A barcode scanner comprises three different parts, which include the sensor, illumination system, and the decoder. A scanner illuminates the code with a red light to “scan” the black and white elements of a barcode. Then, the code converts into matching text. The decoder analyses the image data and sends the information to the output port.

A barcode scanner works by shining a beam of light over the barcode, then it checks out how the light bounces back. This process turns light energy into electrical energy inside the scanner. The decoder within the scanner interprets these electrical signals and turns them into readable data.

Barcode scanners record and translate barcodes from the image you recognize into alphanumeric digits. The scanner then sends that information along to a computer database, either through a wired connection or wirelessly (depending on the model).

Barcode scanners, to put it simply, read barcodes with light. A sensor inside the scanner receives a light beam that was directed at the barcode and then returned by the barcode. The information contained in the barcode is translated by the sensor from the pattern of light and dark spaces between the bars.