README

Instascan"> Instascan

Real-time webcam-driven HTML5 QR code scanner.

Installing

Note: Chrome requires HTTPS when using the WebRTC API. Any pages using this library should be served over HTTPS.

NPM

npm install --save instascan

var Instascan = require('instascan');

Bower

Pending. Drop a note if you need Bower support.

Minified

Copy instascan.min.js from the releases page and load with:

<script type="text/javascript" src="instascan.min.js"></script>

Example

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
  <head>
    <title>Instascan</title>
    <script type="text/javascript" src="instascan.min.js"></script>
  </head>
  <body>
    <video id="preview"></video>
    <script type="text/javascript">
      var scanner = new Instascan.Scanner({ video: document.getElementById('preview') });
      scanner.addListener('scan', function (content, image) {
        console.log(content);
      });

      Instascan.Camera.getCameras().then(function (cameras) {
        if (cameras.length > 0) {
          scanner.start(cameras[0]);
        }
      });
    </script>
  </body>
</html>

API

var scanner = new Instascan.Scanner(opts)

Create a new scanner with options.
opts.continuous: Whether to scan continuously for QR codes. If false, use scanner.scan to manually scan. Default true.
opts.video: The HTML element to use for the camera's video preview. Must be a <video> element. When the camera is active, this element will have the active CSS class, otherwise, it will have the inactive class. By default, an invisible element will be created to host the video.
opts.mirror: Whether to horizontally mirror the video preview. This is helpful when trying to scan a QR code with a user-facing camera. Default true.
opts.captureImage: Whether to include the scanned image data as part of the scan result. See the scan event for format details. Default false.
opts.backgroundScan: Only applies to continuous mode. Whether to actively scan when the tab is not active. When false, this reduces CPU usage when the tab is not active. Default false.
opts.refractoryPeriod: Only applies to continuous mode. The period, in milliseconds, before the same QR code will be recognized in succession. Default 5000.
opts.scanPeriod: Only applies to continuous mode. The period, in rendered frames, between scans. A lower scan period increases CPU usage but makes scan response faster. Default 1 (i.e. analyze every frame).

scanner.start(camera)

Activate camera and start scanning using it as the source. Returns promise.
This must be called in order to use scanner.scan or receive scan events.
camera: Instance of Instascan.Camera from Instascan.Camera.getCameras.
Continuation: function (), called when camera is active and scanning has started.

scanner.stop()

Stop scanning and deactivate the camera. Returns promise.
Continuation: function (), called when camera and scanning have stopped.

var result = scanner.scan()

Scan video immediately for a QR code.
QR codes recognized with this method are not raised via the scan event.
If no QR code is detected, result is null.
result.content: Scanned content decoded from the QR code.
result.image: Undefined if scanner.captureImage is false, otherwise, see the scan event for format.

scanner.addListener('scan', callback)

Raised when a QR code is scanned using the camera in continuous mode (see scanner.continuous).
callback: function (content, image)
content: Scanned content decoded from the QR code.
image: null if scanner.captureImage is false, otherwise, a base64-encoded WebP-compressed data URI of the camera frame used to decode the QR code.

scanner.addListener('active', callback)

Raised when the scanner becomes active as the result of scanner.start or the tab gaining focus.
If opts.video element was specified, it will have the active CSS class.
callback: function ()

scanner.addListener('inactive', callback)

Raised when the scanner becomes inactive as the result of scanner.stop or the tab losing focus.
If opts.video element was specified, it will have the inactive CSS class.
callback: function ()

Instascan.Camera.getCameras()

Enumerate available video devices. Returns promise.
Continuation: function (cameras), called when cameras are available.
cameras: Array of Instascan.Camera instances available for use.

camera.id

Unique camera ID provided by the browser.
These IDs are stable and can be persisted across instances of your application (e.g. in localStorage).

camera.name

Camera name, including manufacturer and model, e.g. "Microsoft LifeCam HD-3000".
Can be null if the user has not yet allowed camera access, e.g. on first launch of the app.

Compatibility

Instascan works with any browser that supports the getUserMedia API, which currently includes Chome, Firefox, Opera, and Edge. IE and Safari are not supported.

Performance

Many factors affect how quickly and reliably Instascan can detect QR codes.

If you control creation of the QR code, consider the following:

A larger physical code is better. A 2" square code is better than a 1" square code.
Flat, smooth, matte surfaces are better than curved, rough, glossy surfaces.
Include a sufficient quiet zone, the white border surrounding QR code. The quiet zone should be at least four times the width of an individual element in your QR code.
A simpler code is better. You can use this QR code generator to see how your input affects complexity.
For the same length, numeric content is simpler than ASCII content, which is simpler than Unicode content.
Shorter content is simpler. If you're encoding a URL, consider using a shortener such as goo.gl or bit.ly.

When scanning, consider the following:

QR code orientation doesn't matter.
Higher resolution video is better, but is more CPU intensive.
Direct, orthogonal scanning is better than scanning at an angle.
Blurry video greatly reduces scanner performance.
Auto-focus can cause lags in detection as the camera adjusts focus. Consider disabling it or using a fixed-focus camera with the subject positioned at the focal point.
Exposure adjustment on cameras can cause lags in detection. Consider disabling it or having a fixed white backdrop.

@nstseek/qrscanner

Usage no npm install needed!