QR Code API

3.1 data parameter (mandatory)

Provide the text that should live inside the QR code. URL-encode content for GET requests or send it via POST to avoid encoding quirks. You can push a few thousand characters, but smaller payloads scan faster.

Best practice: Shorten URLs or move bulky metadata into landing pages so you can stay under ~900 characters for legacy scanners.

3.2 size parameter (optional)

Square dimensions in pixels (PNG/JPG) or logical units (SVG). Use 64–1200 for raster output; vector exports can scale infinitely.

Example: size=600x600

3.3 charset-source parameter (optional)

Assume UTF-8 for modern payloads. If you POST Latin-1 bytes, set charset-source=ISO-8859-1 so we decode the body correctly before re-encoding to UTF-8.

3.4 charset-target parameter (optional)

Controls how the data itself is encoded prior to QR rendering. We default to UTF-8. Switching to ISO-8859-1 mirrors old QR readers but limits character coverage.

3.5 ecc parameter (optional)

L, M, Q, or H. Higher redundancy preserves data when the code gets scuffed but increases pixel density.

Best practice: Use L for short-lived indoor prints, bump to Q/H if your code may suffer scratches or overlays.

3.6 color parameter (optional)

Accepts 3- or 6-character hex (with or without #). Keep it darker than the background so scanners maintain contrast.

3.7 bgcolor parameter (optional)

Same syntax as color. Default white. Aim for high contrast between color and bgcolor for reliable scans.

3.8 margin parameter (optional)

Pixel margin (0–32) around the QR. We add it inside the requested size so you retain the same outer dimension.

3.9 qzone parameter (optional)

Quiet zone expressed in modules. Equivalent to margin but in multiples of a QR pixel. Works best when set to 4 for print.

3.10 format parameter (optional)

Choose png or svg. PNG is ideal for web and quick shares; SVG remains infinitely scalable for print production.

Generator success (PNG body)

Binary responses arrive with cache headers so you can persist them to your own CDN.

HTTP/2 200 OK
Content-Type: image/png
Cache-Control: public, max-age=3600
X-Request-ID: 8d4c2e5a

...binary data...

Reader success (JSON)

Matches zxing/goqr conventions so downstream tooling can reuse the same parsing logic.

HTTP/2 200 OK
Content-Type: application/json; charset=utf-8
{
  "type": "qrcode",
  "symbol": [
    {
      "seq": 0,
      "data": "https://demo.qrcodecat.com",
      "error": null,
      "format": "UTF-8"
    }
  ]
}

Reader error (XML)

XML variants wrap payloads inside <barcodes>; CDATA ensures UTF-8 text stays intact.

HTTP/2 400 Bad Request
Content-Type: application/xml
<barcodes>
  <error code="400" request-id="8d4c2e5a">
    <![CDATA[ fileurl must be http(s) ]]>
  </error>
</barcodes>

Zapier: HubSpot form → personalized QR

1. Trigger: "New Form Submission" in HubSpot (or any CRM). Pass the contact email/URL fields to Zapier.
2. Add "Webhooks by Zapier" → POST request to https://qrcodecat.com/api/qrcode with JSON body containing data, color, and size.
3. Toggle "Unflatten" so Zapier keeps nested JSON. Map CRM fields into the QR payload (UTM parameters, coupon codes, etc.).
4. Add a Formatter step to Base64 encode the binary response when emailing attachments.
5. Finish with Gmail/SendGrid to send the PNG or upload to Google Drive/Dropbox for long-term storage.

Pro tip: Prefer POST + JSON to avoid query-string limits when merging personalized text.

Make.com scenario: weekly batch generation

1. Schedule: Cron module triggers every Monday at 08:00 in your timezone.
2. Google Sheets module retrieves rows with status "needs_qr" and feeds each row into an Iterator.
3. HTTP module performs POST https://qrcodecat.com/api/qrcode with JSON; map row-specific URLs, colors, and margin.
4. Cloud storage module (S3, Azure Blob, GCS) stores the resulting binary stream; capture Content-Type for metadata.
5. Update Sheets row to mark completion and write the public CDN URL back to the spreadsheet.

Pro tip: Enable error catching around the HTTP module so Make.com automatically retries transient 5xx responses.

Google Sheets Apps Script: inline function

1. Open Extensions → Apps Script, then paste the helper below. It fetches PNG bytes and stores them in Drive.
2. Use =GENERATE_QR(A2) inside Sheets to create a Drive file per row and return the public link.
3. Set the destination folder ID at the top of the script so marketing teammates can browse assets later.

const FOLDER_ID = 'YOUR_DRIVE_FOLDER_ID';

function GENERATE_QR(value) {
  const url = 'https://qrcodecat.com/api/qrcode';
  const payload = {
    data: value,
    size: '360',
    format: 'png'
  };

  const response = UrlFetchApp.fetch(url, {
    method: 'post',
    contentType: 'application/json',
    payload: JSON.stringify(payload),
    muteHttpExceptions: true,
  });

  if (response.getResponseCode() !== 200) {
    throw new Error(response.getContentText());
  }

  const folder = DriveApp.getFolderById(FOLDER_ID);
  const file = folder.createFile(response.getBlob()).setName('qr-' + new Date().getTime() + '.png');
  file.setSharing(DriveApp.Access.ANYONE_WITH_LINK, DriveApp.Permission.VIEW);
  return file.getUrl();
}

Pro tip: Apps Script enforces a 6-minute runtime; batch operations should chunk rows (max 50) per invocation.