Dynamsoft JavaScript Barcode SDK for Node

This library is the Node.js edition of Dynamsoft Barcode Reader. If you are looking to implement barcode reading feature in a web page, please check out the other library Dynamsoft JavaScript Barcode SDK for Web.

Both 1D and 2D barcode symbologies are supported including the popular Code 39, EAN-13, QR, PDF417, etc. Find the full list here.

The library is based on webassembly which has been an official feature of Node.js since LTS 8. If you are using Node.js LTS 8 and have no plan to upgrade it, check out how to use the library in Node.js LTS 8. That said, Node.js version >= LTS 12 is recommended because the library will try to use worker_threads when decoding.

Node.js 15+ is required when using an online license.

Technical Support

Note that the node.js edition of the Barcode Reader may not be updated in time. If you need technical support, you can contact Dynamsoft support or create issues in https://github.com/Dynamsoft/javascript-barcode.

Get Started

• Check your Node.js version

> node -v
v12.13.1

• Installs the library from npm

> npm install dynamsoft-node-barcode --save

• Create a js file and include the library

let DBR = require("dynamsoft-node-barcode");

The following also works

let DBR = require("path/to/dist/dbr.js");

Note The library uses Promise a lot, so it's recommended to write the related code in a async function so that later you can use await

(async()=>{
// many work will done here
})();

• Create an instance of the reader

let reader = await DBR.BarcodeReader.createInstance();

• Decode a file by its path

let results = await reader.decode('path/to/sample.png');

Or just decode a file by its URL

let results = await reader.decode('https://demo.dynamsoft.com/barcode-reader/img/AllSupportedBarcodeTypes.png');

NOTE
The following image formats are supported by default: png, jpg, bmp, gif.

If you want to decode other files like pdf's, you need to convert them to images first. Contact Dynamsoft Support to find out more.

If you want to decode raw image data (RGBA) from sources like a camera. You can use the API deocdeBuffer. Check out C++ API decodeBuffer for more details.

• Print out the results

for(let result of results){
    console.log(result.barcodeText);
}

• Run your code.

> node your-code.js

Last not but least, don't forget to set a license key! If you don't have a key yet, click here to get one.

DBR.BarcodeReader.license = 'LICENSE';

Full code

let DBR = require('dynamsoft-node-barcode');
// Please visit https://www.dynamsoft.com/customer/license/trialLicense?product=dbr&package=js&utm_source=node to get a trial license
DBR.BarcodeReader.license = 'LICENSE';

let pReader = null;
(async()=>{
    let reader = await DBR.BarcodeReader.createInstance();
    for(let result of await reader.decode('https://demo.dynamsoft.com/barcode-reader/img/AllSupportedBarcodeTypes.png')){
        console.log(result.barcodeText);
    }
    reader.destroy();
    
    // Since the worker keep alive, you can call
    await DBR.BarcodeReader._dbrWorker.terminate();
    // when you need to exit this process.
    // Or call
    process.exit();
    // directly.
})();

Decode from more image sources

let DBR = require('dynamsoft-node-barcode');
// Please visit https://www.dynamsoft.com/customer/license/trialLicense?product=dbr&package=js&utm_source=node to get a trial license
DBR.BarcodeReader.license = 'LICENSE';

(async()=>{
    console.log("============== create reader ==============");
    let reader = await BarcodeReader.createInstance();
    console.log("============== decode buffer ==============");
    let fs = require('fs');
    let buffer = fs.readFileSync(__dirname + '/sample.png');
    for(let result of await reader.decode(buffer)){
        console.log(result.barcodeText);
    }
    console.log("============== decode base64 ==============");
    let strBase64 = buffer.toString('base64');
    for(let result of await reader.decodeBase64String(strBase64)){
        console.log(result.barcodeText);
    }
    console.log("============== decode file ==============");
    for(let result of await reader.decode(__dirname + '/sample.png')){
        console.log(result.barcodeText);
    }
    console.log("============== decode url ==============");
    for(let result of await reader.decode('https://demo.dynamsoft.com/barcode-reader/img/AllSupportedBarcodeTypes.png')){
        console.log(result.barcodeText);
    }
    console.log("============== destroy reader ==============");
    await reader.destroy();
    
    // Since the worker keep alive, you can call
    await DBR._dbrWorker.terminate();
    // when you need to exit this process.
    // Or call
    process.exit();
    // directly.
})();

Change Decoding Settings

To set up the library for decoding, use the APIs getRuntimeSettings & updateRuntimeSettings.

await reader.updateRuntimeSettings("speed");

await reader.updateRuntimeSettings("balance");

await reader.updateRuntimeSettings("coverage");

let settings = await reader.getRuntimeSettings();
settings.localizationModes = [
    Dynamsoft.DBR.EnumLocalizationMode.LM_CONNECTED_BLOCKS,
    Dynamsoft.DBR.EnumLocalizationMode.LM_SCAN_DIRECTLY,
    Dynamsoft.DBR.EnumLocalizationMode.LM_LINES, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0];
settings.deblurLevel = 2;
await reader.updateRuntimeSettings(settings);

See Barcode reading settings Guide for basic usage.

See C++ API RuntimeSettings for more details.

To find out which settings best suit your usage scenario, visit DBR Main Online Demo.

Any questions, please contact Dynamsoft support.

How to use the library in Node.js LTS 8

Node.js LTS 8 doesn't support worker_threads, so the decoding will happen in the same main thread which means it's a blocking operation. The following code snippets demonstrate the basic usage.

Decode

var dbr = require('path/to/dist/dbr-<version>.node.wasm.js');
dbr.onRuntimeInitialized = ()=>{
    dbr.BarcodeReaderWasm.init('{"pk":"PRODUCT-KEY"}');
    var reader = new dbr.BarcodeReaderWasm(false,-1);
    var fs = require('fs');
    var img = fs.readFileSync('./sample.png');
    var resultsInfo = JSON.parse(reader.decodeFileInMemory(new Uint8Array(img)));
    console.log(resultsInfo);
};

Change settings

var settings = JSON.parse(reader.getRuntimeSettings());
settings.expectedBarcodesCount = 999;
reader.updateRuntimeSettings(JSON.stringify(settings));