I Built a Thing and It's Actually Working 🚀

So I made this thing 🎉

After months of tinkering, late nights, and more coffee than I’d like to admit, I finally got Qerge working well enough to share.

It’s a QR code management tool I built to solve a pretty simple problem - I needed a fast, reliable scanner for events. Let me tell you how it started.

Why build another QR code tool? 🤔

Here’s the thing - there are hundreds of QR code generators out there. A quick search will show you just how many.

But good QR code scanners? Fast, reliable ones that work well for events? Those are surprisingly hard to find.

I had event clients who needed something straightforward: scan tickets, track attendance, and work offline when the venue’s internet inevitably goes down. They didn’t need complicated dashboards or enterprise features. They just needed something that worked consistently and didn’t frustrate their staff.

So I started building the scanner. Then I realized they also needed to generate those codes in the first place, and the project naturally expanded from there.

Now Qerge handles the full workflow - generate codes, scan them, and track everything in real-time. But the scanner is still at the heart of it all. Fast, simple, and works offline.

What makes it different ✨

Batch generation 📦

Upload a CSV file with thousands of entries and generate unique QR codes for each one. I’ve tested it with 10,000+ codes and it handles them without breaking a sweat.

Built-in encryption 🔐

Your QR codes can contain encrypted data that only your authorized scanners can decode. This was one of the more interesting features to build - adds a real layer of security for sensitive use cases.

Real-time scan tracking 📱

When someone scans a code, you see it happen instantly. The scanner works offline too, and syncs everything automatically when back online. Getting this right took some time, but it’s incredibly useful in real-world situations.

Multiple scanner management 📲

Create different scanners for different purposes - events, inventory, access control, whatever you need. Each scanner tracks its own scans independently, making organization straightforward.

What’s next

I’ve got a few ideas for features that might be useful - analytics, custom branding, API access, team collaboration. But honestly, I’m more interested in hearing what problems people actually run into. Building features nobody needs seems like a waste of time, so the roadmap will probably change based on feedback.

Give it a try 🎮

Qerge offers a free plan so you can test it out and see if it fits your needs. No credit card required.

If it works for you, there are paid plans with additional features and higher limits. But starting free lets you explore everything at your own pace.

Building this has been quite a journey - challenging at times, but I learned a ton. Now that it’s out there, I’m curious to see if it helps other people with similar problems.

If you try it out, I’d love to hear your thoughts - what works, what doesn’t, what could be better.

Thanks for reading!

Have questions or want to share feedback? Email me or find me on X @tim.ay.1mb