GS1 Digital Link Generator
Turn any GTIN into a GS1 Digital Link URL and QR code in one click. Add batch, expiry, serial and other qualifiers, set a custom resolver domain, and scan the result with any smartphone camera. Built for the Sunrise 2027 transition.
By The eancheck teamPublished 9 min read
Qualifiers (GS1 Application Identifiers)
Click a chip to add or remove it. Batch, expiry and serial are selected by default.
Dates
Identifiers
3 of 12 qualifiers selected
Qualifier values
Fill in the values for the qualifiers you selected. Leave blank to omit a qualifier from the URL.
Digital Link URL
Enter a valid GTIN to generate a Digital Link…Downloads
PNG is exported at 1024×1024 px with medium error correction. SVG is scalable and ideal for print.
What is a GS1 Digital Link?
A GS1 Digital Link is a web-first successor to the classic retail barcode. Instead of encoding a 13-digit product number as a linear pattern of bars that only a laser scanner can read, a Digital Link packages the same GTIN into a URL — one that any smartphone camera can scan to open a real web page.
That shift sounds small, but it changes what a barcode can do. The classic EAN-13 under a product is a dead end: it tells a cash register which item to ring up and nothing else. A Digital Link, scanned by the same register in QR or Data Matrix form, does exactly that job — and also opens a path to the brand owner’s website, a regulator’s traceability database, a consumer-facing recipe page, or a recall notice. One symbol serves retail, consumers, and compliance without asking anyone to print three different labels.
The URL format is specified precisely by GS1 in the GS1 Digital Link standard. The GTIN travels as the path segment after /01/— the GS1 Application Identifier for “primary key is a GTIN”. Additional qualifiers like batch (/10/), expiry (/17/) and serial (/21/) can be appended in a canonical order. The result is a URL that is both machine-readable (scanners parse it with zero ambiguity) and human-friendly (you can paste it into a browser and see what it resolves to).
Resolver
The resolver domain
Every GS1 Digital Link starts with a resolver domain. In this canonical example it's id.gs1.org, GS1's own reference resolver. In production, brands almost always point Digital Links at their own domain (e.g. mycompany.com) and configure GS1 conformant redirects to real destinations.
Segment: https://id.gs1.org
Click any segment above to learn what it does.
Why it matters: Sunrise 2027
GS1 has committed to Sunrise 2027, an initiative to ensure that point-of-sale systems worldwide are ready to read 2D barcodes encoded as GS1 Digital Link URIs by the end of 2027. The commitment has teeth. Major retailers have begun mandating 2D-capable symbols on new SKUs, and regulators in several markets are already requiring Digital Link for specific product categories — most notably tobacco in the European Union under the Tobacco Products Directive, and a growing list of pharmaceutical use cases.
Brands that migrate early gain a meaningful runway. Migrating to Digital Link is not a one-line change. It requires redesigned artwork, updated PIM systems, and a working resolver infrastructure that can answer every scan with the right redirect. Rolling that out across hundreds of SKUs and multiple markets takes time, and the teams that start in 2026 will be calmly shipping when the teams that wait until 2028 are scrambling.
The upside beyond checkout is larger than checkout itself. A product carrying a Digital Link can tell its own story through a single scan: traceability data for regulators, authenticity verification for anti-counterfeiting, batch information for recalls, rich content for consumers, and — crucially — a unified identifier that ties retail scanning, warehouse management, and consumer engagement into the same data model. The classic 1D barcode does none of that.
How to use this tool
The form at the top of the page is split into two halves. On the left you describe the Digital Link you want to build; on the right you see the URL update in real time, ready to copy or export as a QR code.
Start with the GTIN
Paste or type your 8-, 12-, 13- or 14-digit GTIN into the GTIN field. By default the tool is in Manual mode — it validates strictly and shows an inline “Append check digit” button if you enter an incomplete payload (7, 11, 12 or 13 digits), or a “Clean & pad” button if the input contains non-digit characters.
If you’re working through a spreadsheet of payloads without check digits, open the mode dropdown at the top-right of the GTIN field and switch to Auto-complete; the tool will append the correct check digit silently as you type. Tolerant mode additionally strips non-digits and pads very short inputs with leading zeros. Your preferred mode is remembered across visits.
Pick your qualifiers
By default the picker has batch, expiry and serial pre-selected — the three most common qualifiers on real-world Digital Links. Click any other chip to add it (production date, sell-by date, consumer product variant, GDTI, and more), or click a selected chip to remove it. Your selection is remembered in localStorage so you don’t have to reconfigure the picker on every visit.
Fill in the values
Under the picker you will see one input per selected qualifier. The format hint on the right of each input tells you exactly what is expected — most are alphanumeric with a length limit, while dates use YYMMDD. Invalid values are flagged inline. They are also silently dropped from the URL, so a half-filled form still produces a usable result for the fields that are valid.
Set a custom resolver domain
Expand the “Advanced: resolver domain” disclosure to replace id.gs1.org with your own domain. In production you almost always want to do this — id.gs1.org is GS1’s reference resolver, not where brands actually deploy Digital Links. Any domain you configure persists across visits, so you can produce hundreds of links for the same brand without retyping.
Copy or download
Once the URL previews on the right, use the Copy button to put it on your clipboard, or click PNG or SVG under the QR code to download it at print-ready resolution — 1024×1024 PNG or a scalable SVG. Everything happens in your browser; no data is sent to any server.
The qualifiers explained
The power of a Digital Link lies in what rides along with the GTIN. GS1 Application Identifiers (AIs) are two-to-four-digit codes defined in the GS1 General Specifications; each one attaches a specific kind of data — a batch number, an expiry date, a serial number, a net weight — to the primary identifier. A Digital Link URL is essentially a GTIN followed by a sequence of AIs and their values, each in its own path segment.
Not every AI is permitted in a Digital Link’s primary path. The specification distinguishes between qualifiers (AIs that refine the primary key, like 22 for consumer product variant, 10 for batch, and 21 for serial) and data attributes (AIs that add context, like 17 for expiry or 11for production date). The eancheck generator supports both. In v1 we’ve focused on the qualifiers that appear in well over 95% of real-world Digital Links, and the set will expand as demand grows.
Every qualifier this tool supports, with format rules and example values. Search by code or name, or filter by category.
| AI | Name | Format | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| (22) | Consumer Product Variant Identifies a variant of a consumer product — for example a limited edition, a regional SKU, or a seasonal package — that shares a base GTIN with other variants. | Up to 20 alphanumeric characters | LIMITED2026 |
| (10) | Batch or Lot Number Identifies a batch or lot of items produced under similar conditions. Essential for traceability, recalls, and quality assurance. | Up to 20 alphanumeric characters | ABC123 |
| (21) | Serial Number Uniquely identifies an individual item. Combined with a GTIN it forms a serialised GTIN (SGTIN), enabling item-level tracking. | Up to 20 alphanumeric characters | SN00042 |
| (11) | Production Date The date the item was produced, in YYMMDD format. Use 00 for the day if only the month is known. | YYMMDD (6 digits) | 260115 |
| (13) | Packaging Date The date the item was packaged, in YYMMDD format. | YYMMDD (6 digits) | 260116 |
| (15) | Best Before Date The date up to which the item retains its optimal quality, in YYMMDD format. Not the same as the expiration date — the item is still safe after this date. | YYMMDD (6 digits) | 261231 |
| (16) | Sell By Date The date by which the item should be sold, in YYMMDD format. | YYMMDD (6 digits) | 260601 |
| (17) | Expiration Date The date after which the item should no longer be consumed or used, in YYMMDD format. | YYMMDD (6 digits) | 270401 |
| (235) | Third Party Controlled Serialised Extension Serialised extension controlled by a third party, commonly used to extend a GTIN with a serial reference managed outside the brand owner's system. | Up to 28 alphanumeric characters | TPX-9912 |
| (253) | Global Document Type Identifier Identifies a specific document — for example a tax certificate or shipping notice — with an optional serial component. | 13 digits plus up to 17 optional alphanumeric characters | 9506000134352DOC01 |
| (254) | GLN Extension Component Extension to a Global Location Number (GLN) that identifies a specific sub-location within the parent GLN, such as a dock door or storage bay. | Up to 20 alphanumeric characters | BAY-12A |
| (8006) | Identification of a Trade Item Piece Identifies an individual piece of a larger trade item — e.g. one half of a matched pair. 18 digits: 14 for the GTIN, 2 for the piece number, 2 for the total number of pieces. | 18 digits (GTIN-14 + piece number + total pieces) | 095060001343520102 |
Showing 12 of 12 qualifiers.
Classic barcode vs Digital Link
It’s tempting to frame this as “everything old is obsolete”, but the reality is more nuanced. Classic EAN-13 is still universal at point of sale today, and will be for several more years; Digital Link is rolling out in parallel rather than replacing it wholesale. The table below gives an honest view of where each standard wins and where the transition still has ground to cover.
| Dimension | Classic EAN-13 / UPC-A | GS1 Digital Link |
|---|---|---|
| Symbol type | 1D linear barcode | 2D QR code or Data Matrix |
| Scan with a smartphone | No — needs a laser scanner | Yes — any camera app |
| Opens a web page | No | Yes — direct URL resolution |
| Batch, expiry and serial data | Requires a separate GS1-128 label | Built-in via AI qualifiers (10, 17, 21…) |
| Data capacity | 13 numeric digits | Thousands of characters |
| Consumer engagement | None — the number is not actionable | Scan with a phone to open a destination URL |
| Retailer POS support | Universal today | Rolling out — Sunrise 2027 target |
| Primary use case | Checkout only | Checkout + consumer engagement + traceability |
Try it inline
If the full form at the top of the page feels like a lot, the mini demo below lets you see the URL rebuild as you change the inputs — without any of the mode switching, picker, or download machinery.
Edit any field below and watch the Digital Link URL rebuild in real time.
Digital Link URL
https://id.gs1.org/01/09506000134352/10/LOT2026A/17/261231This demo uses auto-complete mode — short GTINs get a check digit appended automatically. Visit the full tool for strict validation, bulk mode and QR export.
Frequently asked questions
What is GS1 Digital Link in one sentence?
It's a web-first successor to the classic barcode that encodes a GTIN (plus optional batch, expiry, serial and other qualifiers) as a URL, which any smartphone camera can scan to open a real web page.
Is GS1 Digital Link replacing the classic EAN-13 barcode?
Not yet. GS1 has committed to Sunrise 2027 — the goal of ensuring point-of-sale systems worldwide can read 2D Digital Link codes by the end of 2027. Until then the classic EAN-13 remains universal; most brands are rolling out Digital Link alongside existing artwork rather than replacing it outright.
Can I use my own domain instead of id.gs1.org?
Yes, and in production you should. id.gs1.org is GS1's canonical reference resolver; brands point their Digital Links at their own domain (e.g. example.com) and run a conformant resolver that redirects each scan to the right destination. The 'Advanced: resolver domain' disclosure in the form lets you preview the URL with any custom domain.
What qualifiers can I add to a Digital Link URL?
The most common are batch / lot (AI 10), expiration date (AI 17) and serial number (AI 21) — all three are pre-selected in the picker. The full v1 set also covers consumer product variant (22), production / packaging / sell-by / best-before dates (11, 13, 16, 15), TPX (235), GDTI (253), GLN extension (254), and ITIP (8006). The GS1 General Specifications define many more; we prioritise adding new AIs when users ask.
Does the GTIN need to be padded to 14 digits?
Yes — the canonical form of a Digital Link specifies the GTIN as 14 digits. This tool pads shorter GTINs (GTIN-8, GTIN-12, GTIN-13) with leading zeros automatically before emitting the URL, so the output is always canonical.
How do I actually scan a Digital Link in practice?
For retail, you need a 2D-capable scanner at the point of sale; most new models already support QR and Data Matrix. For consumers, any modern smartphone camera can read a QR code directly from the Camera app and open the resulting URL — no special app required. That zero-friction consumer experience is a large part of why Digital Link is gaining traction.
What's the difference between a qualifier and a data attribute?
Qualifiers (like batch and serial) refine the primary identifier and must appear in the canonical URL path in a specific order. Data attributes (like expiry and weight) carry additional context and can appear either in the path or as query-string parameters. In everyday use the distinction rarely matters — both kinds of AI appear after the GTIN in the URL.
Is my data sent to a server when I use this tool?
No. Every calculation, URL build, QR render and file download runs entirely in your browser. Nothing leaves your device, and the tool works offline once the page has loaded.
By The eancheck teamPublished 9 min read
Questions or corrections? Email the eancheck team.