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QR Codes

QR codes encode the credential's verification URL, so anyone can scan a printed certificate, conference badge, or screen and land directly on the verification page.

Plan requirement

QR code download is enabled when the issuing organization is on the Professional or Enterprise plan. Free-tier issuers can still issue verifiable credentials — recipients just won't see the QR download button.

Where the QR button appears

On the public verification page (/verify/{credential-id}):

  • The Download QR button shows up when features.qrCodeEnabled is true for the credential's issuer.
  • Anyone visiting the page can download the QR — issuer, recipient, or third-party verifier — no sign-in required (for public credentials).

What the QR encodes

The QR encodes the current verification URL:

https://credentials.certdirectory.io/verify/CRD-ZBUYQMTA

Scanning it from any phone camera opens the verification page in the user's browser. No special app or wallet is required.

What you get

Clicking Download QR generates a PNG containing the QR code. The image is square, with sufficient quiet space for printing, and uses a standard error-correction level (medium-high) so the QR remains scannable even when scaled or printed on coloured backgrounds.

  • Printed certificates — embed the QR next to the credential ID. Anyone holding the paper can verify it.
  • Conference badges & ID cards — print a small QR with the wearer's primary credential.
  • Email signatures — though most signatures use the verification URL directly, a QR is helpful when sending PDFs that may be printed.
  • LinkedIn cover images / portfolios — visual confirmation that scales well.

Generating QR codes programmatically

If you need to generate QR codes for many credentials at once, build them yourself from the verification URL pattern. Any QR library will do:

# Example with `qrencode` (Linux/macOS, install via brew/apt)
qrencode -o cred.png "https://credentials.certdirectory.io/verify/CRD-ZBUYQMTA"

Or in Node.js:

import QRCode from 'qrcode';
await QRCode.toFile('cred.png', `https://credentials.certdirectory.io/verify/${credentialId}`);

Limits

  • The QR encodes the verification URL only — not the full credential payload. This keeps the QR small and ensures the recipient always sees the most up-to-date status (including expiry/revocation), since scanning re-fetches.
  • For private credentials, the QR still works — but the resulting page will require sign-in (and only the recipient can view the full credential).

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