (import from Excel, generating Javadoc, etc.).

For information on how to customize the PageSeeder user interface for Ant, *see* [\<publishing\>](/guide/configuration/psml/psml_document_config/document_publishing.md).

## Installation

When using these Ant tasks in [publish scripts](/reference/glossary/publish_script.md) with the [publish engine](/reference/glossary/publish_engine.md), no download is required, but when running them as stand-alone scripts, the different jar files must be on the Ant classpath: the main external API jar file (pageseeder-publish-api-x.jar)—[Download](/download/install.md).

> **Note:** The version of the `pageseeder-publish-api` must be the same as the PageSeeder server. The version is listed on the lower left of all PageSeeder pages.

The tasks must be defined in the Ant script. Add the following attribute to the `<project>` element at the top of the Ant file:

```xml
     xmlns:ps="antlib:com.pageseeder.publishapi.ant"
```

## In this section

- [Extensions](/guide/publishing/ant_api/extensions.md)
  - [Export citations to docx](/guide/publishing/ant_api/extensions/export_citations_to_docx.md)
  - [Microsoft word docx export config default](/guide/publishing/ant_api/extensions/microsoft_word_docx_export_config_default.md)
  - [Microsoft word docx export config usage](/guide/publishing/ant_api/extensions/microsoft_word_docx_export_config_usage.md)
  - [Microsoft word docx import config default](/guide/publishing/ant_api/extensions/microsoft_word_docx_import_config_default.md)
  - [Microsoft word docx import config usage](/guide/publishing/ant_api/extensions/microsoft_word_docx_import_config_usage.md)
  - [Pdf export config](/guide/publishing/ant_api/extensions/pdf_export_config.md)
  - [Pdf export config default](/guide/publishing/ant_api/extensions/pdf_export_config_default.md)
  - [Task export docx](/guide/publishing/ant_api/extensions/task_export-docx.md)
  - [Task export pdf](/guide/publishing/ant_api/extensions/task_export-pdf.md)
  - [Task import docx](/guide/publishing/ant_api/extensions/task_import-docx.md)
- [Tasks](/guide/publishing/ant_api/tasks.md)
  - [PSML split config usage](/guide/publishing/ant_api/tasks/psml_split_config_usage.md)
  - [Task config](/guide/publishing/ant_api/tasks/task_config.md)
  - [Task diff](/guide/publishing/ant_api/tasks/task_diff.md)
  - [Task export](/guide/publishing/ant_api/tasks/task_export.md)
  - [Task loadingzone delete](/guide/publishing/ant_api/tasks/task_loadingzone-delete.md)
  - [Task loadingzone get](/guide/publishing/ant_api/tasks/task_loadingzone-get.md)
  - [Task loadingzone put](/guide/publishing/ant_api/tasks/task_loadingzone-put.md)
  - [Task process](/guide/publishing/ant_api/tasks/task_process.md)
  - [Task progress](/guide/publishing/ant_api/tasks/task_progress.md)
  - [Task publish](/guide/publishing/ant_api/tasks/task_publish.md)
  - [Task request](/guide/publishing/ant_api/tasks/task_request.md)
  - [Task split](/guide/publishing/ant_api/tasks/task_split.md)
  - [Task transform](/guide/publishing/ant_api/tasks/task_transform.md)
  - [Task upload](/guide/publishing/ant_api/tasks/task_upload.md)