Quickstart

Prerequisites

A NearNode account — sign up free

An API key from Developers → API Keys in the dashboard

1. Get Your API Key

Navigate to the NearNode Console → Developers → API Keys → Generate. Copy the key immediately — it’s shown only once.

sk_live_a1b2c3d4e5f6g7h8i9j0...

Store your API key securely. Never commit it to version control or expose it in client-side code.

2. Create Your First Node

curl -X POST https://nearnode.io/api/v1/nodes \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer sk_live_..." \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "label": "Office Front Door",
    "function_type": "redirect",
    "payload": {
      "url": "https://yourcompany.com/welcome"
    }
  }'

const response = await fetch('https://nearnode.io/api/v1/nodes', {
  method: 'POST',
  headers: {
    'Authorization': 'Bearer sk_live_...',
    'Content-Type': 'application/json',
  },
  body: JSON.stringify({
    label: 'Office Front Door',
    function_type: 'redirect',
    payload: {
      url: 'https://yourcompany.com/welcome',
    },
  }),
});

const { data } = await response.json();
console.log(data.url);
// → https://nearnode.io/v/k9m2xp4q

import requests

response = requests.post(
    "https://nearnode.io/api/v1/nodes",
    headers={"Authorization": "Bearer sk_live_..."},
    json={
        "label": "Office Front Door",
        "function_type": "redirect",
        "payload": {
            "url": "https://yourcompany.com/welcome",
        },
    },
)

data = response.json()["data"]
print(data["url"])
# → https://nearnode.io/v/k9m2xp4q

{
  "data": {
    "id": "node_abc123...",
    "slug": "k9m2xp4q",
    "url": "https://nearnode.io/v/k9m2xp4q",
    "function_type": "redirect",
    "status": "active"
  }
}

3. Generate a QR Code

Use any QR library to encode the scan URL. The URL is permanent — only the destination behind it changes.

CLI (qrencode)
Node.js (qrcode)
Python (qrcode)

qrencode -o office-door.png "https://nearnode.io/v/k9m2xp4q"

import QRCode from 'qrcode';

await QRCode.toFile('office-door.png', 'https://nearnode.io/v/k9m2xp4q');

import qrcode

img = qrcode.make("https://nearnode.io/v/k9m2xp4q")
img.save("office-door.png")

4. Update the Destination

Change where the QR code points — without reprinting:

curl -X PATCH https://nearnode.io/api/v1/nodes/k9m2xp4q \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer sk_live_..." \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "payload": {
      "url": "https://yourcompany.com/new-page"
    }
  }'

await fetch('https://nearnode.io/api/v1/nodes/k9m2xp4q', {
  method: 'PATCH',
  headers: {
    'Authorization': 'Bearer sk_live_...',
    'Content-Type': 'application/json',
  },
  body: JSON.stringify({
    payload: {
      url: 'https://yourcompany.com/new-page',
    },
  }),
});

import requests

requests.patch(
    "https://nearnode.io/api/v1/nodes/k9m2xp4q",
    headers={"Authorization": "Bearer sk_live_..."},
    json={
        "payload": {
            "url": "https://yourcompany.com/new-page",
        },
    },
)

5. Try Other Payload Types

The same node API supports multiple function types. Swap function_type and payload to serve different content:

vCard
WiFi
Action

{
  "label": "James Page",
  "function_type": "vcard",
  "payload": {
    "first_name": "James",
    "last_name": "Page",
    "organization": "VidiAI",
    "phone": "+41791234567",
    "email": "james@vidiai.ch"
  }
}

{
  "label": "Guest WiFi",
  "function_type": "wifi",
  "payload": {
    "ssid": "Office-Guest",
    "password": "welcome2026",
    "security": "WPA2"
  }
}

{
  "label": "WhatsApp Support",
  "function_type": "action",
  "payload": {
    "action_type": "whatsapp",
    "phone": "+41791234567",
    "message": "Hi, I scanned your tag!"
  }
}

6. Track Scans

Every scan is logged with device type, location, and timestamp. You can:

View in Dashboard

Real-time scan analytics with geo breakdown and device stats.

Receive via Webhook

Push scan events to your server in real time. Set up webhooks →

What’s Next?

Node Types

vCard, WiFi, Microsite, Actions — not just redirects.

Routing Rules

A/B tests, time-based, geo-targeting, device routing.

Batch API

Generate thousands of nodes at once for fleet operations.

Getting Started

Core Features

Developer Console

Enterprise Governance

Prerequisites

1. Get Your API Key

2. Create Your First Node

3. Generate a QR Code

4. Update the Destination

5. Try Other Payload Types

6. Track Scans

View in Dashboard

Receive via Webhook

What’s Next?

Node Types

Routing Rules

Batch API

​Prerequisites

​1. Get Your API Key

​2. Create Your First Node

​3. Generate a QR Code

​4. Update the Destination

​5. Try Other Payload Types

​6. Track Scans

View in Dashboard

Receive via Webhook

​What’s Next?

Node Types

Routing Rules

Batch API

Prerequisites

1. Get Your API Key

2. Create Your First Node

3. Generate a QR Code

4. Update the Destination

5. Try Other Payload Types

6. Track Scans

What’s Next?