How a scan works
- The phone opens the address in the code:
gtdqr.com/abc2345, or one on your own domain such asqr.yourbrand.com/menu. - The request reaches the nearest Cloudflare data center. Our redirect service runs in all of them.
- It looks the code up and forwards the phone to the destination.
When something fails
The database is slow or down. Each data center keeps every code's last answer for up to 7 days and serves it until the database is back. A code not scanned there recently gets a "try again in a minute" page. The last answer is what it says: a code paused or blocked after a data center last looked it up keeps its old answer there until the database is back, for up to those 7 days.
The website has a problem. The redirect service is a separate program. The site can fail without touching a single printed code.
Your domain's DNS record changes by mistake. We check every connected domain daily. If one is still broken an hour later, we email you what to fix. Codes come back on their own once the record is right. Nothing needs reprinting.
Backups and recovery
- The database can be restored to any minute of the last 30 days.
- A bad release can be rolled back within minutes.
- Every change is tested before it goes live.
What we don't promise
We don't offer an uptime guarantee (SLA). When a large part of Cloudflare's network is down, our codes go down with much of the internet. A code on your own domain works only while you keep that domain.
If we ever close
We'll email every customer at least 90 days ahead and send a final exit kit. Codes on your own domain (Pro and Business) keep working once you put the kit on a web host and change one DNS record. Codes on gtdqr.com keep forwarding to their last destination for at least 5 years. The steps are on the guarantee page.