DEV Community: Siradj

Why Artistic QR Codes Silently Fail (And How I'm Trying to Fix It)

Siradj — Sat, 30 May 2026 15:10:05 +0000

So I have been building a free browser-based QR code generator for the past few months. It supports custom gradients, image overlays, and different dot shapes. The results look cool—think nebula images fading into purple gradients.

I was happy... until I tried to actually use one.

The "iPhone Failure" 📱

I tried scanning one of my cooler designs on my iPhone and it just did not scan. At all. WhatsApp failed. Some Android scanners worked, some didn't.

I set the error correction to Level H (the max 30% recovery level). Still nothing.

The Real Culprit: Contrast Detection

I spent hours thinking it was a bug in my library. It wasn't.

Phone cameras don't read QR codes like humans. They use contrast algorithms to find the boundary between dark modules and the light background.

Your eyes: See two distinct colors.
The camera algorithm: Sees gray noise.

Error correction doesn't help because the modules aren't "missing"—they are just invisible to the scanner's logic.

My Solution: The MSQF Framework

To fix this, I’m building the Multi-Step QR Framework (MSQF). Instead of "generate and hope," it runs the QR through a verification pipeline:

1SQF (Internal): Scans with an internal engine. If it fails, it auto-adjusts opacity/contrast and retries.
2SQF (ZXing): Passes through Google’s open-source engine (common on Android).
3SQF (quirc-wasm): A stricter pass for edge cases.
4SQF (zxing-wasm Strict): My closest approximation to the iPhone's native camera behavior.

Technical Implementation Note
I don't make 4SQF the default because it takes significantly longer, especially for bulk generation. It allows users to choose the trade-off between "art" and "reliability."

I Need Your Advice 🤝

I’m still building this out, and I have two big questions for the community:

Engine Choices: Is zxing-wasm in strict mode really the best way to simulate the iPhone Vision framework?
The "Look" vs. "Function" Trade-off: When auto-adjusting, sometimes the design loses its "vibe" to make it scannable. Where would you draw the line?

Try the Generator (Free, No Signup)

I'd love to hear if anyone else has dealt with scan reliability for custom-styled QRs!

I Built a Fully Private QR Code Generator with Logo Art, Scanner, Bulk Export, and PDF Support

Siradj — Thu, 28 May 2026 16:43:22 +0000

Hey,

For the past few weeks I’ve been very deep in a redesign of the QR Code Generator on my site, Tool Desert.
Most QR code tools today follow the same pattern: basic version is free, but the good features requires payment, or they quietly collect your data on their servers. I wanted something different.

So I rebuilt it with one core principle: everything must run 100% in the browser — no servers, no tracking, no compromises on privacy.

Here’s what the new v3.7 version includes:

Major New Features!!!!

QR Code Art Mode :
This is the standout feature. You upload a logo and the generator turns parts of your logo into colored pixels inside the QR code. It creates beautiful, artistic QR codes while still being fully scannable.

Integrated QR Scanner :
You can scan QR codes directly on the website using your device camera or by uploading an image. Super convenient for quick testing.

Bulk QR Code Generation :
Support for generating many codes at once — either by pasting multiple lines or uploading a CSV file. Downloads everything neatly packaged in a ZIP.
Professional PDF Export :
Multiple layout templates (Minimal, Business Card style, Poster, QR-only), custom paper size/orientation, color controls, title/subtitle options, and toggle for watermark.
Improved logo handling, better error correction, rich styling options (dots, eyes, gradients), and multiple download formats (PNG, SVG, JPEG, WebP, PDF).

And also small feature but most other sites almost certanily keep it behind a pay wall which is branded QR codes which puts your logo in the middle of the QR code

The whole experience feels fast and clean because nothing ever leaves the user's device.

Why Privacy Matters to ME : (before you read it I do use Google analytics so PLEASE forgive me for that)

In 2026, people are becoming more conscious about where their data goes. I want Tool Desert to be a place where users can confidently use powerful tools without worrying about tracking or data leaks.

You can try the updated QR Code Generator here:
https://tooldesert.site/tools/qr-code

I’m currently maintaining 84+ free browser tools with the same no-signup, privacy-first philosophy.

Next on my list is a deep overhaul of the Password Generator.
I’d love to hear from the dev.to community:

Have you used any privacy-first tools that impressed you?
What features would make a QR code tool perfect for you?
Any feedback on the current implementation?

Let me know in the comments!

I Built a Fully Private QR Code Generator with Logo Art, Scanner, Bulk Export, and PDF Support!

Siradj — Thu, 28 May 2026 16:41:01 +0000

Hey,

So I rebuilt it with one core principle: everything must run 100% in the browser — no servers, no tracking, no compromises on privacy.

Here’s what the new v3.7 version includes:

Major New Features!!!!

Integrated QR Scanner :
You can scan QR codes directly on the website using your device camera or by uploading an image. Super convenient for quick testing.

And also small feature but most other sites almost certanily keep it behind a pay wall which is branded QR codes which puts your logo in the middle of the QR code

The whole experience feels fast and clean because nothing ever leaves the user's device.

Why Privacy Matters to ME : (before you read it I do use Google analytics so PLEASE forgive me for that)

In 2026, people are becoming more conscious about where their data goes. I want Tool Desert to be a place where users can confidently use powerful tools without worrying about tracking or data leaks.

You can try the updated QR Code Generator here:
https://tooldesert.site/tools/qr-code

I’m currently maintaining 84+ free browser tools with the same no-signup, privacy-first philosophy.

Next on my list is a deep overhaul of the Password Generator.
I’d love to hear from the dev.to community:

Have you used any privacy-first tools that impressed you?
What features would make a QR code tool perfect for you?
Any feedback on the current implementation?

Let me know in the comments!

Why is talking with AI an addiction that you might never escape (My pov)

Siradj — Wed, 13 May 2026 15:43:26 +0000

Hello there,

I opened Claude and started typing out the first thing that came to mind, then I realized why we are addicted to those chatbots and what could make them potentially unhealthy?

I am just like any of you, I was introduced to Chatgpt at around late 2022 and it felt like the future, from then on I started using it more and more.

I never felt that it is any "bad" for me like a shortcut, it searches faster and does my homework for me, but slowly i became addicted to it, asking it anything I think of, even to the point that I tell it anything private just like drinking water, it did not feel "wrong" and that was my mistake.

First of all which most users did not know including me, that companies like OpenAI may be using the data in conversations to train their models depending on your settings, and it is not even private, it is just sitting in their policies.

Secondly, conversations can be reviewed by OpenAI team if the model suspected any kind of abuse happening, which is good except that it could happen on completely normal conversations, and it is also just sitting in the policies unread, so you are not just risking the risk of AI training with what you tell it, you are also risking a real human seeing your messages, which you may accept but most of us would not.

Even with that people still use them daily actually more for some people, that is all because of addiction to having someone to talk, most people does not have friends due to using too much social media, so they instead friend their chatbots.

To be honest me included I use it non stop for the past 4 years. A solution that I am trying to use is to try actually googling stuff, and speaking with actual human beings, and yes AI is powerful but its not for EVERYTHING use it only in when you are in need.

Thanks to all of you for reading, I talked about similar topic about "How is vibe coding like an addiction" in here!

Why is Vibe Coding like an addiction? (My pov)

Siradj — Wed, 13 May 2026 10:22:49 +0000

Hey there, Vibe coding was trending in the past few months and I actually got to using it and here is what I learned vibe coding for few months. I actually started vibe coding before the project makers like codex, claude code and etc were a thing I used to prompt the AI to write me code and it felt smart,like a shortcut, like I have cracked the system. But only too late when I realized that it is just a trap, I did not learn anything out of vibe coding in fact I think i lost my coding knowledge and it ruined my whole project (I have detailed my project making here!). And now I am stuck, I have a project which took me month but full of bugs and issues and however much time I put to learning what my project actually has and fixing it I just keep failing without making progress.
Vibe coding felt like it was the solution a shortcut but after all it was trap. Do not be me and fix it before it is too late, Peace.
I detailed my My Vibe Coding Experience here!

My experience with vibe coding

Siradj — Tue, 12 May 2026 19:38:30 +0000

Hey there,

Just like everyone else, I thought that vibe coding was a solution, a shortcut, but I have been proven wrong, I have encountered multiple issues while vibe coding.

First of all, the hallucination problem, the agent keeps making up new stuff and it just does not get your point like a real dev or yourself would and it also does not know what you want to do in your project, instead of making up ideas by itself.

And that is not even all, there is another issue that I have encountered which is the lack of uniqueness AI would use just one kind of landing pages however I try to prompt it.

And biggest of them all that it makes you think that it does everything but in fact it makes everything a million times harder like I have tried to make my project using it, it took a while to make and the ending result "LOOKED" good but in the inside it was full of bugs and problem which the AI could not fix easily so I had to try fixing everything myself.

Because of vibe coding and AI I did not find the need to learn coding. Which made fixing my project way harder and it took me lots of hours of just going around the project doing nothing useful, because it did not make me know that I need to learn coding.
After this what I learned is I am not going to stop vibe coding, but I will start learning and build my next projects myself and using AI only to help and suggest ways of doing it instead of letting it by itself make the whole thing.

And I have detailed my whole project journey in my other post you can check it out in here!

My experience building a free tool website (and why vibe coding almost killed it)

Siradj — Tue, 12 May 2026 17:17:23 +0000

Hey there, I have built a tool collection website that currently has 84 tools and might go up when you read this post and it is completely free to use and requires no sign up and the data does NOT leave you device I built it because when I need tools randomly codding or just normal I use I need to keep searching navigating through sign up buttons and paywalls and random sites that I do not even know if they are trusted so i decided to build Tool Desert. My experience making it was not fun for a reason I vibe codded it I thought it is an easier way to make my website but I realized wrong very quickly lots of hours went to drain fixing bugs from the AI and bad review and no one liking it for the vibe codded UI they see the vibe codding and start judging which wasted me over 160h of trying to get users that just judge it and leave I should not of built my whole business but I already built it can not revert my actions. And in the end I would hope if you guys try out share feedback and any problems you encounter with the tools or want to suggest a new tool I am answering at my email which you may find in the contact page or just comment under the post peace.
https://tooldesert.site/

hi

Siradj — Tue, 12 May 2026 16:53:53 +0000