> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://laravel-qrcode.mintlify.site/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Generate QR Codes via the qr:generate Artisan Command

> Use php artisan qr:generate to create QR codes in build scripts, batch exports, CI pipelines, or quick local tests without writing any PHP.

The `qr:generate` Artisan command lets you create QR codes directly from the terminal. It is ideal for build scripts, batch export pipelines, CI/CD workflows, and quick local tests — no PHP code required. The command supports two modes: **interactive** (guided prompts) and **non-interactive** (inline flags for scripting).

## Interactive mode

Run the command with no arguments to start a guided session. Laravel Prompts walks you through each option — payload, output path, format, and advanced settings — with sensible defaults at every step:

```bash theme={null}
php artisan qr:generate
```

The prompt sequence:

1. **Payload** — what to encode (e.g. a URL or plain text)
2. **Output path** — where to save the file (leave blank to print to the console)
3. **Format** — `svg`, `png`, `webp`, or `eps` (shown only when an output path is provided)
4. **Advanced options** — confirm whether to configure size, colors, margin, and error correction

<Note>
  If you have already passed any advanced flag (e.g. `--size`), the
  advanced-options prompt defaults to **yes** so you can fill in the remaining
  fields interactively.
</Note>

## Non-interactive mode

Pass the payload as a positional argument and use flags to set every option. This mode is designed for scripting — it skips all prompts and exits immediately with a success or failure code.

```bash theme={null}
# Save a 500 px SVG to public/
php artisan qr:generate "https://example.com" \
  --output=public/qr.svg \
  --format=svg \
  --size=500

# Save a red PNG
php artisan qr:generate "Hello World" \
  --format=png \
  --output=public/qr.png \
  --color=255,0,0

# High error correction, custom margin, white background
php artisan qr:generate "https://example.com" \
  --output=public/qr.svg \
  --errorCorrection=H \
  --margin=6 \
  --backgroundColor=255,255,255

# Print SVG to the console (no --output flag)
php artisan qr:generate "https://example.com"
```

When you omit `--output`, the raw QR code is printed directly to stdout. For SVG this is human-readable markup; for binary formats pipe the output to a file:

```bash theme={null}
php artisan qr:generate "https://example.com" --format=png > public/qr.png
```

## All available options

<ParamField path="data" type="string">
  **Positional argument.** The payload to encode in the QR code. Omit it to
  enter interactive mode.
</ParamField>

<ParamField path="--output / -O" type="string">
  File path to save the generated QR code (e.g. `public/qr.svg`,
  `storage/app/exports/badge.png`). If omitted, the output is printed to the
  console.
</ParamField>

<ParamField path="--format / -F" type="string" default="svg">
  Output format: `svg`, `png`, `webp`, or `eps`. Unlike the Blade component, the
  CLI supports all four formats including EPS for print workflows.
</ParamField>

<ParamField path="--size / -S" type="int" default="400">
  Size of the QR code in pixels. Must be a positive integer.
</ParamField>

<ParamField path="--color / -C" type="string" default="0,0,0">
  Foreground color as comma-separated RGB or RGBA integers. RGB channels are
  `0–255`; the optional alpha channel is `0–100`. Examples: `255,0,0` (red),
  `0,102,204,80` (blue at 80 % opacity).
</ParamField>

<ParamField path="--backgroundColor / -B" type="string" default="255,255,255">
  Background color in the same `R,G,B` or `R,G,B,A` format as `--color`.
</ParamField>

<ParamField path="--errorCorrection / -E" type="string" default="M">
  Error correction level: `L` (7 %), `M` (15 %), `Q` (25 %), or `H` (30 %). Use
  `H` when overlaying a logo to ensure the QR code remains scannable.
</ParamField>

<ParamField path="--margin / -M" type="int" default="4">
  Quiet-zone margin around the QR code. Must be zero or a positive integer.
</ParamField>

## Step-by-step: batch export

Use the command in a shell loop to generate QR codes for a list of URLs in one go:

<Steps>
  <Step title="Create a URLs file">
    ```bash theme={null}
    cat > urls.txt <<EOF
    https://example.com
    https://laravel.com
    https://packagist.org
    EOF
    ```
  </Step>

  <Step title="Run the loop">
    ```bash theme={null}
    while IFS= read -r url; do
      slug=$(echo "$url" | sed 's|https\?://||;s|/|_|g')
      php artisan qr:generate "$url" \
        --output="public/qrcodes/${slug}.svg" \
        --format=svg \
        --size=400
    done < urls.txt
    ```
  </Step>

  <Step title="Verify the output">
    ```bash theme={null}
    ls -lh public/qrcodes/
    ```
  </Step>
</Steps>

## Use cases

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Build scripts" icon="gears">
    Generate static QR code assets during your deployment pipeline so they are
    always up to date without runtime generation overhead.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Batch export" icon="layer-group">
    Loop over a dataset and generate one QR code per record — product codes,
    event tickets, asset tags — without writing a custom Artisan command.
  </Card>

  <Card title="CI/CD pipelines" icon="circle-check">
    Validate that QR generation works in your environment after every deploy by
    running a quick smoke test command in your pipeline.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Local testing" icon="flask">
    Preview QR code output for any format or option combination instantly,
    without spinning up a browser or writing throwaway PHP.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

## Exit codes

| Code | Meaning                                                                                     |
| ---- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| `0`  | QR code generated successfully                                                              |
| `1`  | Validation error (invalid size, color format, error correction level) or file write failure |

Scripts can check `$?` immediately after the command to detect and handle failures:

```bash theme={null}
php artisan qr:generate "https://example.com" --output=public/qr.svg

if [ $? -ne 0 ]; then
  echo "QR code generation failed" >&2
  exit 1
fi
```

## Naming conventions

<Warning>
  The CLI flags use **camelCase** (e.g. `--errorCorrection`,
  `--backgroundColor`) while the `config/qrcode.php` keys use **snake\_case**
  (e.g. `error_correction`, `background_color`). When translating your config
  values to CLI flags, remember to convert the case.
</Warning>

| `config/qrcode.php` key | CLI flag                   |
| ----------------------- | -------------------------- |
| `error_correction`      | `--errorCorrection` / `-E` |
| `background_color`      | `--backgroundColor` / `-B` |
| `format`                | `--format` / `-F`          |
| `size`                  | `--size` / `-S`            |
| `margin`                | `--margin` / `-M`          |
| `color`                 | `--color` / `-C`           |