Barcodes.GG Blog

Barcode & product-data guides

Practical, accurate references on GTIN/UPC/EAN standards, check digits, validation, and putting product data to work — from the team behind the Barcodes.GG API.

Barcodes, GTINs & check digits

Barcode standards

What Is a GTIN? UPC, EAN & GS1 Barcode Standards

A GTIN is the GS1 Global Trade Item Number that sits above UPC, EAN and the 14-digit case code as one shared product identifier.

Jul 15, 2026 4 min read
Barcode standards

How to Validate a Barcode: UPC, EAN & GTIN

A practical guide to checking that a UPC, EAN, or GTIN is well formed before you trust it.

Jul 15, 2026 4 min read
Barcode standards

GTIN vs UPC: What is the Difference

UPC is not an alternative to GTIN. A UPC-A barcode carries a 12-digit GTIN-12, so UPC is one member of the wider GTIN family.

Jul 15, 2026 3 min read
Barcode standards

EAN-13 Format Explained: Structure & Prefixes

An EAN-13 barcode is a 13-digit GTIN-13 built from a GS1 prefix, a company prefix, an item reference and a check digit.

Jul 15, 2026 4 min read
Barcode standards

GTIN-14 Explained: Cases, Cartons & Pallets

GTIN-14 identifies a packaging level such as a case or carton by adding an indicator digit in front of the base product GTIN.

Jul 15, 2026 3 min read
Barcode standards

How to Calculate a UPC/EAN Check Digit by Hand

Compute the modulo-10 check digit for any UPC-A or EAN-13 with a pen, paper, and one small rule.

Jul 15, 2026 4 min read
Barcode standards

Why Your Barcode Check Digit Does Not Match: 7 Causes

The seven reasons a UPC or EAN check digit fails validation, and how to fix each one.

Jul 15, 2026 4 min read
Barcode standards

UPC-A vs UPC-E: Format, Length & Check Digit

How UPC-E compresses a 12-digit UPC-A into 8 digits, and why they share a check digit.

Jul 15, 2026 3 min read

Product data & the Barcodes.GG API

Product data & API

Barcode API Guide: Integrate Product Lookup Into Your App

A developer-focused walkthrough of how a barcode API turns a scanned GTIN into structured product data inside your application.

Jul 15, 2026 5 min read
Product data & API

How a Price-Comparison Site Is Built on Barcode Data

Comparing one product across forty shops only works if every shop is talking about the same product. That identity problem is a barcode and style-code problem before it is a pricing one.

Sep 21, 2026 4 min read
Product data & API

Product Images in a Barcode-Keyed Catalog

A catalog assembled from many sources inherits many pictures of the same item. Choosing one, and keeping it loading, is an identifier problem with a hosting problem attached.

Sep 21, 2026 4 min read
Product data & API

Best Barcode & UPC Database APIs Compared (2026)

A fair, category-by-category look at barcode and UPC database APIs so you can pick the right one for your use case.

Jul 15, 2026 4 min read
Product data & API

How to Build a Barcode Scanner Product-Lookup Feature

A practical blueprint for wiring a camera scanner to a product-data API so users can scan an item and see what it is.

Jul 15, 2026 4 min read
Product data & API

What Data Does a Barcode Lookup API Return?

A field-by-field explanation of what you get back from a product-data barcode API and how to handle uneven results.

Jul 15, 2026 4 min read
Product data & API

Getting Started With the Barcodes.GG API

The Barcodes.GG API turns a barcode into a structured product record with one authenticated GET request. This guide walks a first-timer from token to first response.

Jul 15, 2026 3 min read
Product data & API

Adding Barcode Product Data to a Mobile App

A phone camera already reads barcodes. Point that scan at a product-data API and an app can show a full product card the instant a box is scanned.

Jul 15, 2026 3 min read

Sneaker identification & sourcing