QR code glossary · QR code basics
Dynamic QR code
Also called: Editable QR code, Trackable QR code
Definition
A dynamic QR code is a QR code that encodes a short link to a redirect service instead of the final content, so the destination can be changed after printing and each scan can be counted, for as long as the service keeps the link active.
How it works
The printed pattern holds a short URL such as https://example.com/r/A7K2Q9. When a phone opens it, the service looks up where that link should go right now, records the scan, and answers with an HTTP redirect that sends the browser on to the destination. Editing the destination changes a database record, not the printed code, so every copy already in circulation follows the change on its next scan.
Because a server answers every scan, it can do more than forward: choose a destination by device, language, time or location (smart routing), split traffic for an A/B test, pause the code or let it expire on a date. “Dynamic” is not a different kind of QR code in the standard. Technically it is an ordinary QR code containing a link, and phones cannot tell the two apart.
Why it matters
A dynamic code lets you fix a mistake, update a menu or reuse printed material without reprinting, and gives you scan analytics. The short link also keeps the code simple, which helps it scan at small sizes.
The trade-off is dependency. The code works only while the provider keeps redirecting the link, so a lapsed subscription, an ended trial or a closed provider can break every printed copy. Read a provider’s expiry and cancellation terms before printing. Dynamic codes also only open web pages: joining WiFi automatically or saving a contact offline needs a static code with the data inside.
Example
Encoded directly, a 90-character link with campaign tags, https://example.com/spring-menu?utm_source=flyer&utm_medium=print&utm_campaign=spring_menu, needs a version 6 code (41 × 41 modules) at error correction level M. A 28-character short link that redirects there fits version 3 (29 × 29), and the destination can still change after printing.
In CirculateQR
Dynamic codes encode a circulateqr.com/go/ link. On the free plan up to 5 can be live at once, each for 14 days unless you upgrade or unlock it for a one-time $5; on paid plans they stay live while you are subscribed.
Related terms
- Static QR codeA static QR code is a QR code whose content, such as a web address, WiFi login or contact card, is encoded directly in the printed pattern, so it works without any service in between but cannot be edited or tracked after it is generated.
- Short URLA short URL is a brief web address, such as example.com/r/A7K2Q9, that a server forwards to a longer destination; dynamic QR codes encode one so the printed pattern stays small and the destination can change without reprinting.
- RedirectA redirect is an HTTP response with a 3xx status code and a Location header that tells the browser to load a different address; it is how a dynamic QR code’s short link forwards each scan to the code’s current destination.
- Scan analyticsScan analytics are the records a dynamic QR code’s redirect service keeps each time the code is scanned, typically the time, an approximate location from the IP address, the device, operating system, browser and language, summarized into counts and charts.
- Smart routingSmart routing is a feature of dynamic QR codes that sends each scan of the same printed code to a different destination according to rules, such as the phone’s operating system, its language setting, the time of day or the scanner’s approximate location; routing by location is often called geo-routing.
Learn more
- Dynamic QR codes in CirculateQR: Edit, pause, schedule and route codes after printing.
- Change where a QR code goes after printing: How to tell which kind of code you have.
- Do QR codes expire?: Why dynamic codes stop working, and how to avoid it.
- Pricing: How many dynamic codes each plan includes.
Sources
Last updated . Written by the CirculateQR team; technical facts follow the sources listed above. Example codes and sizes are computed with the open-source qrcode encoder that CirculateQR uses. Spotted something wrong? Email support@circulateqr.com. QR Code is a registered trademark of DENSO WAVE INCORPORATED.
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