ScanDex launched in November 2024. During this initial phase, the number of matched games may be limited; however, given the challenges of identifying games through general barcode databases, we believe it’s more beneficial to build a robust resource for the future than to do nothing. You are welcome to use any other barcode database as a fallback in addition to the ScanDex API. If both sources return no results, we encourage you to use the Add Suggestion endpoint to help us expand and refine our dataset.
As of November 2024, there are more than 30,000 datapoints available with at least the game title and platform, with around 27,000 of them already matched with the correct IGDB metadata.
BASE URL https://scandex.gamery.app/api/v1
To use the API, include the Authorization header with your unique access token in each request.
| Header | Value |
|---|---|
| Authorization Required | XXXXXXXXXX |
Look for a game with a given barcode value.
Example barcode: 0711719577966
GET /lookup
Note: Because UPC codes are compatible with EAN, we can return a game even if we do not explicitly have the EAN code for a game. As an example, if you provide the EAN 0711719577966 we will still return a game, even though we just have the UPC code 711719577966 in our database, because codes with a leading zero are interchangeable.
| Parameter | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
| value Required | Number | EAN or UPC barcode value. |
When you have sent your barcode value, there are three possibilities for what ScanDex might respond with.
If ScanDex does not yet know about the barcode you have sent, you will receive a response message with the status code 404. When this happens, the barcode will automatically be added to the database in a pending state. You may want to use the Add Suggestion endpoint afterwards.
{
"message": "No results for this barcode. It has been added to the database in a pending state."
}
If ScanDex knows about this barcode, but no matching IGDB data is available yet, you will receive a title and platform string that is as accurate as possible. You may use it to fetch more information about the game using the IGDB API yourself. You can also use this to pre-fill a search UI and use the Add Suggestion endpoint.
{
"id": 1,
"name": "Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart",
"platform": "PlayStation 5",
"igdb_metadata": null
}
In the best case ScanDex knows about your barcode and already matched it to a IGDB game. Then, it will return a result with the status code 200 and the corresponding metadata.
{
"id": 1,
"is_suggestion": false,
"igdb_metadata": {
"id": 134582,
"name": "Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart",
"platform": {
"id": 167,
"name": "PlayStation 5"
}
}
}
| Property | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
| id | Number | The internal identifier of this barcode lookup. |
| is_suggestion | Boolean | If true, this result is a user submission and has not been verified yet. Use this dataset with caution. You may want to display a hint to the user that this result may not be correct. |
| igdb_metadata.id | Number | The id of the game in the IGDB API. See: https://api-docs.igdb.com/#game |
| igdb_metadata.name | String | The name of the game in the IGDB API. See: https://api-docs.igdb.com/#game |
| igdb_metadata.platform.id | Number | The id of the game's platform in the IGDB API. See https://api-docs.igdb.com/#platform. |
| igdb_metadata.platform.name | String | The name of the game's platform in the IGDB API. See https://api-docs.igdb.com/#platform. |
You can give your users the opportunity to report lookup results using this endpoint. Received reports will be manually checked for correctness.
| Parameter | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
| id Required | Number | The id of the Lookup to report. |
| message | String | Short, optional explanation of the issue with this Lookup. |
If the Lookup endpoint does not return a result, you may display a search interface allowing users to manually search for the game via the IGDB API. You can then submit the scanned barcode and the selected game to ScanDex to enhance the database.
Each suggestion will undergo a review process. Until reviewed, these suggestions may already appear in Lookup, flagged with is_suggested = true.
| Parameter | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
| igdb_id Required | Number | The suggested IGDB id for the game. |
| platform_id Required | Number | The suggested IGDB platform. |
| value Required | Number | EAN or UPC barcode value. |