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

# Get Certificate

> Retrieve a course completion certificate

## Overview

Generates and returns a PDF certificate for a completed course. The certificate includes the student's name, course title, completion date, and a unique certificate ID.

<Info>
  Certificates are automatically generated when a user completes 100% of a course's lectures.
</Info>

## Authentication

Requires Clerk authentication. The user must be enrolled in the course and have completed all lectures.

## Path Parameters

<ParamField path="courseId" type="string" required>
  The MongoDB ObjectId of the course
</ParamField>

## Response

Returns a PDF certificate file with appropriate headers.

### Success Response (200)

```
Content-Type: application/pdf
Content-Disposition: attachment; filename="SkillRise_Certificate_[CourseTitle].pdf"
```

The response body contains the PDF binary data.

### Certificate Contents

The generated certificate includes:

<ResponseField name="Student Name" type="string">
  The authenticated user's full name from Clerk
</ResponseField>

<ResponseField name="Course Title" type="string">
  The completed course title
</ResponseField>

<ResponseField name="Completion Date" type="date">
  The date when the course was completed (last lecture marked as completed)
</ResponseField>

<ResponseField name="Certificate ID" type="string">
  A unique identifier stored in the database for verification
</ResponseField>

<ResponseField name="Certificate Verification Link" type="string">
  A URL that can be used to verify the certificate's authenticity
</ResponseField>

## Error Responses

<ResponseField name="404 Not Found">
  * User is not enrolled in the course
  * Course does not exist
  * User has not completed the course
</ResponseField>

<ResponseField name="500 Internal Server Error">
  Error generating the PDF certificate
</ResponseField>

## Implementation Details

### Certificate Generation Process

1. **Verify enrollment**: Check that the user is enrolled in the course
2. **Check completion**: Verify that all lectures are marked as completed
3. **Retrieve certificate record**: Look up the Certificate model entry
4. **Generate PDF**: Use Puppeteer to render HTML template as PDF
5. **Return file**: Stream the PDF to the client

### Database Model

Certificates are stored in the `Certificate` collection:

```javascript theme={null}
{
  userId: String,          // Clerk user ID
  courseId: ObjectId,      // Reference to Course
  certificateId: String,   // Unique verification ID
  issuedDate: Date,        // Completion date
  userName: String,        // Student name
  courseName: String       // Course title
}
```

## Code Examples

<CodeGroup>
  ```javascript JavaScript (Fetch) theme={null}
  const response = await fetch(
    `${BACKEND_URL}/api/user/certificate/${courseId}`,
    {
      headers: {
        'Authorization': `Bearer ${clerkToken}`
      }
    }
  );

  if (response.ok) {
    const blob = await response.blob();
    const url = window.URL.createObjectURL(blob);
    const a = document.createElement('a');
    a.href = url;
    a.download = `SkillRise_Certificate_${courseTitle}.pdf`;
    a.click();
  }
  ```

  ```bash cURL theme={null}
  curl -X GET "https://api.skillrise.com/api/user/certificate/65f3a1b2c3d4e5f6g7h8i9j0" \
    -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_CLERK_TOKEN" \
    --output certificate.pdf
  ```
</CodeGroup>

## Use Cases

1. **Student downloads certificate** after completing a course
2. **Share on LinkedIn** by uploading the generated PDF
3. **Verify certificate authenticity** using the certificate ID
4. **Track student achievements** via the Certificate collection

## Related Endpoints

* [Update Course Progress](/api/user/course-progress) - Mark lectures as completed
* [Get Enrolled Courses](/api/user/enrolled-courses) - Check course completion status