Glossary
A reference guide to key terms used throughout the QRForge API documentation.
API Key
A secret token used to authenticate and authorize requests made to the QRForge API. Associated with a specific user and subject to rate limits and permissions.
API Request
Any inbound call made to QRForge’s public API endpoints. Requests are counted toward per‑minute and per‑day limits.
Archive (QR Status)
A soft‑delete state for QR codes. Archived QRs cannot be scanned, rendered, or updated. They remain stored for reference or reactivation only.
Authentication
The process of verifying identity for API consumers. QRForge uses API keys as its authentication mechanism.
BigQuery
The analytics data backend used by QRForge to store scan events and aggregated analytics.
Default Project
The initial workspace automatically created for each new QRForge user. It remains active unless renamed or modified. This is a mutable pointer rather than a guarantee — it is possible for a user to have no default project configured. In that case, creating a QR code without an explicit project_id will fail with a clear error.
Dynamic QR Code
A QR code whose redirect destination can be changed after creation. All QRs created via API are dynamic.
Endpoint
A publicly accessible HTTP route in the QRForge API (e.g., POST /v1/qr-codes).
Firebase Authentication
Internal identity system used by QRForge to manage platform users.
Firestore
Primary database used by QRForge to store QR codes, projects, API keys, analytics metadata, and configuration documents.
Owner UID
The unique identifier of the QRForge user that owns a project or QR code. All API requests are scoped to the caller’s UID.
Pagination
A mechanism used by list endpoints to return data in batches. QRForge uses cursor‑based pagination.
Project
A workspace container that groups QR codes and metadata. Each QR must belong to exactly one project.
QR Code
A machine‑readable matrix barcode. QRForge generates fully dynamic, trackable QR codes with PNG and SVG outputs.
Rate Limit
The maximum number of API requests allowed per minute and per day. Determined by subscription tier.
Redirect URL
The final destination that a dynamic QR code points to when scanned.
Render Status
Indicates the lifecycle of PNG/SVG generation: staging, rendering, done, error, or idle.
Slug
A short, unique identifier assigned to each QR code (example: qr-1ap99pp). Can be used to fetch QR metadata via API.
UUID
A universally unique identifier. QRForge uses Firebase‑generated IDs for documents rather than standard UUIDs.