Generating QR Codes in Laravel 12: A Complete Guide

QR codes are widely used for quick data sharing, payment systems, authentication, and marketing campaigns. Laravel makes it easy to generate QR codes with just a few lines of code.

In this blog, we’ll cover:
✅ Best Laravel QR code packages
✅ Generating QR codes in controllers & blades
✅ Customizing QR codes (size, color, logos)
✅ Downloading & displaying QR codes
✅ Real-world use cases

1. Best QR Code Packages for Laravel

Two popular Laravel-compatible packages for QR generation are:

A. Simple-QRcode (Bacon/BaconQrCode)

• Lightweight, supports basic QR generation.
• Installation:

  composer require simplesoftwareio/simple-qrcode
  

B. Laravel QR Code (Endroid/QrCode)

• More advanced (custom styling, SVG support).
• Installation:

  composer require endroid/qr-code
  

2. Generating a Basic QR Code

Using Simple-QRcode

In a Controller

use SimpleSoftwareIO\QrCode\Facades\QrCode;

public function generateQR()
{
    $qrCode = QrCode::size(200)->generate('https://laravel.com');
    return view('qr-code', compact('qrCode'));
}

In a Blade View

<div>
    {!! $qrCode !!} <!-- Renders as SVG by default -->
</div>

Using Endroid/QrCode

use Endroid\QrCode\QrCode;
use Endroid\QrCode\Writer\PngWriter;

public function generateQR()
{
    $qrCode = QrCode::create('https://laravel.com')
        ->setSize(200);
    
    $writer = new PngWriter();
    $result = $writer->write($qrCode);
    
    // Save to file (optional)
    $result->saveToFile(public_path('qr-code.png'));
    
    return view('qr-code', ['qrCode' => $result->getDataUri()]);
}

Displaying in Blade

<img src="{{ $qrCode }}" alt="QR Code">

3. Customizing QR Codes

A. Changing Size & Color (Simple-QRcode)

QrCode::size(300)
    ->backgroundColor(255, 255, 0)
    ->color(0, 0, 255)
    ->generate('Hello World');

B. Adding a Logo (Endroid/QrCode)

$logo = public_path('logo.png');

$qrCode = QrCode::create('https://laravel.com')
    ->setSize(300)
    ->setLogoPath($logo)
    ->setLogoSize(80);

C. Formatting (SVG, PNG, PDF)

// SVG
QrCode::format('svg')->generate('Data');

// PNG (default)
QrCode::format('png')->generate('Data');

// PDF (Endroid only)
$qrCode->setWriter(new PdfWriter());

4. Downloading QR Codes

As PNG Download

return response()->streamDownload(
    function () use ($qrCode) {
        echo QrCode::size(200)->format('png')->generate('Download Me');
    },
    'qr-code.png',
    ['Content-Type' => 'image/png']
);

As PDF Download (Endroid)

$qrCode->setWriter(new PdfWriter());
header('Content-Type: application/pdf');
echo $qrCode->writeString();

5. Real-World Use Cases

A. User Authentication (2FA QR Codes)

// Generate Google Authenticator QR
$google2faUrl = (new Google2FA)->getQRCodeUrl(
    config('app.name'),
    $user->email,
    $user->google2fa_secret
);

$qrCode = QrCode::size(150)->generate($google2faUrl);

B. Dynamic Payment QR (Stripe/PayPal)

$paymentLink = "paypal.me/yourusername/10USD";
$qrCode = QrCode::size(200)->generate($paymentLink);

C. Event Tickets

$ticketData = json_encode([
    'event_id' => 1,
    'user_id' => Auth::id(),
    'hash' => Str::random(32),
]);

$qrCode = QrCode::size(250)->generate($ticketData);

6. Best Practices

✔ Cache QR codes if generating frequently (e.g., for tickets).
✔ Sanitize input to prevent malicious QR codes.
✔ Use HTTPS URLs for security.
✔ Test readability with different QR scanners.

Conclusion

Laravel makes QR code generation simple and flexible with packages like Simple-QRcode and Endroid/QrCode. Whether you need basic barcodes or custom-styled QR codes with logos, Laravel has you covered.

Key Takeaways

✅ Use Simple-QRcode for basic needs, Endroid for advanced styling.
✅ Customize size, color, and format easily.
✅ Add logos for branding.
✅ Generate QR codes for 2FA, payments, tickets, and more.

🚀 Ready to integrate QR codes into your Laravel app? Try it today!

Need help? Drop a comment below!