CoreScanner is the driver which prepares the scanner to be used by the host. The CoreScanner driver creates a connection between the host and scanner. The SDK uses CoreScanner to receive data from and send commands to the scanner.

The Zebra Scanner Software Developer Kit (SDK) for Linux defines an architectural framework providing a single programming interface across multiple programming languages (such as C++, Java) and across multiple system environments (such as RPM based Linux distributions and Debian based Linux) for all scanner communication variants (such as IBMHID, SNAPI, and HIDKB).

The Zebra Scanner SDK includes a suite of components that provides a unified software development framework with a wide range of functions for interfacing Zebra scanners to user applications and solutions. This SDK allows you to read barcodes, manage scanner configurations, capture images/videos, and select a list of scanners on which to work. While one application in one programming language uses a scanner or a set of scanners, you can use another application in a different language within the same system environment.