API & developers

Generate QR codes via the API

If you can build a URL, you can generate a QR code - There's no POST body, no library, and no auth needed for the image itself.

One GET returns the image

QR codes are a plain GET:

https://goto.now/{shortCode}/qr-code?size=600&format=svg

Parameters: size (pixels), format (png or svg), plus color options. The {shortCode} is the one returned when you created the link via the API - So the full pipeline is: POST to create the link, then build this GET URL from the response.

Picking parameters for the job

• Going into HTML for screens? format=png with a size near the display size keeps files small.
• Going to a printer? format=svg - It's vector, so it stays sharp at any print size.
• Rendering PDFs server-side (invoices, tickets)? SVG again; PDF engines embed vectors cleanly.

Codes that inherit link superpowers

Because the code encodes the short link, it inherits everything the link can do - Editable destination, counted scans. Generate codes in CI for packaging runs or render them server-side into invoices and receipts.

That inheritance is the practical win: a code generated in last year's CI run for 100,000 boxes can be repointed today by editing one link's destination - No regeneration, no repackaging. And every scan is counted as a click on the link, visible privately in the owner's dashboard or exportable through the visits endpoint. Scans are unlimited, so batch jobs never have to budget for them.

One caching tip: the image for a given shortCode and parameter set doesn't change, so it's safe to cache aggressively on your side - Fetch once per build, not once per page view.