logologo
  • How it works
  • Why It Matters
  • Statistics
  • Pricing
  • FAQ
  • API
logologo
  • How it works
  • Why It Matters
  • Statistics
  • Pricing
  • FAQ
  • API
HTPBE?

Structural PDF tamper detection API. Catches edits your KYC stack misses.

Product

  • How It Works
  • Use Cases
  • Metadata Viewer
  • Pricing

Developers

  • API Reference
  • GitHub/docs
  • Changelogv2.47.0

Resources

  • About
  • Blog
  • Comparisons
  • Legal & Imprint

© 2024–2026 TMI Iurii Rogulia · VAT ID: FI29845875 · Made in Finland

Status

Algorithm v2.47.0

Tool profile

Apache FOP

Apache FOP reads as a institutional generator — its modification rate in our corpus does not sit meaningfully above the baseline. The name alone is never the verdict; each file is judged on its own structure.

Back to all statistics
Forensic verdict

Legitimate origin

Based on this tool’s share of the HTPBE? corpus.

Modification rate
22%-27pp below baseline
Corpus baseline: 49%
Corpus share
3.1%
Share of all analyzed appearances
Modification rate
22%
-27pp below baseline
Role split
50%C/50%P
Creator vs Producer share of appearances

Corpus profile

How Apache FOP shows up in HTPBE? corpus

Apache FOP renders XSL-FO into PDF and is a common back-end for enterprise document generation pipelines (banking, telecom, government).

FOP output comes from XSL-FO templates in enterprise document pipelines. HTPBE? reads it alongside every other layer of the file.

The signal
FOP output comes from XSL-FO templates in enterprise document pipelines.

Reading guide

How to read this page

Every PDF stores two software labels: the Creator, which names the application that first produced the document, and the Producer, which names the software that last wrote the file out. This page counts the files HTPBE? has analysed where Apache FOP fills one of those labels, and shows how often those files carry modification markers, which PDF versions they use and which other tools sit next to them.

A tool name tells you where a file passed through, not whether anyone changed its content. A Creator and Producer that agree usually point to a single pass; a Producer that differs from the Creator means the file was written out again by another program, which has many ordinary explanations such as compression, merging or a print-to-PDF step.

Caveats

  • The figures cover 838 files. Larger than a handful, but still a sample of what was submitted, not of all PDFs in the world.
  • The statistics describe files HTPBE? analysed. They are not a judgement of the quality or trustworthiness of Apache FOP.
  • Submitted files lean towards documents that someone wanted checked, so rates here can sit higher than in everyday document flows.
  • Metadata can be rewritten by anyone, so a producer name on its own is never treated as proof either way.
Read a PDF’s metadata for freeAll tool statisticsCreator vs Producer explainedPDF metadata fields referenceCheck PDFs through the API

Role in the workflow

How Apache FOP shows up in metadata

Every PDF carries a Creator (the application that produced the original document) and a Producer (the engine that wrote the PDF). The same tool can appear in either slot, with very different modification profiles.

CAs Creator · 50%
As Producer · 50%P
CAs Creator
  • Share of appearances
    50%
  • Modification rate
    22%
  • Avg file size
    160 KB
PAs Producer
  • Share of appearances
    50%
  • Modification rate
    21%
  • Avg file size
    159 KB

How to read this

The Creator slot typically reflects where a document started life. The Producer slot reflects whatever wrote the final file, which is not always the same software.

A higher modification rate as Producer than as Creator usually means the tool is acting as a re-saver on documents that originated elsewhere. A higher rate as Creator points to fragile workflows around the original authoring app.

Name fingerprints

Also goes by

Different version strings and spellings observed for Apache FOP in the wild. All are merged into the same canonical profile.

Apache FOP Version 2.350.1%
Apache FOP Version 1.0-SNAPSHOT30.1%
Apache FOP Version 2.112.6%
Apache FOP Version 2.62.1%
Apache FOP Version 2.8-BB011.2%
Apache FOP Version 2.80.7%
Apache FOP Version 2.5_p20.7%
Apache FOP0.5%
Apache FOP Version 2.100.5%
Apache FOP Version 1.10.5%
Apache FOP Version0.4%
Apache FOP Version 2.110.2%
Apache FOP Version SVN tags/fop-2_2/fop-core0.2%
Apache FOP Version 2.50.1%

Why variants matter

The same tool publishes itself under 14 different metadata strings – version bumps, locale tags, build IDs. We canonicalize them so the corpus reflects one identity, not noise.

Most common
Apache FOP Version 2.3
50.1% of appearances
Variant spread
14 distinct strings
Long-tail share: 49.9%
Observed range
02.03.2023 → 23.10.2026

Distributions

What ships alongside Apache FOP

The PDF versions Apache FOP writes when acting as Producer, and the other tools that appear in the same documents.

PDF versions written

Most output is PDF 1.4 (95% of files where Apache FOP is the Producer).

PDF 1.495.1%
PDF 1.53.5%
PDF 1.71.2%
PDF 1.60.2%

Common Creators when Apache FOP is the Producer

Apache FOP sits upstream in 98% of cases — read this row as “what kinds of documents end up routed through Apache FOP.”

Apache FOP98.1%
Ellucian Degree Works0.7%
CAMPUSonline-Software0.5%
BdocPDF0.5%
Bolagsverket0.2%

Related profiles

Tools you’ll see next to Apache FOP

Other tools that frequently share metadata with Apache FOP in the same documents. Each card links to its own forensic profile.

P0% co-occurrence
macOS Print to PDF
Corpus share3.3%
Mod rate63%
C0% co-occurrence
Ellucian Degree Works
Corpus share0.01%
Mod rate33%
C0% co-occurrence
CAMPUSonline-Software
Corpus share0.01%
Mod rate50%
C0% co-occurrence
BdocPDF
Corpus share0.02%
Mod rate67%
C0% co-occurrence
Bolagsverket
Corpus share0.00%
Mod rate100%

Long tail

Notable observations

Smaller cuts of the Apache FOP corpus – useful context, but treat each row as a single data point rather than a strong signal.

Avg pages per document
2.2
Oldest observed
02.03.2023 — over 3 years ago

FAQ

Apache FOP in PDF metadata: common questions

What is Apache FOP?

Apache FOP renders XSL-FO into PDF and is a common back-end for enterprise document generation pipelines (banking, telecom, government).

Why does Apache FOP appear in the metadata of a PDF?

A PDF can record the software that created it (Creator) and the software that last wrote the file out (Producer). When Apache FOP generated the file, or re-saved it, it can leave its name in one of those fields. The field is filled in by software, not checked by anyone, so it is a hint about the file’s history rather than a guarantee.

Does Apache FOP in the metadata mean the PDF was edited?

No. A producer name alone proves nothing about whether a document was changed. Many Apache FOP files are original output, and a file that was edited can name any tool at all. What matters is the whole picture: how the file is built, how its dates and structure line up, and whether the Creator and Producer fit together.

How should I read the Apache FOP statistics?

The figures describe the 838 files in the HTPBE? corpus that list Apache FOP as Creator or Producer. The modification rate is the share of those files that carry modification markers. It is a base rate for this particular set of files, not a property of Apache FOP and not a prediction for any single document.

Can I compare Apache FOP with other tools using these numbers?

Only loosely. The corpus consists of PDFs people chose to submit for checking, which skews towards documents someone had a reason to doubt. A tool popular for legitimate bulk output can still show a high rate here, and a rarely seen tool can show an extreme rate from a handful of files. These pages are not a quality ranking of the tools themselves.

How do I check a PDF that lists Apache FOP?

Upload it to HTPBE? for a modification check, or open it in the free PDF Metadata Viewer to see the Creator, Producer and dates stored in the file. The same check is available through the HTPBE? API.

Secure your workflow

Create your account – check PDFs on the web or with an API key, both ready on signup.
No sales call. Cancel any time.

Start Free – Close the Structural Fraud GapSee Pricing
Read API Docs →