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Mark Turner
Mark Turner

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Generate Barcodes via API (SVG / PNG / Base64) with myapi.rest

#api #barcodes #saas #developers

If you’ve ever had to generate barcodes on the fly — for invoices, labels, stock items, tickets, or internal systems — you’ll know that most libraries are either language-specific, awkward to deploy, or inconsistent across environments.

That’s exactly why I built the Barcode API on myapi.rest.

It’s a simple, fast, hosted API that generates barcodes in common formats and returns them as Base64, ready to embed anywhere.

Why an API for barcodes?

In real systems, barcodes are rarely just “static images”.

You often need to:

  • Generate them dynamically
  • Control size, margins, and output format
  • Embed them into PDFs, emails, labels, or web apps
  • Avoid bundling barcode libraries into every project

With an API, you generate once — and consume everywhere.

Supported features

The Barcode API currently supports:

  • Multiple barcode formats (e.g. code_128)
  • SVG or raster output
  • Custom width, height, and margins
  • Clean Base64 output for easy embedding
  • Stateless, fast requests

Example request

Here’s a real example using curl:

curl --location 'https://api.myapi.rest/api/barcode/generate' \
  --header 'Content-Type: application/json' \
  --header 'Authorization: Bearer <API_KEY>' \
  --data '{
    "data": "DEC25-45PC",
    "barcode_format": "code_128",
    "output_format": "SVG",
    "width": 200,
    "height": 50,
    "margin": 0
  }'
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Request fields explained

Field Description
data The value encoded in the barcode
barcode_format Barcode type (e.g. code_128)
output_format SVG or image format
width Output width in pixels
height Output height in pixels
margin Margin around the barcode

Example response 

{
  "id": 5,
  "barcode": "<BASE_64_DATA>"
}
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The barcode value is a Base64-encoded representation of the generated barcode.

This makes it easy to:

  • Embed directly into an <img> tag
  • Insert into a PDF generator
  • Store temporarily or cache
  • Convert to a file if needed

Common use cases

This API works well for:

  • Invoices & packing slips
  • Warehouse & inventory systems
  • Tickets and vouchers
  • Membership cards
  • Internal tooling & admin dashboards

Anywhere you’d normally think “I need a barcode library”, this API fits neatly.

Why I built myapi.rest

myapi.rest is a growing collection of APIs I’ve built from real-world needs while engineering production systems over the years.

Instead of re-implementing the same utilities in every project, the idea is:

  • One subscription
  • Multiple useful APIs
  • Clear documentation
  • Predictable behaviour

The Barcode API is just one of many in the platform.

Feedback welcome

If you’re building something that needs barcode generation, I’d love feedback — especially around:

  • Additional barcode formats
  • Output options
  • Performance or batching needs

You can explore the API and docs at https://myapi.rest.

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