How do you automate certificate generation?

Automated certificate generation means producing personalized certificates at scale, for course completions, event attendance, achievements, or awards, without manually editing each one.

Step 1: Design the certificate in Canva

Create a professional certificate template with these dynamic layers:

• Recipient name
• Date of completion/award
• Course or event name
• Certificate ID or number
• Instructor or organization signature (optional)

Step 2: Import into Layerre

Paste your Canva share link into Layerre. Each layer becomes a customizable field you can override via the API.

Step 3: Trigger generation

For online courses / LMS:
When a student completes a course, your backend calls the Layerre API:

javascript
const templateId = 'YOUR_CERTIFICATE_TEMPLATE_UUID';
const res = await fetch(`https://api.layerre.com/v1/template/${templateId}/variant`, {
  method: 'POST',
  headers: {
    'Authorization': `Bearer ${process.env.LAYERRE_API_KEY}`,
    'Content-Type': 'application/json',
  },
  body: JSON.stringify({
    overrides: [
      { layer_id: 'RECIPIENT_LAYER_UUID', properties: { text: 'Jane Smith' } },
      { layer_id: 'COURSE_LAYER_UUID', properties: { text: 'Advanced JavaScript' } },
      { layer_id: 'DATE_LAYER_UUID', properties: { text: 'February 23, 2026' } },
      { layer_id: 'CERT_ID_LAYER_UUID', properties: { text: 'CERT-2026-00847' } },
    ],
    export_type: 'pdf',
  }),
});
const variant = await res.json();
// variant.url, email or download the certificate

For events (no-code):

1. Collect attendee data in Google Sheets or Airtable
2. Set up a Make/Zapier automation:

• - When a new row is added → Layerre generates the certificate
• - The PDF is emailed to the attendee automatically

For batch generation:
Upload a CSV with all recipient data and generate certificates in bulk via the API.

Output formats: PNG for digital sharing, PDF for printing or official records, JPEG for email attachments.

Common scenarios:

• Online course platforms generating completion certificates
• Corporate training programs issuing compliance certificates
• Conference organizers sending attendance certificates
• Schools and universities automating diploma generation
• Professional development programs awarding credentials

Spreadsheet-first walkthrough: How to auto generate certificates from a spreadsheet. Definition: automated certificate generator.