Barcodes are everywhere—from supermarket shelves and retail stores to warehouses and hospitals. These small black-and-white lines may seem simple, but they’re essential tools that help businesses track inventory, streamline checkout processes, and reduce human error. In this guide, we’ll explore how do barcodes work, the technology behind them, and why they’re crucial for modern retail and POS systems. What Is a Barcode? A barcode is a visual representation of data that can be read by a machine. It typically consists of a series of parallel lines (in the case of 1D barcodes) or patterns of squares and dots (in 2D barcodes).