Is there a fingerprint reader api/sdk? [closed]

Question

I need to read the user's fingerprint from my application.

What I really want is a simple SDK that works with a lot of inexpensive fingerprint readers but I can deal with something that works only with one specific model if that model is cheap and available worldwide.

And it has to be royalty-free, I can pay for a development license but if I have to pay for each installation I just can't use it.

What I'm doing has no relation to login or encryption, so the software included with the reader will probably be useless to me.

Ulmaceous

windows 7 has a biometric API (or were you looking for cross platform?) – Choker

Answer 1

There is no standard API for reading fingerprint data as far as I'm aware since it is a fairly new field and there's no standard way of doing it. Each manufacturer will provide their own API for reading the hardware. The API could just be IO specification to the hardware and there's no library whatsoever, which makes things a bit trickier. This is down to two factors. The first is that finger print readers are used in many applications - custom hardware, embedded systems through to PC authentication and beyond. Providing software for all those different systems would not be viable from the manufacturers point of view. Secondly, each manufacturer uses a different approach to reading and processing the captured images which would make a common API problematic.

Kuebbing

Answer 2

It's an old question, but I bumped into it while researching the topic.

I did find a free library for Linux - libfprint

Doolittle

libfprint works pretty good, we've used it in one of our projects and worked like a charm. – Teratogenic

For those that matters, the Libfprint was started back in late of 2007 by Daniel Drake, and all the development happened at reactivated.net. But it then has been migrated to be part of freedesktop.org, and the currently active development is happening at freedesktop.org/wiki/Software/fprint/libfprint. It has already a handful of popular devices supported up to 2013. – Hearse

Answer 3

Digitalpersona has a free SDKs both for windows and linux. http://www.digitalpersona.com/products/developer.php

I dont know if there are costs for deploying with their SDKs.

(Actually it appears they don't charge per machine/user licensing.)

Walloon

It seems they have changed route. Now the SDK costs $149 (one time fee), but then it also includes an actual fingerprint reader. The SDK is still Royalty free. Read more: digitalpersona.com/Biometrics/SDK-Products/… – Walloon

Answer 4

Did you take a look at the BioAPI consortium site? There's a library for linux over at Google code.

There's also libchipcard, but it doesn't mention fingerprint readers, only smart cards.

Hope that helps.

Chapatti

bioapi project is dead, libchipcard link is 404 – Lorca

Answer 5

Symbol has an api for their MC75 handheld devices:

http://support.symbol.com/support/search.do?cmd=displayKC&docType=kc&externalId=12364&sliceId=&dialogID=104336066&stateId=1%200%20104330426

Of course, it only works for their Windows Mobile 6 MC75 devices.

Hydride

Answer 6

See Windows Biometric Framework.

Portia