[java] BarCode Image Generator in Java

How can I create a barcode image in Java? I need something that will allow me to enter a number and produce the corresponding barcode image. Is there a free library available for this type of task?

I use barbeque , it's great, and supports a very wide range of different barcode formats.
See if you like its API .

Sample API:

public static Barcode createCode128(java.lang.String data)
                             throws BarcodeException

Creates a Code 128 barcode that dynamically switches between character sets to give the smallest possible encoding. This will encode all numeric characters, upper and lower case alpha characters and control characters from the standard ASCII character set. The size of the barcode created will be the smallest possible for the given data, and use of this "optimal" encoding will generally give smaller barcodes than any of the other 3 "vanilla" encodings.

There is also this free API that you can use to make free barcodes in java.

Barbecue

There is a free library called barcode4j

ZXing is a free open source Java library to read and generate barcode images. You need to get the source code and build the jars yourself. Here's a simple tutorial that I wrote for building with ZXing jars and writing your first program with ZXing.

[http://www.vineetmanohar.com/2010/09/java-barcode-api/]