Why I Built QRCodeChicken?

Why Another QR Code Generator?

A while ago, I needed to generate a QR code, so I did what most people would do—I opened Google and clicked on one of the many QR code generators that appeared in the search results.

They all worked, but using them wasn't exactly enjoyable for me. Some were slow because they relied on external APIs. Others covered the page with pop-ups, asked me to create an account, or locked simple download formats behind a paywall...ect . Even something as straightforward as generating a QR code often felt like more work than it should have been.

So I think to myself, "I can build a better tools than these."

Not a better QR code.

A better experience.

At the time, I wasn't planning to build a real product. I simply wanted to see if I could create a QR code generator myself. So I bought the domain qr-gen.org and treated it as a test flight. It didn't need to be perfect. It only needed to answer one question:

Could I actually build this?

The answer turned out to be yes.

Once I knew it was possible, I stopped thinking about the prototype and started thinking

"Okay, the test flight turn out great. Let build it properly this time."

That project eventually became QRCodeChicken.com

The Vison I Had for the Site

Building qr-gen.org taught me something interesting. The first version relied on an API to generate QR codes, and while it worked, I kept asking myself one question:

Why does this even need a server?

Generating a QR code is a simple task. Modern browsers and even phones are more than capable of doing it locally, so sending information to a server felt unnecessary. If everything could happen directly in the browser, the generator would be faster, cheaper, work without an API, and most importantly, the user's data would never have to leave their device.

That idea slowly became the foundation of QRCodeChicken.

I wanted it to be the kind of tool that gets out of your way. No account. No paywall. No pop-ups asking you to upgrade. No unnecessary waiting.

You open the website, choose the type of QR code you want, enter your information, press Generate, download the result, and move on with your day. The entire process should take only a few seconds.

That was my vision from the beginning. Not to build the QR code generator with the most features, but to build one that respected the user's time.

Features That Follow the Same Philosophy

Once I had a clear idea of what QRCodeChicken should be, adding new features became much easier. Every decision had to answer the same question:

Does this make generating a QR code simpler?

Today, QRCodeChicken supports many of the QR code types people use every day, including URLs, Wi-Fi networks, contact cards, phone numbers, email addresses, cryptocurrency addresses, locations, and more. No matter which type you choose, the experience stays exactly the same—fill in the information, generate the QR code instantly, and download it.

I also wanted the project to be useful to people outside of English-speaking countries, so it currently supports six languages: English, Spanish, German, Japanese, Vietnamese, and Korean. My goal is to continue adding more languages over time.

Every QR code can be downloaded as a PNG, SVG, or PDF without creating an account or paying for a subscription. Those options are often locked behind a paywall on other websites, but I wanted them to be available to everyone.

I also realized that generating a QR code is only half of the problem. Many people don't know when to use a particular QR code type or what information should go into it. Instead of sending users somewhere else, every generator includes a short guide explaining how that specific QR code works and when it should be used.

For anyone who wants to learn even more, I built a dedicated Learn section that explains how QR codes work, the differences between different types, and other topics that I found interesting while building the project.

This Is Just the Beginning

Looking back, QRCodeChicken started with a very simple thought: I believed generating a QR code could be a much better experience. That idea eventually grew into a project that reflects how I think software should be built: fast, simple, respectful of the user's time, and free from unnecessary friction.

This article wasn't meant to explain every feature or every technical decision behind the project. It was simply the story of why QRCodeChicken exists in the first place.

There are still plenty of stories left to tell. Why I decided to remove the API and generate everything in the browser. How I approached the interface. Why I added multiple languages. The mistakes I made along the way. The lessons I learned after launching it, and many more.

I'll cover those in future articles. Hopefully, they'll be just as useful to someone building their own projects as they were to me while building this one.

Every project has a story behind it. This was the first chapter of QRCodeChicken's. There are many more to come.

"See you till next time"