Aztec Code Generator

What is Aztec Code Generator?

Aztec Code is a two-dimensional matrix symbol invented by Andrew Longacre and Robert Hussey in 1995 and standardised as ISO/IEC 24778. It gets its name from the central finder pattern, a set of concentric squares that resembles the top of an Aztec pyramid. Because the finder sits in the middle rather than in the corners, the symbol grows outward from the centre in layers.

Compact Aztec symbols use 1 to 4 layers, and full-range symbols use up to 32 layers, from 15 by 15 up to 151 by 151 modules. A large symbol can hold around 3,000 letters or roughly 3,800 digits. Error correction is Reed-Solomon, with a default of about 23 percent of the symbol plus a few extra codewords, and the amount can be tuned.

The best-known feature is that Aztec Code does not need a quiet zone: the bullseye is enough for a scanner to locate the symbol. This is why it is popular on printed and on-screen tickets, where there is little room around the code. Aztec is used for rail tickets across Europe, airline mobile boarding passes and some postal and healthcare applications.

When should you use it?

• You are designing a ticket or a pass where the code has to sit close to text or borders.
• A transport operator or ticketing system specifies Aztec Code as the barcode format.
• You need a compact square code that scans well from a phone screen.
• You want to test how a reader handles Aztec compared with a QR Code or a Data Matrix.

Privacy

This tool runs in your browser. What you type, paste or open is processed on your device by JavaScript and is not sent to our servers, stored or shared. Your data stays on your device.

Your text is encoded locally in the browser and is never uploaded. An Aztec code is not encrypted, so anyone who scans it can read its content.