QR Code Reader is a powerful tool that extracts text and data from QR codes in images. Simply provide an image URL or upload an image containing a QR code to decode its contents.
Try it — live request, no key required
No key required to try it. Get a key to use it in your app.
{
"status": "ok",
"error": null,
"data": {
// QR Code Reader response payload
}
}
About the QR Code Reader API
This API uses advanced image processing techniques to detect and decode QR codes from images. It supports various QR code formats and can extract URLs, plain text, contact information, and other encoded data.
What people use it for
- Inventory Management
- Scan QR codes on products for tracking and management
- Event Check-In
- Quickly read QR codes for attendee registration and access control
- Marketing Campaigns
- Decode QR codes from promotional materials to track engagement
- Data Extraction
- Extract encoded information from QR codes for various applications
Ways to call it
One endpoint, many ways in — REST with JSON, XML, YAML and CSV, plus GraphQL and an MCP interface for AI agents.
- JSON
- Default REST response
- XML
- Markup format
- YAML
- Human-readable
- CSV
- Tabular export
- GraphQL
- Query language
- MCP
- For AI agents
What does the QR Code Reader API do?
How do I authenticate QR Code Reader API requests?
How much does the QR Code Reader API cost?
How fast is the QR Code Reader API?
What response formats does the QR Code Reader API support?
What HTTP method does the QR Code Reader API use?
Request parameters — POST /v1/qrcodereader
Sent as JSON in the request body. Premium parameters are accepted on every plan but only take effect on plans that include them. Anything not listed here is dropped rather than passed through.
Optional
| Parameter | Type | Example | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
imageOptional | string | Upload an image file containing a QR code to decode (supported formats: JPG, PNG, GIF) |
curl -X POST "https://api.apiverve.com/v1/qrcodereader" \
-H "x-api-key: YOUR_API_KEY" \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-d '{}'Authentication
Send your key in the x-api-key header. That is the only auth step — no token exchange, and no per-endpoint scope to configure.
| Header | When | Value |
|---|---|---|
x-api-keyRequired | Every request | Your API key. Header names are case-insensitive, so X-API-Key is the same header. |
AuthorizationAlternate | Instead of the above | Bearer <key> — for clients that only expose bearer auth. Resolves to the same account and the same billing. |
content-typeRequired | POST body | application/json |
A 401 means the key is missing, invalid or expired. A 403 means the key is valid but not permitted here — blocked by a key restriction or an IP allow-list. Running out of credits is a 429.
Response — POST /v1/qrcodereader
Every APIVerve endpoint returns the same three top-level keys, so one response handler covers your whole integration: status, error and data. Only data changes shape.
{
"status": "ok",
"error": null,
"data": {
"text": "'Twas brillig",
"location": {
"topLeft": {
"x": 9.927694968294492,
"y": 9.927694968294492
},
"topRight": {
"x": 215.24999999999997,
"y": 9.749999999999996
},
"bottomLeft": {
"x": 9.749999999999996,
"y": 215.24999999999997
},
"bottomRight": {
"x": 216.14779062994094,
"y": 216.14779062994094
}
}
}
}
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.
| Field | Type | Example | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
text | string | "'Twas brillig" | Decoded text extracted from the QR code image |
locationPremium | object | {...} | Object containing QR code position and corner coordinates |
topLeftPremium | object | {...} | Top left corner coordinates with x and y values |
xPremium | number | 9.927694968294492 | X coordinate of top left corner position |
yPremium | number | 9.927694968294492 | Y coordinate of top left corner position |
topRightPremium | object | {...} | Top right corner coordinates with x and y values |
xPremium | number | 215.24999999999997 | X coordinate of top right corner position |
yPremium | number | 9.749999999999996 | Y coordinate of top right corner position |
bottomLeftPremium | object | {...} | Bottom left corner coordinates with x and y values |
xPremium | number | 9.749999999999996 | X coordinate of bottom left corner position |
yPremium | number | 215.24999999999997 | Y coordinate of bottom left corner position |
bottomRightPremium | object | {...} | Bottom right corner coordinates with x and y values |
xPremium | number | 216.14779062994094 | X coordinate of bottom right corner position |
yPremium | number | 216.14779062994094 | Y coordinate of bottom right corner position |
Response headers
Every response carries your balance, so your own code always knows where it stands without polling anything. All four are exposed to browsers through CORS.
| Header | What it carries |
|---|---|
x-api-remaining-credits | Credits left in the current cycle |
x-api-credits-used | Credits spent in the current cycle |
x-api-max-credits | The allowance for the cycle |
x-api-version | Version of the endpoint that answered |
Errors
Read the HTTP status first, then error for the specific reason. The body names the parameter that has to change.
| Status | Meaning | What to do |
|---|---|---|
400 | Input was rejected | Read error; it names the parameter that has to change. |
401 | Key missing or invalid | Check the header name and the key value. |
403 | Key valid, but not permitted here | A key restriction or an IP allow-list — never a bad key. |
429 | Rate limited, or out of credits | Read error to tell them apart, then back off or top up. |
What a call costs — 10 credits per call
Credits are shared across every APIVerve API — one balance, one key, one bill. Failed requests never count against it, so a rejected input costs nothing.
| Plan | Per month | Credits | QR Code Reader calls | Per 1,000 calls |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free | Free | 200 | 20 | Free |
| Starter | $29.99 | 200,000 | 20,000 | $1.50 |
| Pro | $99.99 | 1,000,000 | 100,000 | $1.00 |
| Mega | $299.99 | 4,000,000 | 400,000 | $0.75 |
Calls are what the credits buy at this API's rate — spend them here, on any of the other APIs, or across both. Nothing is reserved per endpoint.
Call it from cURL — POST /v1/qrcodereader
No SDK to install — this is a plain HTTPS call to /v1/qrcodereader with your key in the x-api-key header. Swap in a real key and it runs as-is.
curl "https://api.apiverve.com/v1/qrcodereader" \
-H "x-api-key: YOUR_API_KEY"Resources
Also published for
Only the languages APIVerve ships a client for are listed — the rest call the endpoint directly over HTTPS.
Call it from Node.js — POST /v1/qrcodereader
Install the Node.js SDK, then call the QR Code Reader API with your key. The client wraps the same HTTPS request, so anything it returns is what the endpoint returns.
npm install @apiverve/qrcodereaderconst res = await fetch("https://api.apiverve.com/v1/qrcodereader", {
headers: { "x-api-key": "YOUR_API_KEY" },
});
const { data } = await res.json();
console.log(data);Resources
Also published for
Only the languages APIVerve ships a client for are listed — the rest call the endpoint directly over HTTPS.
Call it from Python — POST /v1/qrcodereader
No SDK to install — this is a plain HTTPS call to /v1/qrcodereader with your key in the x-api-key header. Swap in a real key and it runs as-is.
import requests
res = requests.get(
"https://api.apiverve.com/v1/qrcodereader",
headers={"x-api-key": "YOUR_API_KEY"},
)
print(res.json()["data"])Resources
Also published for
Only the languages APIVerve ships a client for are listed — the rest call the endpoint directly over HTTPS.
Call it from C# / .NET — POST /v1/qrcodereader
Install the C# / .NET SDK, then call the QR Code Reader API with your key. The client wraps the same HTTPS request, so anything it returns is what the endpoint returns.
dotnet add package APIVerve.API.QRCodeReaderusing var client = new HttpClient();
client.DefaultRequestHeaders.Add("x-api-key", "YOUR_API_KEY");
var json = await client.GetStringAsync("https://api.apiverve.com/v1/qrcodereader");
Console.WriteLine(json);Resources
Also published for
Only the languages APIVerve ships a client for are listed — the rest call the endpoint directly over HTTPS.
Call it from Go — POST /v1/qrcodereader
No SDK to install — this is a plain HTTPS call to /v1/qrcodereader with your key in the x-api-key header. Swap in a real key and it runs as-is.
req, _ := http.NewRequest("GET", "https://api.apiverve.com/v1/qrcodereader", nil)
req.Header.Set("x-api-key", "YOUR_API_KEY")
res, _ := http.DefaultClient.Do(req)
defer res.Body.Close()
body, _ := io.ReadAll(res.Body)
fmt.Println(string(body))Resources
Also published for
Only the languages APIVerve ships a client for are listed — the rest call the endpoint directly over HTTPS.
Call it from PHP — POST /v1/qrcodereader
No SDK to install — this is a plain HTTPS call to /v1/qrcodereader with your key in the x-api-key header. Swap in a real key and it runs as-is.
$ch = curl_init("https://api.apiverve.com/v1/qrcodereader");
curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_RETURNTRANSFER, true);
curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_HTTPHEADER, ["x-api-key: YOUR_API_KEY"]);
$response = curl_exec($ch);
echo $response;Resources
Also published for
Only the languages APIVerve ships a client for are listed — the rest call the endpoint directly over HTTPS.
Call it from Ruby — POST /v1/qrcodereader
No SDK to install — this is a plain HTTPS call to /v1/qrcodereader with your key in the x-api-key header. Swap in a real key and it runs as-is.
require "net/http"
uri = URI("https://api.apiverve.com/v1/qrcodereader")
req = Net::HTTP::Get.new(uri)
req["x-api-key"] = "YOUR_API_KEY"
res = Net::HTTP.start(uri.hostname, uri.port, use_ssl: true) { |h| h.request(req) }
puts res.bodyResources
Also published for
Only the languages APIVerve ships a client for are listed — the rest call the endpoint directly over HTTPS.
Zero-code embed — one snippet, no backend
Drop an interactive QR Code Reader form onto any page. The widget calls the API for you, so no key ever appears in your markup and there is nothing to deploy.
Changelog — QR Code Reader API
Every change to this endpoint, newest first. Breaking changes ship as a new version and the previous one keeps serving — response fields are added, never removed or retyped in place, so an integration written against v1 keeps working.
Entries are picked up from dated catalog snapshots, so the first one appears after the next snapshot that moves something. A period where nothing changed produces no entry — silence is a valid changelog for the QR Code Reader API.
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