@verevoir/qrcode

A drop-in, zero-dependency replacement for node-qrcode.

node-qrcode is the industry standard, but it carries three runtime dependencies, ships one visual style, and leans on canvas for much of its browser story. @verevoir/qrcode keeps the exact same API surface — no code rewrites — while dropping the dep graph and adding ten built-in styles.

Why switch?

• Zero runtime dependencies — no pngjs, dijkstrajs, or yargs in your lockfile.
• 10 built-in styles — square, dots, diamonds, horizontal, vertical, diagonal, network, circuit, metro, scribble.
• TypeScript-first — native .d.ts, no @types/qrcode needed.
• Isomorphic — one import works in Node, browsers, and edge runtimes (Cloudflare Workers, Deno, Bun).
• No canvas package required — browser usage is native via SVG and the browser's own canvas API.

1-minute migration

Keep your logic. Change your import.

// Before
import QRCode from 'qrcode';

// After
import QRCode from '@verevoir/qrcode';

// Same API
const svg = await QRCode.toString('https://verevoir.io', { type: 'svg' });

// New: pick a style
const stylish = await QRCode.toString('https://verevoir.io', {
  type: 'svg',
  style: 'network',
});

Honest comparison

| | qrcode | @verevoir/qrcode | | --------------------------- | ---------------------------------- | ------------------ | | Runtime dependencies | 3 (pngjs, dijkstrajs, yargs) | 0 | | Installed size | ~1.5 MB (pngjs alone is 1.1 MB) | ~135 kB | | Bundled (esbuild, min+gzip) | 9.4 kB | 8.2 kB | | Visual styles | 1 | 10 | | TypeScript types | via @types/qrcode | built-in | | Edge/Worker ready | needs polyfills | native (isomorphic entry) |

Numbers are for the isomorphic entry. The bundled-size difference is modest — the real win is the server-side install footprint and dependency graph, which matter for cold-start time, supply-chain surface, and Docker image size.

Tradeoffs & pitfalls

Be aware before you switch:

• PNG output requires an optional peer dependency. toFile('code.png') and toBuffer() use @resvg/resvg-js under the hood. Install it alongside this package if you need PNG — otherwise you'll see a Module not found error only when a PNG call fires:

  npm install @verevoir/qrcode @resvg/resvg-js

• version and maskPattern options are accepted but ignored. The engine always selects the optimal version and mask automatically. If your call sites pass these, migration is still safe — your code keeps running — but the options don't take effect.

• color.dark / color.light are reliable on the default square style. Other styles use SVG path construction where string-replacement colour substitution is less predictable. Stick with square if you rely heavily on custom colours, or use the lower-level @verevoir/qr API which has proper colour plumbing.

• Not as battle-tested as qrcode. node-qrcode has a decade of production edge cases behind it. This package is newer. The engine is covered by a full test suite, but if you're running at enormous scale, roll it out gradually.

Entry points

import QRCode from '@verevoir/qrcode';        // isomorphic — works everywhere
import QRCode from '@verevoir/qrcode/node';   // adds toFile, toBuffer (uses node:fs)
import QRCode from '@verevoir/qrcode/web';    // adds toCanvas (browser only)

The isomorphic entry covers create, toString, and toDataURL, which is enough for most call sites and is the one that runs on edge runtimes. Use the /node or /web subpath only when you need platform-specific extensions.

API

Mirrors node-qrcode. If your code calls any of:

• create(text, options?)
• toString(text, options?, cb?) — returns Promise<string> or accepts (err, result) callback
• toFile(path, text, options?, cb?) — Node only
• toBuffer(text, options?, cb?) — Node only
• toCanvas(canvas, text, options?, cb?) — browser only
• toDataURL(text, options?, cb?)

…it keeps working. Both the Promise and (err, result) callback forms are supported, exactly as in node-qrcode.

Going further

If you decide you want more than a drop-in — direct access to the multi-candidate mask ranking, fabrication-ready layer separation, all ten styles with full colour control — use the underlying engine directly:

import { encode, toSvg } from '@verevoir/qr';

const [qr] = encode('https://verevoir.io');
const svg = toSvg(qr, { style: 'scribble', cornerStyle: 'rounded' });

See @verevoir/qr for the full engine API.

License

MIT.