Aztec Code is a square 2D barcode built around a bullseye at its center, so it needs no blank margin and fits on small tickets and phone screens. barKoder reads compact and full-range Aztec codes on boarding passes, rail tickets and event tickets in your iOS, Android and web apps.
| Type | 2D matrix symbology with a square bullseye finder at the center. Square symbols from 15 x 15 to 151 x 151 modules, with no quiet zone required. |
| Character set and data | All 256 byte values: ASCII (0-127) and ISO/IEC 8859-1 (128-255) by default, other character sets through ECI. FNC1 for GS1 and similar data. |
| Capacity | Up to 3,832 digits, 3,067 letters or 1,914 bytes in the largest symbol, at the recommended error correction level |
| Error correction | User-selectable, from 5% to 95% of the data region. Recommended: 23% of the symbol capacity plus 3 codewords. |
| Standard | ISO/IEC 24778 (current edition 2024, replacing the 2008 edition) |
| Typical uses | Mobile and printed airline boarding passes (IATA), rail tickets, event tickets, patient identification |
An Aztec Code is a square grid of dark and light modules, where each module stands for one bit. The name comes from the central finder pattern, which looks like a stepped pyramid seen from above. Because the reader finds the code from its center, the data can run right to the edge of the symbol.
Encoders choose the format by data length, and decoders tell the formats apart automatically.
| Variant | What it is | Scanning notes |
|---|---|---|
| Compact Aztec | 2-ring bullseye, 1 to 4 data layers. From 15 x 15 modules, for shorter messages. | Enable the Aztec Compact decoder |
| Full-range Aztec | 3-ring bullseye, up to 32 data layers and 151 x 151 modules, with a reference grid for large symbols | Enable the Aztec decoder |
| Structured Append | Optional. Spreads one message over up to 26 Aztec symbols that can be scanned in any order. | Each symbol carries its part of the message |
| Reader initialization symbols | Optional symbols used in barcode menus to configure a reader. Their content is never passed to an application. | Used by scanner vendors, not in apps |
| Aztec Runes | 256 small machine-readable marks compatible with Aztec Code, for special applications | Not read by barKoder today |
Aztec Code fits where the code must be small, dense and quick to read from paper or a screen.
The IATA boarding pass standard allows Aztec, Data Matrix or QR Code on mobile boarding passes, and since version 7 on printed passes at the airline's request. Aztec suits airline apps, where screen space is limited. The boarding pass parser turns the decoded data into passenger, flight and baggage fields.
Barcode scanning for hospitality →Rail tickets use Aztec codes: the UIC 918.3 ticket standard of the International Union of Railways specifies an Aztec symbol, and Deutsche Bahn online tickets use the same symbology under the German VDV standard. Venues use Aztec next to QR Code on event tickets.
Barcode scanning for entertainment →Hospitals use Aztec codes for patient identification and medical records, where a compact code has to carry detailed information.
Barcode scanning for healthcare →The barKoder Barcode Scanner SDK reads Aztec Code on iOS, Android, the web, Windows and Linux, and in Flutter, React Native, .NET MAUI, Capacitor, Cordova and NativeScript apps. These features matter most for ticket and boarding pass scanning.
barKoder has two Aztec decoders, Aztec and Aztec Compact. Enable both for general ticket scanning, or only the one your codes use to keep scanning focused.
Web SDK API reference →Keeps the camera running and captures one code after another, without a tap between scans. Use it for boarding, entry gates and event check-in queues.
Continuous Scanning →Decodes several barcodes in a single camera view, whatever their type or size, for example a stack of printed tickets.
Batch MultiScan →The Web SDK decodes Aztec from the camera in the browser, or from image files the user selects, for web check-in and validation tools.
WASM Barcode Scanner SDK →Enable only the decoders you need. This NativeScript example from the barKoder docs enables Aztec and Aztec Compact together with other common types.
private setBarcodeTypeEnabled() : void {
this.barkoderView.setBarcodeTypeEnabled(
[
BarkoderConstants.DecoderType.Aztec,
BarkoderConstants.DecoderType.AztecCompact
]
)
}
For a ticket scanner, keep the two Aztec lines and drop the types you don't need. In the Web SDK the same decoders are Barkoder.constants.Decoders.Aztec and Barkoder.constants.Decoders.AztecCompact.
General examples, including how to enable symbologies, for other platforms: Web SDK, Android, iOS, Flutter, React Native, Capacitor, Cordova and .NET MAUI.
Install the free barKoder demo app, or open the web demo, and scan your own tickets and boarding passes, on paper or on a phone screen, 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.
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.
Aztec Code is a 2D matrix barcode defined in ISO/IEC 24778. It is a square of dark and light modules with a bullseye finder pattern in the middle, and its data is wrapped around that center in layers. Symbols range from 15 x 15 to 151 x 151 modules and hold up to 3,832 digits, 3,067 letters or 1,914 bytes. It is best known from airline boarding passes and rail tickets.
Both are square 2D matrix codes. QR Code is located by three square finder patterns in its corners and needs a blank quiet zone around it. Aztec Code is located by one bullseye in the center and needs no quiet zone, so it uses less space on a ticket or screen. QR Code holds somewhat more data, up to about 4,296 alphanumeric characters against Aztec's 3,067 letters, and is the usual choice for consumer-facing codes. barKoder reads both.
Most barcodes need a blank margin so the reader can tell where the code ends. An Aztec reader finds the code from the bullseye in its center instead of from its edges, and reads the data layers outward from there. ISO/IEC 24778 therefore requires no quiet zone outside the symbol, which lets designers print the code edge to edge.
Tickets need a compact code that carries the booking record and reads from paper or a phone screen. The IATA boarding pass standard allows Aztec, Data Matrix or QR Code on mobile boarding passes, while printed passes default to PDF417. The UIC 918.3 rail ticket standard and Deutsche Bahn's online tickets use Aztec. Its error correction can be set as high as the application needs.
The one that reads your real tickets, from paper and from screens, on your target devices. Check that the SDK reads both compact and full-range symbols, works on your platforms and keeps up with a queue of passengers or visitors. barKoder has decoders for both Aztec formats, continuous scanning and Batch MultiScan, and runs on iOS, Android, the web and frameworks such as Flutter, React Native and .NET MAUI. The free trial runs for 30 days on up to 25 devices.
Yes. To check a single code, scan it with your camera or upload a photo or screenshot to the free online barcode scanner. To decode Aztec codes inside your own web app, use the WASM Barcode Scanner SDK, which reads from the camera or from image files.
Test the SDK on your own tickets and boarding passes with a free 30-day trial, or talk to an SDK expert about your project.
QR Code
Data Matrix
PDF417
DotCode
MaxiCode
GS1 Composite