Barcode

A barcode is a one-dimensional code that represents data by arranging black and white bars of varying widths. Common examples include JAN codes on supermarket products and ISBN codes on books. Since data is stored only horizontally, the information capacity is limited to a few dozen characters.

QR codes were developed to overcome these limitations. While barcodes store data in only one direction, QR codes store data in two directions (horizontal and vertical), enabling hundreds of times more information capacity. Barcodes remain widely used in product management today.