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Generation stays in your browser. We never send your input to a server.
One code per line. Add a name with a comma if you need a label.
Download the barcodes you generated as a PDF.
One code per line. Optionally use “code,name”.
CODE128, EAN, CODE39, and more.
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My Barcode is a free browser tool to generate barcodes in bulk.
Paste text to create CODE128, EAN, and more at once.
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Product codes and similar values stay local while you generate and download.
A barcode encodes data as a pattern of bars and spaces (or equivalent marks) that machines can scan optically. When people search “what is a barcode,” the practical answer is: a machine-readable label that connects a physical item to a database record quickly and accurately. Retail checkout, logistics tracking, libraries, and access control all depend on it.
Narrowly, “barcode” means linear (1D) symbols. Broadly, people sometimes include 2D codes such as QR. This explainer focuses on 1D barcodes—CODE128, EAN/UPC, CODE39, and similar families.
Ideas date to the 1940s–50s; retail POS adoption took off in the 1970s. U.S. grocery needed a shared product identity, and the UPC spread widely. Japan’s JAN codes aligned with the EAN family and became everyday infrastructure in stores.
Industrial and logistics use favored symbols such as CODE128 (broad character support, good density) and classic CODE39. Standards bodies defined symbology rules, quiet zones, and print quality so labels stay scannable.
Barcodes never left in the internet era. Shipping labels, warehouse locations, lab samples, and event ops still need cheap, reliable 1D codes alongside on-screen QR. The printer/scanner ecosystem is a major reason they endure.
Examples you will meet:
A barcode is more than artwork: encoding rules, check digits, and print size matter. Tight margins, low resolution, or distortion make scans fail—so preview before print.
Retail POS is the famous case: scan an item, look up price and stock. Warehousing tracks parcels and shelf locations. Manufacturing ties lots to process steps; asset/library systems identify individual items.
Phone cameras can read many codes now, but dedicated scanners still win on speed and reliability in warehouses. Paper and stickers remain inexpensive media compared with some RFID deployments.
QR codes hold more payload (URLs, short text) in two dimensions. Linear barcodes carry less data but plug into existing label printers and handheld scanners. Use barcodes to identify a product number reliably; use QR when a phone should open a link.
Test labels, internal codes, and small-batch stickers often need CODE128 or EAN-style output as image/PDF quickly. My Barcode is a free browser generator—no signup, and your input stays on the device for local previews before printing.