No-deps QR + barcode toolkit for .NET (encode/decode, payload helpers, and renderers: SVG/HTML/PNG/JPEG/BMP/PPM/PBM/PGM/PAM/XBM/XPM/TGA/ICO/PDF/EPS/SVGZ/ASCII).
CodeGlyphX - No-deps QR & Barcode Toolkit for .NET
CodeGlyphX is a fast, dependency-free toolkit for QR codes and barcodes, with robust decoding and a minimal API. It targets modern .NET as well as legacy .NET Framework, and includes renderers, payload helpers, and WPF controls.
Status: Actively developed · Stable core · Expanding format support
📦 NuGet Package
🛠️ Project Information
👨💻 Author & Social
What it's all about
CodeGlyphX is a no-deps QR + barcode toolkit for .NET with:
Reliable QR decoding (ECI, FNC1/GS1, Kanji, structured append, Micro QR)
CodeGlyphX targets netstandard2.0, net472, net8.0, and net10.0. Most features are available everywhere, but the full QR pixel pipeline and Span-based APIs are net8+ only.
netstandard2.0 and net472 require System.Memory 4.5.5 (automatically pulled by NuGet).
net8+ uses the full QR pixel pipeline; net472/netstandard2.0 use a best-effort fallback for QR image decode via QrImageDecoder and byte[] overloads.
Runtime checks are available via CodeGlyphXFeatures (e.g., SupportsQrPixelDecode, SupportsQrPixelDecodeFallback, SupportsQrPixelDebug).
net472 capability notes (QR from images):
✅ Clean/generated PNG/JPEG QR renders (including large module sizes)
⚠️ Multi-code screenshots, heavy styling/art, blur, warp, and low-contrast scenes are best-effort
✅ Recommended: run the quick smoke checklist in Build/Net472-SmokeTest.md
Recommended pattern for shared code:
if (CodeGlyphXFeatures.SupportsQrPixelDecode &&
QrImageDecoder.TryDecodeImage(bytes, QrPixelDecodeOptions.Screen(), out var decoded))
{
Console.WriteLine(decoded.Text);
}
else
{
// net472 fallback: decode from module grids or run QR pixel decode on a net8+ worker.
}
Choosing a target:
Pick net8.0/net10.0 when you need the most robust QR pixel decode from images/screenshots, pixel debug rendering, Span APIs, or maximum throughput.
Pick net472/netstandard2.0 for legacy apps; QR image decode is available via a best-effort fallback, but it is less robust on heavily styled/artistic inputs.
Decode (unified)
using CodeGlyphX;
using CodeGlyphX.Rendering;
var options = new CodeGlyphDecodeOptions {
PreferBarcode = false,
Qr = new QrPixelDecodeOptions {
Profile = QrDecodeProfile.Robust,
MaxMilliseconds = 800
}
};
if (CodeGlyph.TryDecode(pixels, width, height, stride, PixelFormat.Rgba32, out var decoded, options)) {
Console.WriteLine($"{decoded.Kind}: {decoded.Text}");
}
Diagnostics:
if (!CodeGlyph.TryDecode(pixels, width, height, stride, PixelFormat.Rgba32, out var decoded, out var diagnostics, options)) {
Console.WriteLine(diagnostics.FailureReason);
Console.WriteLine(diagnostics.Failure);
}
Presets for easy tuning:
var fast = CodeGlyphDecodeOptions.Fast();
var robust = CodeGlyphDecodeOptions.Robust();
var stylized = CodeGlyphDecodeOptions.Stylized();
var screen = CodeGlyphDecodeOptions.Screen(maxMilliseconds: 300, maxDimension: 1200);
Barcode checksum policy:
var options = new CodeGlyphDecodeOptions {
ExpectedBarcode = BarcodeType.Code39,
Code39Checksum = Code39ChecksumPolicy.StripIfValid,
PreferBarcode = true
};
Cancellation and time budget:
using var cts = new CancellationTokenSource(TimeSpan.FromMilliseconds(500));
var options = new CodeGlyphDecodeOptions {
Qr = new QrPixelDecodeOptions { Profile = QrDecodeProfile.Robust },
CancellationToken = cts.Token
};
if (CodeGlyph.TryDecode(pixels, width, height, stride, PixelFormat.Rgba32, out var decoded, options)) {
Console.WriteLine(decoded.Text);
}
Screen-friendly preset:
var options = CodeGlyphDecodeOptions.Screen(maxMilliseconds: 300, maxDimension: 1200);
if (CodeGlyph.TryDecode(pixels, width, height, stride, PixelFormat.Rgba32, out var decoded, options)) {
Console.WriteLine(decoded.Text);
}
Cross-Platform Testing: Builds and tests run on Windows, Linux, and macOS. Windows additionally builds WPF and .NET Framework targets.
Benchmarks (local run)
Latest benchmark tables are generated into BENCHMARK.md (and Assets/Data/benchmark*.json).
This README intentionally does not mirror benchmark tables to avoid drift. See BENCHMARK.md for the latest Windows/Linux/macOS quick and full runs, including timestamps and hardware details.
Quick runs use fewer iterations but include the same scenario list as full runs (for BenchmarkDotNet tables). The QR pack runner uses a smaller quick pack set and adds art/stylized packs in full mode.
Performance checklist
Environment
Close heavy apps (indexers, browsers, video calls).
Use AC power and High Performance plan; avoid battery saver.
Reboot if the system has been running for a long time.
Build & preflight
dotnet --info (record SDK + runtime versions).
dotnet build CodeGlyphX.sln
dotnet run -c Release --project CodeGlyphX.Benchmarks -- --preflight
Matrix render helpers for Aztec/DataMatrix/PDF417 (PNG/SVG/SVGZ/HTML/JPEG/WebP/BMP/PPM/PBM/PGM/PAM/XBM/XPM/TGA/ICO/PDF/EPS/ASCII)
AOT & trimming
CodeGlyphX is AOT-friendly (no reflection, no runtime codegen) and ships with trimming/AOT analyzers enabled for .NET 8+ targets.
Recommended publish flags: PublishAot=true (native), or PublishTrimmed=true (size) for app projects.
Output formats (Save by extension)
Save(...) chooses the output based on file extension for QR/Barcode/DataMatrix/PDF417/Aztec.
For other matrix barcodes (e.g., KIX/Royal Mail 4‑State), use the Matrix* renderers with a BitMatrix from MatrixBarcodeEncoder.
Use .txt for ASCII output and .ps as an EPS alias.
Format
Extensions
Notes
PNG
.png
Raster
JPEG
.jpg, .jpeg
Raster, quality via options
WebP
.webp
Raster, quality via options (lossless at quality 100)
BMP
.bmp
Raster
PPM
.ppm
Raster (portable pixmap)
PBM
.pbm
Raster (portable bitmap)
PGM
.pgm
Raster (portable graymap)
PAM
.pam
Raster (portable anymap, RGBA)
XBM
.xbm
Text (1-bit)
XPM
.xpm
Text (2-color)
TGA
.tga
Raster
ICO
.ico
Raster (PNG inside, multi-size by default)
SVG
.svg
Vector
SVGZ
.svgz, .svg.gz
Vector (gzip-compressed SVG)
HTML
.html, .htm
Table-based output
PDF
.pdf
Vector by default, raster via RenderMode
EPS
.eps, .ps
Vector by default, raster via RenderMode
ASCII
.txt
Text output (also via Render(..., OutputFormat.Ascii))
Raw RGBA
API only
Use RenderPixels methods
Render to bytes or text
using CodeGlyphX;
using CodeGlyphX.Rendering;
var svg = Barcode.Render(BarcodeType.Code128, "CODE128-12345", OutputFormat.Svg).GetText();
var png = QrCode.Render("https://example.com", OutputFormat.Png).Data;
// HTML title + PDF/EPS vector/raster output
var extras = new RenderExtras { HtmlTitle = "My Code", VectorMode = RenderMode.Raster };
Barcode.Save(BarcodeType.Code128, "CODE128-12345", "barcode.html", extras: extras);
Per-format helpers (e.g., Png, Svg, SavePng) remain for convenience, but new code should prefer Render(..., OutputFormat) to keep output handling consistent.
ICO multi-size
using CodeGlyphX;
var opts = new QrEasyOptions {
IcoSizes = new[] { 32, 64, 128 },
IcoPreserveAspectRatio = true
};
QR.Save("https://example.com", "qr.ico", opts);
Payload helpers
QR payload helpers generate well-known structured strings so scanners can trigger the right action.
Managed WebP encode is VP8 (lossy intra-only) and VP8L (lossless)
AVIF, HEIC, JPEG2000, PSD are not supported
Multi-page / tiled TIFF is not supported (first IFD only)
PDF/PS decode is not supported (rasterize first)
Format corpus (optional)
Image format corpus: CodeGlyphX.Tests/Fixtures/ImageSamples/manifest.json
Download with pwsh Build/Download-ImageSamples.ps1 (or set CODEGLYPHX_IMAGE_SAMPLES).
External barcode/QR samples: CodeGlyphX.Tests/Fixtures/ExternalSamples/manifest.json
Download with pwsh Build/Download-ExternalSamples.ps1 (or set CODEGLYPHX_EXTERNAL_SAMPLES).
Quick usage
using CodeGlyphX;
QR.Save("https://example.com", "qr.png");
QR.Save("https://example.com", "qr.svg");
QR.Save("https://example.com", "qr.jpg");
QR.Save("https://example.com", "qr.pdf");
using CodeGlyphX;
// Simple styling (colored eyes + rounded modules)
var opts = new QrEasyOptions {
ModuleShape = QrPngModuleShape.Rounded,
ModuleCornerRadiusPx = 3,
Eyes = new QrPngEyeOptions {
UseFrame = true,
OuterShape = QrPngModuleShape.Circle,
InnerShape = QrPngModuleShape.Circle,
OuterColor = new Rgba32(220, 20, 60),
InnerColor = new Rgba32(220, 20, 60),
}
};
QR.Save("https://example.com", "qr-styled.png", opts);
High-resolution output (print / large displays)
For large displays or print, render at a higher pixel size using TargetSizePx or a larger ModuleSize.
Vector output (SVG/PDF) is ideal when your style stays vector-friendly (no gradients/palettes/logos).
using CodeGlyphX;
var opts = new QrEasyOptions {
TargetSizePx = 1200,
TargetSizeIncludesQuietZone = true,
BackgroundSupersample = 2 // smoother gradients/patterns
};
QR.Save("https://example.com", "qr-1200.png", opts);
Examples: see CodeGlyphX.Examples output files (qr-print-4k.png, qr-print-8k.png, qr-print-8k.pdf) for print-ready presets.
using CodeGlyphX;
using CodeGlyphX.Rendering;
// PDF/EPS are vector by default. Use Raster when you need pixels.
QR.SavePdf("https://example.com", "qr-raster.pdf", mode: RenderMode.Raster);
Rendering pipeline notes (PNG)
Layout: compute quiet-zone, module grid, and output pixel size.
Background: solid/gradient/pattern fill (optional supersample for smoother gradients/patterns).
Modules: shape + scale map + palette/gradient, then eyes, then logo overlay.
Canvas/debug: optional sticker canvas + debug overlays as final passes.
Notes:
Vector PDF/EPS support square/rounded/circle modules and eye shapes.
Gradients and logos automatically fall back to raster to preserve appearance.
PDF/EPS are output-only. For decoding, rasterize to PNG/BMP/PPM/PBM/PGM/PAM/TGA and use the image decoders.
Logo background plates auto-bump the minimum QR version to 8 by default for scan safety (disable with AutoBumpVersionForLogoBackground or set LogoBackgroundMinVersion = 0).
using CodeGlyphX;
using CodeGlyphX.Payloads;
QR.Save(QrPayloads.Url("https://example.com"), "url.png");
QR.Save(QrPayloads.Wifi("MyWiFi", "p@ssw0rd"), "wifi.png");
QR.Save(QrPayloads.OneTimePassword(OtpAuthType.Totp, "JBSWY3DPEHPK3PXP", label: "user@example.com", issuer: "AuthIMO"), "otp.png");
Decode (pixels or images)
using CodeGlyphX;
if (QrImageDecoder.TryDecodeImage(File.ReadAllBytes("code.bmp"), out var decoded)) {
Console.WriteLine(decoded.Text);
}
using CodeGlyphX;
var options = QrPixelDecodeOptions.Fast();
if (QrImageDecoder.TryDecodeImage(File.ReadAllBytes("screen.png"), options, out var decoded)) {
Console.WriteLine(decoded.Text);
}
using CodeGlyphX;
var options = QrPixelDecodeOptions.Screen(maxMilliseconds: 300, maxDimension: 1200);
if (QrImageDecoder.TryDecodeImage(File.ReadAllBytes("screen.png"), options, out var decoded)) {
Console.WriteLine(decoded.Text);
}
using CodeGlyphX;
var bytes = File.ReadAllBytes("screen.png");
if (QR.TryDecodeImage(bytes, QrPixelDecodeOptions.Screen(), out var decoded)) {
Console.WriteLine(decoded.Text);
}
using CodeGlyphX;
if (!QrImageDecoder.TryDecodeImage(File.ReadAllBytes("screen.png"), out var decoded, out var info)) {
QrDiagnosticsDump.WriteText("decode-diagnostics.txt", info, source: "screen.png");
}
using CodeGlyphX;
if (CodeGlyph.TryDecodeAllPng(File.ReadAllBytes("unknown.png"), out var results)) {
foreach (var item in results) Console.WriteLine($"{item.Kind}: {item.Text}");
}
Decode (3 lines each)
using CodeGlyphX;
if (Barcode.TryDecodeImage(File.ReadAllBytes("code.png"), BarcodeType.Code128, out var barcode))
Console.WriteLine(barcode.Text);
using CodeGlyphX;
if (DataMatrixCode.TryDecodeImage(File.ReadAllBytes("dm.png"), out var text))
Console.WriteLine(text);
using CodeGlyphX;
if (Pdf417Code.TryDecodeImage(File.ReadAllBytes("pdf417.png"), out var text))
Console.WriteLine(text);
using CodeGlyphX;
if (AztecCode.TryDecodeImage(File.ReadAllBytes("aztec.png"), out var text))
Console.WriteLine(text);
using CodeGlyphX;
var opts = ImageDecodeOptions.Screen(maxMilliseconds: 300, maxDimension: 1200);
Barcode.TryDecodePng(File.ReadAllBytes("barcode.png"), BarcodeType.Code128, opts, out var barcode);
