Embed a QR Image (GET /render)

GET /api/v1/render returns a QR code as a raw PNG image — not JSON — so you can use it directly as an image source in HTML or email templates. It is the fastest endpoint, at the cost of styling flexibility: size and two colors only, no logos or custom dot shapes.

Usage

<img
  src="https://www.qrcodegenius.com/api/v1/render?key=YOUR_API_KEY&content=https%3A%2F%2Fexample.com&width=256"
  alt="QR code for example.com"
  width="256"
  height="256"
/>

Query parameters

• key (required) — your API key. This endpoint takes the key as a query parameter instead of a header so that it works inside an img tag.
• content (required) — the text to encode, 1–4296 characters, URL-encoded.
• width (optional) — image size in pixels, 50–2000. Default 300. The image is square.
• dark (optional) — foreground color as a hex or CSS color, default #000000. Remember to URL-encode the # as %23.
• light (optional) — background color, default #ffffff.

Example with colors:

https://www.qrcodegenius.com/api/v1/render?key=YOUR_API_KEY&content=Hello&width=400&dark=%23111827&light=%23f8fafc

Response

A binary image/png body with:

• Cache-Control: public, max-age=31536000, immutable — identical URLs are cached aggressively by browsers and CDNs, so repeated views of the same QR code usually cost you one API request, not one per view.
• X-QR-Usage — your request count for the current period.

Errors are returned as plain text (not JSON) with the matching status code: 401 for a missing or invalid key, 400 for invalid parameters, 429 when your quota is exhausted.

When to use render vs. generate

• Use render when you just need a scannable code displayed somewhere — order confirmations, tickets, email signatures.
• Use POST /qr when you need branding: logos, gradients, custom dot and corner shapes.
• Use POST /qr/bulk when codes should be saved to your account or need scan tracking.