Add barcode, MRZ and VIN scanning to Cordova and Ionic apps on Android and iOS. Install the barkoder-cordova plugin with one command, replace the deprecated PhoneGap barcode scanner, and test it on your own barcodes with a free 30-day trial.
barkoder-cordova is a Cordova barcode scanner plugin published on npm. It places the native barKoder scanner over an element in your page and sends each result back to a JavaScript callback. The docs include Angular, React, Vue and vanilla JavaScript examples.
Add the plugin to your Cordova project:
cordova plugin add barkoder-cordova
The plugin builds for Android and iOS. Without a license it still scans, but results come back marked (Unlicensed) and only partly readable, so request a trial key before you measure anything.
Start your free trial
Ionic on Cordova: add the same plugin. Ionic Angular projects can also call it through the Ionic Native wrapper @awesome-cordova-plugins/barkoder, which exports a Barkoder class from @awesome-cordova-plugins/barkoder/ngx:
ionic cordova plugin add barkoder-cordova
npm install @awesome-cordova-plugins/barkoder
Ionic on Capacitor: use the barkoder-capacitor plugin instead. It is built for Capacitor 6 and later.
Go to the Capacitor Barcode Scanner PluginThis Angular example is copied from the barkoder-cordova README and the Cordova general example in the barKoder docs. React, Vue and vanilla JavaScript apps call the same Barkoder methods.
declare var Barkoder: any;
import { BarkoderResult, BarcodeType } from 'plugins/barkoder-cordova-plugin/www/BarkoderConfig';
@ViewChild('barkoderView') barkoderViewRef!: ElementRef;
constructor(private platform: Platform) {}
ngAfterViewInit() {
this.platform.ready().then(() => {
Barkoder.registerWithLicenseKey("YOUR_LICENSE_KEY");
setTimeout(() => {
const boundingRect = this.barkoderViewRef.nativeElement.getBoundingClientRect() as DOMRect;
Barkoder.initialize(
Math.round(boundingRect.width),
Math.round(boundingRect.height),
Math.round(boundingRect.x),
Math.round(boundingRect.y)
);
this.setBarkoderSettings();
this.setActiveBarcodeTypes();
}, 200);
});
}
setActiveBarcodeTypes() {
Barkoder.setBarcodeTypeEnabled(BarcodeType.qr, true);
Barkoder.setBarcodeTypeEnabled(BarcodeType.code128, true);
Barkoder.setBarcodeTypeEnabled(BarcodeType.ean13, true);
}
setBarkoderSettings() {
Barkoder.setRegionOfInterestVisible(true);
Barkoder.setRegionOfInterest(5, 5, 90, 90);
Barkoder.setImageResultEnabled(true);
Barkoder.setBarcodeThumbnailOnResultEnabled(true);
}
startScanning() {
Barkoder.startScanning((data: any) => {
console.log("startScanning results called");
const barkoderResult = new BarkoderResult(data);
if (barkoderResult) {
barkoderResult.decoderResults.forEach((result, index) => {
console.log(`Result ${index + 1}: ${result.textualData}`);
});
}
}, (err: any) => {
console.log(err);
});
}
<div id="barkoderView" #barkoderView >
#barkoderView {
height: 400px;
}
Not using Angular? Follow the vanilla JavaScript integration example, the React integration example or the Vue integration example. Every method is listed in the Cordova SDK API reference.
phonegap-plugin-barcodescanner is marked deprecated on npm, and its GitHub repository was archived in August 2020. cordova-plugin-barcodescanner has had no release since February 2018. Many Cordova and Ionic apps still depend on one of them. Here is what changes when you move to barkoder-cordova.
scan() and returns one result. barKoder draws the camera into an area of your page that you size with initialize, so your own UI stays visible.text and format become textualData and barcodeTypeName.cordova plugin rm and its plugin ID.
cordova plugin add barkoder-cordova, or the Ionic commands above.
barkoderView element where the camera preview should appear.
scan() call with registerWithLicenseKey, initialize and startScanning, and map the new result fields.
A free plugin can still be enough for occasional QR codes in good light. If you pick a free plugin based on ML Kit, check whether its repository is still maintained, because several Cordova forks are archived.
Many production Cordova apps pin an exact plugin version. Here is what the newer releases change, based on the published npm packages.
Version 1.7.2 keeps every JavaScript method from 1.6.8 and adds 14 new ones. Among them: setMatchFilter, which sets a string or regular expression that decoded data should match, matched-results options for normal and AR scanning, setPreviewMirrored, setRoiCenterMark and getDeviceId. The plugin.xml structure is unchanged.
The iOS framework in 1.6.8 and 1.7.1 declares iOS 12.0 as its minimum. The framework in 1.7.2 declares iOS 15.0. If your app still supports older iPhones, upgrade to 1.7.1 first, or raise your deployment target. To install an exact version, add it to the plugin spec:
cordova plugin add barkoder-cordova@1.7.2
Each mode is a few calls on the same Barkoder object. The snippets come from the Cordova examples in the barKoder docs.
Scan item after item without restarting the scanner. The duplicate threshold decides what happens with repeats: -1 reads each barcode once, 0 reads it again with no delay, and a value above 0 waits that many seconds.
Barkoder.setCloseSessionOnResultEnabled(false);
Barkoder.setThresholdBetweenDuplicatesScans(0); // it can take values -1, or n > 0
One line turns the plugin into a Cordova MRZ and ID scanner. It reads the machine-readable zone of travel and identity documents and returns data such as name, nationality, passport number and expiration date.
Barkoder.setBarcodeTypeEnabled(BarcodeType.idDocument, true);
A VIN can be printed in four barcode types. The SDK reads the barcode first. With OCR enabled on your license, it falls back to the printed characters when the barcode can't be decoded. OCR VIN is available from version 1.6.7.
Barkoder.setEnableVINRestrictions(true);
Direct Part Marking puts a Data Matrix code straight onto metal or plastic, without a label. The DPM setup enables Data Matrix with DPM mode, slow decoding, FHD resolution and a small region of interest.
Barkoder.setBarcodeTypeEnabled(BarcodeType.datamatrix, true);
Barkoder.setDatamatrixDpmModeEnabled(true);
Barkoder.setDecodingSpeed(DecodingSpeed.slow);
Barkoder.setBarkoderResolution(BarkoderResolution.FHD);
Barkoder.setRegionOfInterest(40, 40, 20, 10);
Barkoder.setRegionOfInterestVisible(true);
Enable PDF417 and the SA DL formatting type to parse South African driving licenses. Two custom options add parsing for South African ID cards and vehicle license discs.
Barkoder.setBarcodeTypeEnabled(BarcodeType.pdf417, true);
Barkoder.setFormattingType(FormattingType.sadl);
barkoder-cordova wraps the native Android and iOS SDKs, so your web code gets the same decoding as a native app.
cordova platform add.1D barcodes
Codabar, Code 11, Code 25, Code 32, Code 39, Code 93, Code 128, COOP 2 of 5, Datalogic 2 of 5, GS1 DataBar, GS1 Composite, EAN-8, EAN-13, IATA 2 of 5, Interleaved 2 of 5, ITF-14, Matrix 2 of 5, MSI Plessey, Postal Barcodes, Telepen, UPC-A, UPC-E and UPC-E1.
2D barcodes
Aztec Code, Aztec Compact, Data Matrix, DotCode, MaxiCode, PDF417, Micro PDF417, QR Code and Micro QR Code.
See all supported barcode types →Scanning in a browser or PWA instead? The Cordova plugin targets native builds. For the browser, use the Web Barcode Scanner SDK (WASM). For other cross-platform stacks, see the cross-platform barcode SDK overview.
The engine behind barkoder-cordova also ships as native, web, desktop and cross-platform SDKs, so the same decoding runs in every app you build.
Direct SDKs for mobile, browser, desktop and server environments.
Official integrations for teams building one application across platforms.
Migrations and cross-platform rollouts from barKoder customers.
Verified credentials
Certified information security management built around internationally recognized controls.
Official Solution Provider supporting standards-based barcode and data-capture workflows.
Solution Provider listing covering barcode, mobile application and 2D barcode capabilities.
Discover the barKoder Web SDK listing and connect through Microsoft Marketplace.
Registered Independent Software Vendor in Zebra's PartnerConnect ecosystem.
Install the free barKoder demo app, or open the web demo, and scan your own barcodes before you integrate the SDK.
iPhone and iPad
Scan with your camera, or point it at the QR code to open the App Store.
Android phones and tablets
Scan with your camera, or point it at the QR code to open Google Play.
Any modern browser
Runs the Web SDK in your browser, on desktop or mobile, with nothing to install.
Test with known samples. Print or display the testing sheet and scan each 1D and 2D barcode with the demo app. The data sheet summarizes the SDK for your team.
It depends on what you scan. For occasional QR codes in good light, a free plugin can be enough. If your users scan damaged, blurred or engraved barcodes, passports and ID cards, VINs or many barcodes at once, test a commercial SDK such as barKoder on your own samples and devices. Compare successful reads, how often a code has to be repositioned, and whether the plugin is still updated.
No. The package is marked deprecated on npm and its GitHub repository was archived in August 2020. The Ionic Native wrapper @awesome-cordova-plugins/barcode-scanner depends on it and is flagged as deprecated too. cordova-plugin-barcodescanner has had no release since February 2018. The migration steps on this page show how to move to barkoder-cordova.
Yes. Ionic apps that run on Cordova install barkoder-cordova with ionic cordova plugin add barkoder-cordova, and Ionic Angular projects can use the @awesome-cordova-plugins/barkoder wrapper. Ionic apps that run on Capacitor use barkoder-capacitor, described on the Capacitor Barcode Scanner Plugin page.
The plugin builds for Android and iOS. Its Android library declares Android 5.0 (API 21) as the minimum. The iOS framework declares iOS 12.0 up to version 1.7.1 and iOS 15.0 in version 1.7.2. Check the barkoder-cordova package on npm for the current release.
Yes. QR Code and Micro QR Code are among the supported 2D types. Enable the idDocument type to read the MRZ on passports, ID cards and visas, and use the SA driving license parser example for South African licenses, ID cards and vehicle license discs. barKoder reads barcodes and MRZ. It is not a general document scanner, and its OCR is built for VIN recognition.
You don't have to. barKoder publishes plugins for both, with the same scanning engine and the same method names. The Capacitor plugin passes parameters as objects. Stay on barkoder-cordova while your app runs on Cordova. If you migrate to Capacitor later, switch to barkoder-capacitor at that point.
Only for the license check. The SDK checks the license key with the barKoder licensing server when the app initializes it. All scanning runs on the device, and each device must reach the licensing server at least once every 30 days to keep returning licensed results.
Get a key on the trial page or in the barKoder portal. A trial license lasts 30 days and can be deployed to up to 25 devices, and it is meant for development and staging. Integration and testing support is free.
Install barkoder-cordova and test it on your own barcodes and devices with a free 30-day trial, or talk to an SDK expert about your migration.
