canonical: https://jentic.com/apis/ean-search.org/ean-search # EAN-Search.org API EAN-Search.org provides a barcode and product database that resolves EAN, UPC, and ISBN codes into product names, categories, and country of issue. The API supports forward and reverse lookups, prefix and similar-name searches, checksum verification, and on-the-fly PNG barcode image generation. It is used by retailers, marketplaces, and inventory tools that need to enrich raw barcode scans with structured product metadata. ## For AI agents Look up product details from EAN, UPC, and ISBN barcodes, search by product name or category, and generate barcode images. ## Scope Does not handle pricing, real-time stock, or marketplace listings - use for EAN, UPC, and ISBN barcode lookups, product search, and barcode image generation only. ## Capabilities - Resolve an EAN, UPC, or ISBN code to a product name and category - Search the barcode database by product name with fuzzy matching - Find products that share a common barcode prefix for brand or range discovery - Identify the issuing country of a barcode from its prefix range - Verify the checksum digit of an EAN code before importing it into a catalogue - Render a PNG barcode image directly from an EAN value ## Use cases ### Inventory enrichment from barcode scans Warehouse and retail systems often capture only the raw EAN at scan time. Calling /barcode-lookup with the scanned code returns the product name, category, and image so a downstream catalogue or POS record can be enriched without manual data entry. Each lookup is a single HTTP GET and runs in under a second. Example prompt: Look up EAN 4006381333931 and return the product name and category in one line. ### Catalogue search by product name Marketplaces that need to map vendor-supplied product names to canonical entries can call /product-search and /similar-product-search to find matches with fuzzy ranking. This avoids requiring the seller to provide an exact EAN at listing time, while still surfacing the official barcode for downstream systems. Example prompt: Search for products matching 'Nutella 400g' and return the top three EANs with their names. ### Barcode image generation for labels Picking lists, shelf labels, and packing slips often need a printable barcode for a known EAN. The /barcode-image endpoint streams a PNG so the label template can embed the image without bundling a barcode rendering library. Example prompt: Generate a PNG barcode image for EAN 9780201379624 and return the image URL or bytes. ### Agent-assisted product discovery An AI shopping or research agent can answer questions like 'what product is this barcode?' or 'find similar products to this name' by calling EAN-Search through Jentic. The agent picks the right operation by intent and returns a clean answer to the user without exposing the underlying barcode endpoint. Example prompt: Given a list of three EANs, look each up and return a markdown table of name, category, and issuing country. ## Key endpoints | Method | Path | Description | | --- | --- | --- | | GET | `/barcode-lookup` | Look up a single EAN, UPC, or ISBN | | GET | `/product-search` | Search products by name | | GET | `/similar-product-search` | Find products with similar names | | GET | `/barcode-prefix-search` | Search barcodes sharing a prefix | | GET | `/issuing-country` | Identify the issuing country of a barcode | | GET | `/verify-checksum` | Verify the EAN checksum digit | | GET | `/barcode-image` | Generate a PNG barcode image | ## Key resources - **Barcode Lookup** — Resolve a single EAN to product details - **Product Search** — Search the database by product name or category - **Prefix Tools** — Prefix-based search and issuing-country lookup - **Checksum and Image** — Verify EAN checksums and render barcode images ## Why Jentic - **Setup:** Wiring EAN-Search by hand means setting up its token query parameter on every request and coding the barcode lookup, product search, and image calls yourself. Through Jentic you install once, import EAN-Search from the API Directory, store the token once, and your agent calls it. - **Permission scoping:** EAN-Search passes its lookup targets as query parameters rather than URL path segments, so scope your agent to the operations it needs, such as barcode lookup or product search. Actions like generating a barcode image stay out of the allowed set unless you add them. - **Credential handling:** Your EAN-Search token is stored once, encrypted, by your own Jentic One instance and injected at execution time. It never enters the agent's prompt, logs, or context. - **Discovery method:** Agents search Jentic by intent such as 'look up a product by barcode' or 'verify a barcode checksum', and Jentic returns the matching EAN-Search operation with its input schema so the agent calls the right endpoint without browsing the reference docs. ## Related APIs - **Etsy API** — Marketplace-of-makers catalogue with its own product identifier system - **eBay Deal API** — Marketplace listings and deals tied to product identifiers - **Shopify Admin API** — Storefront and inventory platform that consumes barcode metadata ## FAQ ### What authentication does the EAN-Search.org API use? EAN-Search uses an API token passed as a query parameter named token. Through Jentic, the token is stored encrypted in the vault and injected at execution time so it never appears in agent prompts or logs. ### Can I look up UPC and ISBN codes with the EAN-Search.org API? Yes. /barcode-lookup accepts EAN-13, UPC-A, UPC-E, and ISBN-10 or ISBN-13 codes. The response includes the resolved product name, category, and issuing country derived from the GS1 prefix. ### What are the rate limits for the EAN-Search.org API? The spec does not declare numeric limits. EAN-Search applies per-account credit packages and burst throttles - check your dashboard for remaining lookups, or upgrade your plan if you need higher concurrency. ### How do I generate a barcode image through Jentic? Search Jentic for 'generate a barcode image', load the schema for GET /barcode-image, then execute with the EAN value. The flow is: pip install jentic, then await client.search, await client.load, await client.execute. ### Does the EAN-Search.org API include product images and pricing? Lookups return a name, category, issuing country, and where available a product image URL. Pricing and stock data are not part of the response - pair EAN-Search with a marketplace API such as eBay or Amazon for live pricing. ### Can I limit what my agent is allowed to do with the EAN-Search.org API? Yes. Because Jentic One is self-hosted, you set the rules that decide which EAN-Search operations your agent may call and which credentials it may use. Since EAN-Search passes its lookup targets as query parameters rather than URL path segments, you can scope the agent to only the operations it needs, such as barcode lookup or product search, while leaving out others like barcode image generation, issuing-country lookup, or checksum verification. Any operation you do not add stays outside the allowed set, and the token is injected only for the calls you permit.