How to Choose The Right Barcode SDK

Summary: Choosing the right SDK for barcode functionality can be a challenge for developers. Follow this guide to ensure you consider all the relevant information when procuring your barcode reader SDK.

The first barcode was invented in 1948, but it took over 20 years for the scanning systems to become reliable enough for barcodes to become commercially successful. Hopefully, with the right SDK, your project’s timeline for implementing a reliable barcode solution will be quicker.

With Apryse barcode scanning SDKs, you can easily add the capability to generate, stamp, and read barcodes. Our solution supports over 100 barcode types, including popular 1D and 2D barcode formats like QR codes, Code 128, UPC, PDF417, and DataMatrix. This broad support ensures compatibility across different industries and applications.

Inventory and Asset Management: Accurately track and manage inventory by extracting barcode data from product labels and stock records. Our barcode extraction supports fast, bulk processing, making it ideal for warehouses and retail environments.

Logistics and Shipping Automation: Speed up shipping processes by extracting barcode information from labels, packing slips, and shipment documentation. Ensure smooth tracking and reduce errors across the supply chain with reliable, real-time barcode data capture.

Healthcare Recordkeeping: Seamlessly integrate barcode extraction into healthcare workflows, allowing for the quick identification and retrieval of patient records, medication information, and equipment inventory. Reduce manual errors and improve the accuracy of healthcare documentation

When you’re looking for the right Barcode scanner SDK, consider these key features and capabilities:

The SDK you choose must be compatible with the languages and platforms your project uses. Check out the documentation of each shortlisted vendor to ensure that the SDK supports what you need, such as iOS and Android, for example. While you’re there, evaluate the quality of the documentation, to ensure it includes the code samples, demos, and comprehensive information your developers need to get through the integration process.

The Barcode scanning SDK you choose must also integrate with your workflow, including other document processing tasks such as OCR and document viewing, for example.

An effective barcode SDK provides reliability when reading damaged or distorted barcodes. Real-time processing is essential for real-time applications like inventory scanning and logistics tracking.

The right SDK scales with your business needs, with options for customizing workflows, such as bringing barcode data into other extraction and document generation processes. Apryse barcode SDK is optimized for server environments, allowing high-speed, large-scale operations without bottlenecks—ideal for enterprises looking for a robust solution.

In industries which use barcodes extensively such as healthcare, retail and logistics, and even military, secure data handling and encryption are essential features to protect and secure the data barcodes store and connect with. In addition, these applications require compliance with standards such as GDPR and HIPAA for sensitive personally identifiable information (PII).

Apryse SDKs support encryption and document security features, and are SOC2 certified.

Ensure that the SDK you choose meets all the needs of the different platforms your application will support. For example, while some workflows involve a hand-held barcode scanner device and a desktop windows PC, an iOS and Android barcode scanning SDK allows you to support easy scanning with mobile devices.

Is your team comfortable buying an off-the-shelf SDK without comprehensive support to help integrate and customize it for your needs? Check out the support offered for your shortlisted SDKs, including documentation, regular updates, technical support, and other resources.

Barcode extraction software is an essential part of many workflows which automate the record-keeping, traceability, and movement of assets in the physical world. To learn more about our SDKs that support extracting physical data to digital systems, learn more about Data Extraction. 

If you’d like to learn more about Apryse barcode extraction capabilities, contact sales.