A while ago I needed a simple QR code that opened a website. I found a free generator on Google, pasted my URL, downloaded the image and started using it.
A few days later, the code stopped working.
That made no sense to me at first. A QR code is just a picture of some data. How can a picture stop working?
The code never contained my URL
When I checked, I found the code didn't point to my website at all. It pointed to the generator's own short URL, which redirected people to my site.
So the service controlled the redirect, and it could turn that redirect off. Then came the catch: they wanted me to pay to keep it working.
Static vs dynamic QR codes
This is the difference that caught me out:
| Static QR code | Dynamic QR code | |
|---|---|---|
| What the pattern stores | Your actual content | A short link to someone's server |
| Depends on a third party | No | Yes |
| Can be changed after printing | No | Yes |
| Can track scans | No | Yes |
| Stops if the service stops | No | Yes |
Dynamic codes are useful when you really need scan stats or want to change the destination after printing. But if all you want is a code that opens a URL, there's no reason for a server to sit in the middle.
A static code takes a few lines
As a software engineer, I found it hard to justify paying a subscription for this. Generating a static code is a small job. Here's a working example with the qrcode-generator npm package:
const qrcode = require('qrcode-generator');
// 0 picks the smallest version that fits; 'M' is the error correction level
const qr = qrcode(0, 'M');
qr.addData('https://example.com');
qr.make();
const svg = qr.createSvgTag({ cellSize: 8, margin: 16, scalable: true });
The URL is written straight into the pattern. No server, no redirect, and nothing that can be switched off later. The link only stops working if the website itself goes away.
What I built
First I made an Android QR code generator, so people could generate and customize codes without unexpected payments.
Then I thought: why should anyone install an app just to make a QR code? So I built a web version too, as a free QR code generator and a bulk QR generator.
The rule for both is simple: your QR code should point directly to your URL, without depending on someone else's redirect service.
It grew from there
Later I started adding tools for PDFs, images, video and audio, and that became QuickConvertOnline. I'm still improving it and adding features.
The funny part is that all of this started because I just wanted one free QR code. 😄
Before you print one: scan it and look at the URL it opens. If it goes through a domain you don't recognize, your code depends on that service staying online and staying free.
Have you been caught out by a "free" tool like this? I'd like to hear about it in the comments.
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