flutter_barcode_sdk

pub package GitHub license

A cross-platform Flutter plugin for barcode reading and scanning, powered by the Dynamsoft Barcode Reader SDK. Supports Android, iOS, Web, Windows, Linux, and macOS.

Decode a wide range of 1D and 2D barcode symbologies from image files and raw pixel buffers. Build robust barcode reader and scanner applications with minimal effort.

Dynamsoft Barcode Reader Flutter example: QR Code, Code 128, and EAN-13 decoded from an image file with annotation overlay

The plugin accepts image files or raw pixel buffers, so it composes with any camera plugin — for example flutter_lite_camera, which provides live camera preview and frame capture on the same six platforms. The bundled example app uses exactly this combination.

Need more than barcodes? flutter_capture_vision is built on the same architecture and additionally supports MRZ (passport/ID) recognition and document boundary detection on Android, iOS, Web, Windows, Linux, and macOS.

Tip: If you only target Android and iOS, consider the official Dynamsoft Capture Vision Flutter Edition for production-grade live camera scanning with optimized real-time performance. Dynamsoft does not officially support that edition on Web, Windows, Linux, or macOS — for those platforms (or a single code base covering all six), use this package together with a camera plugin such as flutter_lite_camera.

Table of Contents

Getting Started

1. Install the Package

dependencies:
  flutter_barcode_sdk: ^5.3.0

2. Obtain a License Key

A valid license is required to activate barcode decoding functionality.

Get Trial License

3. Initialize the SDK

import 'package:flutter_barcode_sdk/flutter_barcode_sdk.dart';

final barcodeReader = FlutterBarcodeSdk();
await barcodeReader.setLicense('YOUR-LICENSE-KEY');
await barcodeReader.init();

Supported Platforms

Platform Status
Android Supported
iOS Supported
Web Supported
Windows Supported
Linux Supported
macOS Supported

Supported Barcode Symbologies

Linear Barcodes (1D)

Code 39 (including Extended) | Code 93 | Code 128 | Code 11 | Code 32 | Codabar | Interleaved 2 of 5 | Industrial 2 of 5 | Matrix 2 of 5 | EAN-8 | EAN-13 | UPC-A | UPC-E | MSI Code | Telepen | Telepen Numeric

2D Barcodes

QR Code (including Micro QR) | Data Matrix | PDF417 (including Micro PDF417) | Aztec Code | MaxiCode (modes 2-5) | DotCode

GS1 DataBar

Omnidirectional | Truncated | Stacked | Stacked Omnidirectional | Expanded | Expanded Stacked | Limited

Postal Codes

USPS Intelligent Mail | Postnet | Planet | Australian Post | Royal Mail (RM4SCC) | KIX

Other

Patch Code | GS1 Composite Code | Pharmacode (One-Track / Two-Track) | Non-standard Barcode

Platform Configuration

Android

Set the minimum SDK version in android/app/build.gradle:

minSdkVersion 21

iOS

Add camera usage descriptions to ios/Runner/Info.plist:

<key>NSCameraUsageDescription</key>
<string>Camera access is required for barcode scanning.</string>
<key>NSMicrophoneUsageDescription</key>
<string>Microphone access is required by the camera plugin.</string>

Windows and Linux

Ensure CMake and a platform-specific C++ compiler are installed.

macOS

Requires macOS 12+, Xcode 14+, and CocoaPods. The first build runs pod install automatically.

You must also bundle the Dynamsoft Templates/ and Models/ resource folders into your app, otherwise the SDK fails with InitSettings error -10030. A Flutter plugin cannot do this for you, so add the Copy Dynamsoft Resources build phase to your Runner target — the easiest way is pasting the ready-made post_install snippet from flutter_barcode_sdk_macos/README.md into your macos/Podfile and running pod install.

Grant these entitlements in your app's macos/Runner/*.entitlements (the bundled example already has them):

<key>com.apple.security.network.client</key><true/>
<key>com.apple.security.device.camera</key><true/>
<key>com.apple.security.files.user-selected.read-write</key><true/>

And add the camera usage description to macos/Runner/Info.plist:

<key>NSCameraUsageDescription</key>
<string>Camera access is required for barcode scanning.</string>

Web

No manual setup is required. The Dynamsoft JavaScript/WASM bundle is self-hosted as package assets of the endorsed flutter_barcode_sdk_web package and is loaded automatically at runtime — there is no CDN <script> tag to add to index.html. Just serve the app over HTTPS or localhost, as required for WASM.

Usage

Decode from an Image File

List<BarcodeResult> results = await barcodeReader.decodeFile('path/to/image.png');

for (var result in results) {
  print('${result.format}: ${result.text}');
}

Decode from a Camera Buffer

The plugin itself is camera-agnostic: feed it raw frames from any camera plugin. flutter_lite_camera opens the preview and captures RGB frames on all six platforms:

List<BarcodeResult> results = await barcodeReader.decodeImageBuffer(
  bytes,      // Uint8List - raw pixel data
  width,      // Image width
  height,     // Image height
  stride,     // Bytes per row
  format,     // Pixel format index (e.g., ImagePixelFormat.IPF_NV21.index)
  rotation,   // 0, 90, 180, or 270
);

Set Barcode Formats

await barcodeReader.setBarcodeFormats(
  BarcodeFormat.QR_CODE | BarcodeFormat.CODE_128 | BarcodeFormat.EAN_13,
);

Configure Advanced Parameters

String params = await barcodeReader.getParameters();
// Modify the JSON string as needed...
await barcodeReader.setParameters(params);

API Reference

Method Description Return
setLicense(String license) Activates the SDK with a license key. Future<int>
init() Initializes the barcode reader with default parameters. Future<int>
decodeFile(String filename) Decodes barcodes from an image file. Future<List<BarcodeResult>>
decodeImageBuffer(...) Decodes barcodes from raw pixel data (camera preview, etc.). Future<List<BarcodeResult>>
setBarcodeFormats(int formats) Sets which barcode formats to detect. Future<int>
getParameters() Returns the current detection settings as JSON. Future<String>
setParameters(String params) Updates detection settings from a JSON string. Future<int>

See BarcodeFormat for all available format constants and ImagePixelFormat for supported pixel formats. Both are exported from package:flutter_barcode_sdk/flutter_barcode_sdk.dart.

Federated Packages

Since v5.0.0, this plugin is a federated plugin following the Flutter camera package pattern. Platform implementations are separate packages that are endorsed automatically — there is no need to add them to your pubspec.yaml:

Package Platform
flutter_barcode_sdk_platform_interface Platform interface contract
flutter_barcode_sdk_android Android
flutter_barcode_sdk_macos macOS
flutter_barcode_sdk_ios iOS
flutter_barcode_sdk_windows Windows
flutter_barcode_sdk_linux Linux
flutter_barcode_sdk_web Web (self-hosted JS/WASM bundle)

Each platform package is versioned and published independently, so each platform can be updated without affecting the others.

Examples

Mobile (Android / iOS)

cd example
flutter run

Desktop (Windows / Linux / macOS)

cd example
flutter run -d windows   # or -d linux/macos

Web

cd example
flutter run -d chrome

Libraries

flutter_barcode_sdk