What is a barcode?

A barcode is symbol made up of white spaces and black bars. Different patterns of the bars and spaces can be used to encode alphanumeric data. The data could be anything from a serial number to a product code at the supermarket. Barcode scanners project light on barcodes, capture the reflected light patterns, and then decode the reflected patterns. There are numerous encoding schemes for the spaces and bars. These schemes are referred to as barcode symbologies. Modern barcode scanners and imagers can read and decode all of the commonly used barcode symbologies.
