Serialized QR Codes
Unit-level codes whose unit survives the redirect.
paste a serialized URI below and watch the serial arrive
Unit-level passports, sold everywhere, resolved almost nowhere
Serialization multiplies code count by production volume, and it only means anything if the serial survives the hop. Across the GS1 and passport vendors we probed, it commonly does not: a serialized URI gets redirected back to the bare product identifier, or answered with a 404, while the product page still says unit-level.
- A serialized URI stripped back to the bare GTIN by the redirect.
- Every unit resolving to the same page, which is SKU-level wearing a serial.
- Per-code annual licensing turning a traceability requirement into a recurring line item.
- A tier cap on codes that a single production batch exceeds on its first day.
How a serialized run is structured here
One product master per SKU
The GTIN-level record is created once at 200 credits, and your first one is granted, once per workspace. Every serial for that SKU hangs off it.
/01/09506000134352Serials are ordinary codes
Each serialized code is 1 credit, the same as any other dynamic code, and nothing caps how many a SKU may have.
/01/09506000134352/21/SN0472913The qualifier reaches the destination
Lot and serial are parsed, validated against the AI table and carried through the resolve rather than discarded at the redirect.
What a million units costs, and what it carries
- The serial survives the redirect
A serial and a lot are part of the identifier, not decoration on it. Stripping them back to the bare GTIN turns a unit-level scan into a SKU-level one, which is the difference between knowing which unit was scanned and knowing that one was.
- SKU priced once, serials priced singly
200 credits per product master and 1 credit per serial. The split is the point of the pricing.
- No cap on serial count
Production volume decides how many codes a SKU carries, not a plan tier.
- No annual renewal per code
Credits are prepaid and valid 18 months. There is no per-code yearly fee to re-budget.
- Canonical order enforced
A qualifier in the wrong position is a malformed URI, not a tolerated variant. That strictness is what makes the codes machine-readable.
- Per-unit measurement
Scans are counted per code, so a serialized run shows which units and which regions were actually scanned.
Real previews
The page a serialized scan opens
The serial and the lot arrive with the scan, so the page can be about the unit in somebody hand rather than the SKU it belongs to.
These are not screenshots. Each frame is the page itself, rendered by the same code that answers a scan.
What to check before you serialize a run
| Capability | taproute | A typical Digital Link vendor |
|---|---|---|
| Primary keys understood GS1 own reference resolver declares the same set we support. | 16 | GTIN only |
| Serial (AI 21) reaches the destination The common failures are a redirect back to the bare GTIN, or a 404 on the serial. | Yes | No |
| Lot (AI 10) reaches the destination | Yes | No |
| Malformed URI answered with a reason The conformance suite probes for this by appending junk to a valid URI. | HTTP 400 and the reason | A redirect, or a generic 404 |
| Published conformance result | A dated artifact | None published |
| Price shape | 200 credits per SKU once, then 1 credit per serial | Per code per year, or a cap on a monthly fee |
Questions
What does a serialized run actually cost?
The product master for the SKU is 200 credits, once, and your first one is granted, once per workspace. After that each serialized code is 1 credit and each scan is 1 credit. Say the scan count out loud when you budget: at high volume the scans are about half the bill and dominate above it, so a unit count on its own understates it.
Is there a limit on how many serials one SKU can have?
No. The product master is charged once and serials are individual codes, so the number is decided by your production run rather than by a plan tier.
Does the serial number reach my destination?
Yes. Serial and lot are parsed as qualifiers, validated against the AI table, and carried through the resolve rather than stripped at the redirect. Paste a serialized URI into the demo above and you will see them broken out.
Can I generate the codes in bulk from a file?
Yes, for creation. Serialized codes can be issued programmatically over the API and MCP. The routing graph behind them is browser-only and is not reachable from the API today, so plan for rules to be set up by a person.
Do GS1 resolutions stop when my balance runs out?
Not currently, and that is a gap rather than a feature. Credit exhaustion pauses ordinary dynamic codes after grace, but a depleted wallet Digital Link keeps resolving. We would rather state it than let you discover the inconsistency later.