TL;DR
- GS1 Digital Link is a GS1 standard that writes a product's identity, its GTIN plus an optional batch, serial number or expiry date, as a web address. One 2D code then works for checkout scanners and for smartphone cameras.
- The standard is free to use. You need GTINs from your GS1 Member Organization, a domain, and a resolver that sends each scan to the right destination.
- No law requires it by name. It is optional for Sunrise 2027, and the EU Digital Product Passport asks for a standards-based data carrier without naming one, but it is the widely used standard for a code that checkouts and phones can both read.
GS1 Digital Link is a standard from GS1, the organization behind the barcode, that turns a product's identification number into a web address. The number under today's barcode, the GTIN, becomes part of a URL such as https://id.example.com/01/09506000134352. Put that URL in a QR code and the same square on the pack can be read by a checkout scanner, which extracts the GTIN, and by a phone camera, which opens a web page.
The name causes confusion. "Digital link" on its own gets used for the standard, for the QR codes built with it, and for the products that implement it. This guide is about the standard. Where it mentions Digital Link, the software platform this site belongs to, it says so.
GS1 Digital Link at a glance
| What it is | A GS1 standard for writing GS1 identifiers as web addresses |
| Who publishes it | GS1, the global standards organization behind the barcode |
| What it encodes | The GTIN, plus optional qualifiers (batch or lot, serial number) and attributes (such as the expiry date) |
| Where it is printed | A QR code or a Data Matrix |
| What it costs | The standard is free; the GTINs come with your GS1 membership |
| Who reads it | Checkout scanners read the identifiers, phones open the web page, systems request structured data |
How a GS1 Digital Link URL is built
Every GS1 Digital Link is an ordinary web address with a fixed structure. Here is one that identifies a single item, from a specific batch, with an expiry date:
https://id.example.com/01/09506000134352/10/LOT42/21/1234?17=271231
| Part | Example | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Domain | id.example.com | Your domain, or your resolver's: where a phone's scan goes |
| Primary key | /01/09506000134352 | Application Identifier 01 means GTIN, followed by the 14-digit number |
| Qualifier | /10/LOT42 | AI 10 is the batch or lot |
| Qualifier | /21/1234 | AI 21 is the serial number of one unit |
| Attribute | ?17=271231 | AI 17 is the expiry date, as YYMMDD: 31 December 2027 |
The two-digit numbers are GS1 Application Identifiers, the same codes that GS1-128 barcodes have used in logistics for decades. That is why a checkout scanner can read a GS1 Digital Link: it finds the GTIN and the other values in a place it knows to look.
The qualifiers set how precise the code is. The GTIN alone identifies a product. Add a batch and it identifies one production run, which is what recalls and expiry checks need. Add a serial number and it identifies a single item, which is what authentication and item-level passports need. The technology guide covers the full syntax.
What happens when someone scans it
The same code gives each reader something different:
| Who scans | What they get |
|---|---|
| A 2D-ready checkout scanner | The GTIN, batch and expiry, read straight from the code, with no internet connection needed |
| A shopper's phone | The default page you set: product information, instructions, a promotion, or a recall notice when there is one |
| An app, a recycler or an inspector | Specific information requested through a link type, such as certifications or passport data |
The phone scans reach a resolver, the service behind the domain. It reads the identifiers in the URL and decides where to send that scan: the product page by default, a recall notice for an affected batch, a page in the shopper's language, or the data a system asked for. Because the decision happens on the web and not in the printed code, you can change every destination after the pack is printed. The resolver guide explains how that routing works, and the offline guide explains why the checkout never needs the internet.
GS1 Digital Link vs a barcode vs an ordinary QR code
What is new is not the QR code. It is what is written inside it.
| EAN/UPC linear barcode | Ordinary QR code | GS1 Digital Link QR code | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Carries the GTIN | Yes | No | Yes |
| Batch, serial number, expiry | No | No | Yes, optional |
| Rings up at a 2D-ready checkout | Yes | No | Yes |
| Opens a web page on a phone | No | Yes | Yes |
| Destination can change after printing | Not applicable | Only through a redirect service | Yes, through the resolver |
| Built on a GS1 standard | Yes | No | Yes |
An ordinary QR code holds a web address and nothing a checkout can use. A linear barcode holds the GTIN and nothing a phone can open. A GS1 Digital Link QR code holds both, which is why one code can replace several on a pack. For the choice between the two 2D symbols, see QR code vs Data Matrix.
Where you will meet it
Sunrise 2027. An industry initiative, not a law, asking that retail checkouts read 2D barcodes by the end of 2027. A 2D code carrying only the GTIN meets it. GS1 Digital Link is the optional step that makes the same code open a web page. See what Sunrise 2027 is and what's mandatory and what's optional.
The EU Digital Product Passport. Regulation (EU) 2024/1781, in force since 18 July 2024, requires a data carrier connected to a persistent unique product identifier, following recognised standards. The obligation arrives product group by product group through delegated acts, with batteries first: the battery passport applies from 18 February 2027. The Regulation names no single technology, and GS1 Digital Link is the widely used standard for that job. See the Digital Product Passport guide.
Wine e-labels. Regulation (EU) 2021/2117 requires wines produced from 8 December 2023 to declare ingredients and nutrition, and lets most of that information move to an electronic label reached through a code on the bottle.
How to use GS1 Digital Link: five steps
- Get your GTINs. They come from your local GS1 Member Organization. If your products already carry an EAN or UPC barcode, you already have them: GS1 Digital Link uses the same numbers.
- Decide how precise each code should be. Product level is enough for content and most compliance. Batch level is what recalls and expiry need. Serial level is for authentication and item-level passports, and usually means variable-data printing.
- Choose the domain and the resolver. Codes on your own domain, such as
id.yourbrand.com, stay yours whichever provider runs the resolver. The resolver should follow the GS1 standard, so any conformant app can read your codes. - Generate and test the code. Use a QR code on consumer packs and a Data Matrix where space is tight. Respect the minimum size and the quiet zone, then test on several phones and on a 2D checkout scanner. The legibility guide has the numbers, and the dual barcode guide covers keeping the linear barcode during the transition.
- Run it. Set the default destination, a recall route and language versions. Watch the scans, and update content without reprinting.
Where the Digital Link platform fits
Digital Link, the platform behind this site, is software that implements the standard. It is not the standard itself, and it is not GS1. It generates conformant QR codes from your GTINs, runs the resolver, hosts product pages and Digital Product Passports, and reports on scans. The Free plan covers 5 codes, and paid plans add custom domains and API access.
Create your first GS1 Digital Link QR code
Frequently asked questions
Is GS1 Digital Link the same as a QR code?
No. The QR code is the square symbol, and GS1 Digital Link is the standard for what is written inside it. A GS1 Digital Link can also be printed as a Data Matrix.
Is GS1 Digital Link free to use?
Yes, the standard is free. You need GTINs, which come with a GS1 membership, and a resolver, which you can build yourself or get from a provider.
Do I need new barcode numbers?
No. GS1 Digital Link uses the GTIN your products already have. Batch, serial number and expiry are optional additions.
Will a GS1 Digital Link QR code scan at the checkout?
Yes, at checkouts that read 2D barcodes, and without an internet connection: the scanner reads the GTIN from the code itself. During the transition many brands keep the linear barcode next to it.
Is GS1 Digital Link mandatory?
No law requires it by name. Sunrise 2027 can be met with a 2D code carrying only the GTIN, and the EU Digital Product Passport requires a standards-based data carrier without naming a single technology.
Is Digital Link the same thing as GS1 Digital Link?
Not always. GS1 Digital Link is the standard, published by GS1. Digital Link is also the name of the software platform behind this site, which is built on that standard.
