A barcode is a precise arrangement of bars and spaces that represents data in a machine-readable format.

There are more than 300 barcode symbologies. Each symbology has it’s own limitation. Some symbologies have fixed-length barcodes while some having variable-length.

The most widely used barcodes are: EAN-13, UPC-A, Code 128, EAN.UCC-128, Code 39.

EAN-13 :  EAN-13 is a 13 fixed-length barcode that is used for encoding numeric data. It is widely used in retail shops to uniquely identify products. The code has four parts: a country code, a company code, an item reference number and a check digit.

UPC-A : UPC-A is a fixed-length barcode that is used for encoding numeric data. It is used in retail shops to uniquely identify products in US. The code has three parts: A company prefix , an item reference number and a check digit.

Code 128 : Code 128 is a variable-length barcode that is used for encoding alphanumeric data. It is used for many general purposes coding.

EAN.UCC-128 : It is the worldwide standard that is used for exchanging data between different companies. It is a variable-length barcode used for encoding alphanumeric data.