Java quick start for the Linux Barcode Scanner SDK

Build a lightweight Java app on Linux that uses the Scanbot SDK. You'll configure Gradle to fetch the platform-specific JAR and run a minimal example.

Create the project and install the Scanbot SDK

Open a terminal and execute the following commands to create a project folder:

1. Init Java project with Gradle

mkdir barcode-quickstart-java
cd barcode-quickstart-java
gradle init --type java-application

Gradle will generate the basic project structure with a sample App.java.

2. Add the Scanbot SDK to build.gradle

Open build.gradle and replace its content with the following. Replace <SCANBOTSDK_VERSION> with the version you want to install.

import java.net.URL
import java.io.FileOutputStream

// Replace with the actual version (e.g., "9.0.0")
val scanbotSdkVersion = "<SCANBOTSDK_VERSION>"

// Detect host architecture to pick the correct JAR
val arch = System.getProperty("os.arch")
val scanbotArch = if (arch.contains("arm") || arch.contains("aarch64")) "aarch64" else "x86_64"

// Helper to download a file into build/libs and use it as a dependency
fun urlFile(url: String, name: String) = run {
    val file = layout.buildDirectory.dir("libs").get().file(name).asFile
    file.parentFile.mkdirs()
    if (!file.exists()) {
        URL(url).openStream().use { input ->
            FileOutputStream(file).use { output ->
                input.copyTo(output)
            }
        }
    }
    files(file.absolutePath)
}

dependencies {
    implementation(
        urlFile(
            "https://github.com/doo/scanbot-sdk-example-linux/releases/download/standalone-sdk%2Fv$scanbotSdkVersion/scanbotsdk-$scanbotSdkVersion-linux-$scanbotArch.jar",
            "scanbotsdk.jar"
        )
    )
}

Initialize the Scanbot SDK

Replace the default App.java with:

package org.example;

import io.scanbot.sdk.ScanbotSDK;
import io.scanbot.sdk.licensing.LicenseInfo;

public class App {
    public static void main(String[] args) throws Exception {
        final String LICENSE_KEY = "SCANBOTSDK-LICENSE"; // TODO: replace with your key
        final String WRITABLE_PATH = ".";

        ScanbotSDK.initialize(LICENSE_KEY, WRITABLE_PATH);

        LicenseInfo info = ScanbotSDK.getLicenseInfo();
        System.out.printf("License status=%s", info.getStatus());
    }
}

Create and run the Barcode Scanner

After successful initialization, create a scanner configuration and run it on an ImageRef.

private static void runBarcodeScanner(ImageRef image) throws Exception {
    BarcodeScannerConfiguration config = new BarcodeScannerConfiguration();
    // Configure other parameters as needed.

    try (BarcodeScanner scanner = new BarcodeScanner(config);
        BarcodeScannerResult result = scanner.run(image)) {

        List<BarcodeItem> barcodes = result.getBarcodes();

        if (barcodes.isEmpty()) {
            System.out.println("No barcodes found.");
            return;
        }

        for (int i = 0; i < barcodes.size(); i++) {
            BarcodeItem b = barcodes.get(i);
            System.out.printf("Barcode #%d:%n", i + 1);
            System.out.printf("  Format: %s%n", b.getFormat().name());
            System.out.printf("  Text:   %s%n", b.getText());
        }
    }
}

Complete example

import java.util.List;

import io.scanbot.sdk.ScanbotSDK;
import io.scanbot.sdk.licensing.LicenseInfo;
import io.scanbot.sdk.barcode.*;
import io.scanbot.sdk.image.*;

public class App {
    public static void main(String[] args) throws Exception {
        final String LICENSE_KEY = "SCANBOTSDK-LICENSE"; // TODO: replace with your key
        final String WRITABLE_PATH = System.getProperty("user.dir");

        ScanbotSDK.initialize(LICENSE_KEY, WRITABLE_PATH);

        LicenseInfo info = ScanbotSDK.getLicenseInfo();
        System.out.printf("License status=%s", info.getStatus());

        if (args.length < 1) {
            System.err.println("Usage: ./gradlew run --args='/path/to/image.jpg'");
            System.exit(1);
        }

        String imagePath = args[0];
        try (ImageRef image = ImageRef.fromPath(imagePath, new PathImageLoadOptions())) {
            runBarcodeScanner(image);
        }
    }

    private static void runBarcodeScanner(ImageRef image) throws Exception {
        BarcodeScannerConfiguration config = new BarcodeScannerConfiguration();
        // Configure other parameters as needed.

        try (BarcodeScanner scanner = new BarcodeScanner(config);
            BarcodeScannerResult result = scanner.run(image)) {

            List<BarcodeItem> barcodes = result.getBarcodes();

            if (barcodes.isEmpty()) {
                System.out.println("No barcodes found.");
                return;
            }

            for (int i = 0; i < barcodes.size(); i++) {
                BarcodeItem b = barcodes.get(i);
                System.out.printf("Barcode #%d:%n", i + 1);
                System.out.printf("  Format: %s%n", b.getFormat().name());
                System.out.printf("  Text:   %s%n", b.getText());
            }
        }
    }
}

Run

./gradlew run --args='/path/to/image.jpg'

🚀 That's it! You've built a minimal barcode scanner in Java on Linux.

💡 In this quick start guide, we use the SDK's default scanner settings. However, you can freely customize the configuration, supported barcode types, and performance options.

Get in touch

If you need further information or are interested in licensing the Scanbot SDK, please get in touch with our solution experts.

Scanbot SDK is part of the Apryse SDK product family

A mobile scan is just the start. With Apryse SDKs, you can expand mobile workflows into full cross‑platform document processing. Whether you need to edit PDFs, add secure digital signatures, or use a fast, customizable document viewer and editor, Apryse gives you the tools to build powerful features quickly.

Learn more

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