Barcode Reader

Overview

Images are normalised and decoded with zxing-cpp, which tries rotated and inverted versions of the image, so barcodes printed sideways or light-on-dark are still found. Retail codes are reported in their native form, with the 13-digit GTIN alongside.

Live Test Barcode Reader API →

Endpoint

One host, one path per API. The block below shows this call in four languages; every one of them is the same HTTP request. Making requests covers the timeouts, retries and parameter rules that apply to all of them. The SDKs wrap the same call in a typed client.

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curl -X POST https://api.apiverve.com/v1/barcodereader \
  -H "x-api-key: your_api_key_here" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
  "image": "https://raw.githubusercontent.com/zxing/zxing/master/core/src/test/resources/blackbox/ean13-1/2.png"
}'

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const res = await fetch('https://api.apiverve.com/v1/barcodereader', {
  method: 'POST',
  headers: {
    'x-api-key': 'your_api_key_here',
    'Content-Type': 'application/json',
  },
  body: JSON.stringify({
  "image": "https://raw.githubusercontent.com/zxing/zxing/master/core/src/test/resources/blackbox/ean13-1/2.png"
}),
});

if (!res.ok) throw new Error(`${res.status} ${await res.text()}`);

const { data } = await res.json();
console.log(data);

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import requests

res = requests.post(
    "https://api.apiverve.com/v1/barcodereader",
    headers={"x-api-key": "your_api_key_here"},
    json={
    "image": "https://raw.githubusercontent.com/zxing/zxing/master/core/src/test/resources/blackbox/ean13-1/2.png"
},
    timeout=15,
)
res.raise_for_status()

print(res.json()["data"])

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package main

import (
	"fmt"
	"io"
	"net/http"
	"strings"
)

func main() {
	body := strings.NewReader(`{
  "image": "https://raw.githubusercontent.com/zxing/zxing/master/core/src/test/resources/blackbox/ean13-1/2.png"
}`)
	req, _ := http.NewRequest("POST", "https://api.apiverve.com/v1/barcodereader", body)
	req.Header.Set("Content-Type", "application/json")
	req.Header.Set("x-api-key", "your_api_key_here")

	res, err := http.DefaultClient.Do(req)
	if err != nil {
		panic(err)
	}
	defer res.Body.Close()

	out, _ := io.ReadAll(res.Body)
	fmt.Println(string(out))
}

Replace your_api_key_here with the key from your dashboard. When the inputs arrive as a list rather than one at a time, batch requests run up to 200 of them through this same API in a single call.

Authentication

Send your key in the x-api-key header. That is the only auth step — there is no token exchange and no per-endpoint scope to configure. Authentication covers creating, rotating and revoking keys.

Parameters

Sent as JSON in the request body. Premium parameters are accepted on every plan but only take effect on plans that include them.

Response

Every API returns the same three top-level keys, so one response handler covers your whole integration: status, error and data. Only data changes shape. Response format covers the envelope, the other output formats and how premium fields are withheld.

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{
  "status": "ok",
  "error": null,
  "data": {
    "text": "8480010092271",
    "format": "EAN-13",
    "isRetail": true,
    "gtin": "8480010092271",
    "orientation": 0,
    "position": {
      "topLeft": {
        "x": 565,
        "y": 366
      },
      "topRight": {
        "x": 1132,
        "y": 366
      },
      "bottomRight": {
        "x": 1145,
        "y": 734
      },
      "bottomLeft": {
        "x": 558,
        "y": 734
      }
    },
    "barcodeCount": 1,
    "barcodes": [
      {
        "text": "8480010092271",
        "format": "EAN-13",
        "gtin": "8480010092271",
        "orientation": 0,
        "position": {
          "topLeft": {
            "x": 565,
            "y": 366
          },
          "topRight": {
            "x": 1132,
            "y": 366
          },
          "bottomRight": {
            "x": 1145,
            "y": 734
          },
          "bottomLeft": {
            "x": 558,
            "y": 734
          }
        }
      }
    ]
  }
}

Response fields

Paths are relative to data. Premium fields are absent rather than zeroed on plans that do not include them, so check for presence instead of comparing to 0.

Errors

Read the HTTP status first, then error for the specific reason. The body names the parameter that has to change. Error handling covers the full status list and which of them are worth retrying.

Use cases

Product Lookup

Read the EAN or UPC from a customer's photo of a product and look the item up in your catalogue by GTIN.

Inventory and Warehousing

Decode Code 128 and ITF labels from photos taken by staff without dedicated scanners.

Returns and Receipts

Pull order or parcel numbers out of photographed labels and receipts to match them to records.

Document Processing

Extract barcodes from scanned forms and shipping documents as part of an intake pipeline.

Set up Barcode Reader

Ready to put it to work? Set up Barcode Reader on APIVerve.

Related

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