Generating QR Codes with QRencode: A Complete Guide

QR codes are ubiquitous today, used for everything from payment processing to sharing Wi-Fi credentials. Creating them has been simplified by tools like QRencode, a lightweight command-line utility that allows you to generate QR codes quickly and easily. In this article, we’ll explore what QRencode is, how to install it, and how to use it to create QR codes for different purposes.

What is QRencode?

QRencode is an open-source tool for generating QR codes from text strings or files. It uses the libqrencode library to encode data into QR code format, supporting various customization options. QRencode is highly efficient and is widely used in scripting and automation tasks due to its command-line interface.

Key Features of QRencode

• Supports Different QR Code Versions: Customize QR code sizes by selecting specific versions (1–40).
• Error Correction Levels: Choose between Low, Medium, Quartile, and High for data recovery in case of damage.
• Output Flexibility: Save QR codes as PNG images or display them directly in the terminal.
• Input Versatility: Accepts plain text, URLs, or data from files.
• Customization Options: Adjust margins, module sizes, and colors.

How To Install QRencode On Ubuntu 24.04

On This section we will show you how to install QRencode on Ubuntu Linux operating system. To install QRencode on Ubuntu is a simple thing, there will only two steps :

1. Update system repository
2. Install QRencode

We will submit the following command line :

$ sudo apt update
$ sudo apt install qrencode

Using QRencode

After QRencode installation was successfully done, then we will use QRencode to generate the QR Code image. We will do following command line.

1. Generate a Simple QR Code

Create a QR code for a plain text string:

$  qrencode -o image_filename.png "string_tobe_convert"

For this example, we will create a QR code for https://bckinfo.com web site.

$ ramansah@dev02:~$ qrencode -o bckinfo.png "https://bckinfo.com"

the result is as shown below :

2. Display a QR Code in the Terminal

For quick viewing, the QR Code will be displayed on the screen, the command line format will be :

$ qrencode -t ANSI "https://bckinfo.com"

3. Customize QR Code Dimensions

Adjust the size of the modules, the format command line will be :

$ qrencode -o custom_size.png -s 10

Advanced Use Cases

1. Automation with QRencode

Integrate QRencode into shell scripts to automate QR code generation. For example, to batch-generate QR codes:

for i in {1..5}; do
qrencode -o qr$i.png "This is QR code $i"
done

2. Sharing Wi-Fi Credentials

You can create a QR code for Wi-Fi login:

$ qrencode -o wifi.png "WIFI:S:YourNetwork;T:WPA;P:YourPassword;;"

Conclusion

QRencode is a powerful and flexible tool for generating QR codes on the fly. Whether you’re a developer integrating QR codes into your workflow or a casual user looking to simplify QR code creation, QRencode is a reliable choice. Its command-line nature makes it perfect for automation and scripting tasks, while its simplicity ensures anyone can use it with ease.

Start exploring QRencode today, and unlock new possibilities with QR codes!