At some point, every developer has to present code snippets. This could be for a presentation, or a tweet, or a blog, or just to go through a snippet later in time.
Let's dive into the tools you can use to present your code awesomely.🔥
1. carbon.now.sh
Create and share beautiful images of your source code.
Start typing or drop a file into the text area to get started.
You can also connect GitHub with carbon.
2. codeimg.io
This is my personal favourite. ❤️️
The best part about codeimg is that they have already existing Social Media Templates. So you don't have to worry about canvas sizing.
Feature wise, you get more options in codeimg as compared with carbon.now.sh.
Here's a Twitter template created with codeimg.io
3. Pastie
If you like minimalism and simply want to share code as a link instead of a screenshot, Pastie is for you.
This is perfect to share code among friends/colleagues. The link generated with Pastie is valid for 24 hours.
CAUTION: Pastie uses HTTP and not HTTPS. This means that it lacks encryption and is not secure.
4. Rust playground
If you are a Rust person, this one is for you.
Play around with browser interface to the Rust compiler to experiment with the language. It also has the capability to share snippet link just like Pastie.
5. Silicon
This is carbon.now.sh implemented in Rust language.
Problems with carbon.now.sh that are overcome by Silicon:
- Cannot work without Internet & browser.
- Doesn't work well with shell. (Although there is carbon-now-cli, its experience is not very good, especially when the network is not so good.)
Usage:
$ silicon main.rs -o main.png
6. Polacode
If you love VS Code, this one is for you! Polacode is a VS Code extension that takes beautiful screenshots of your code right from VSCode.
The best part about these 6 tools is that they are all free to use!
Cheers.✌️
Top comments (52)
Thank you for sharing! I think I only knew about Polacode so these are some welcome additions!
The more, the better! 😉
indeed lol
Very cool!
I've recently launched Snippet Shot (snippetshot.com) which is very similar to the above tools (but simpler). Despite doing (some) research, there's still a few on the list I didn't know about (like codeimg)! Thanks for that :)
Snippet shot is cool. Why it is showing to buy the Font? :)
Thank you for the kind words. Regarding the link: Some people are interested in the font (it’s a very good one), so there’s an (affiliate) link in case someone wants to actually buy it. I get a small percentage of that (if someone uses that link) and my hope is that it will cover hosting costs in case Snippet Shot gets more popular.
Got it. Thanks :) Probably you need to add that note. It is confusing whether I need to buy the font first before download the snippet :)
That's good feedback – did not consider that it might be confusing. I will think about improving that part.
That’s so cool! Snippetshot looks awesome
For those on Windows having issues with Polacode, checkout CodeSnap. It works fine with the latest version of VS Code.
github.com/kufii/CodeSnap
Thanks for sharing!
thanks Polacode don't worked me, but CodeSnap fine
In the Polacode gif, I see the keyboards which is getting typed is showing. I have been searching for something like that, Do you have any idea how it is happening?
By the way, good post to add in the reading list 👏
You can check out their GH repo to find out how they do it.
Thank you :)
The Polacode extension is super cool and useful. Thanks for sharing.
Thank you! I am glad you found it helpful.
I don't think it's a good idea for services to display screenshots of code. People want to be able to copy and paste.
I used to use Github Gists for storing snippets of code, then I switched to Gitlab Snippets.
I use carbon on a daily basis to share snippets with interns. Very helpful stuff.
That’s really cool!
Why would you use these instead of taking a screenshot of your code in the editor and share it?
Well, for many reasons. Taking screenshot of the code is not very readable. Usually font size of an editor is small. These tools help you customise the appearance of the code making them look cleaner. You might need screenshots in different sizes depending on the social media you use. Simply taking a screenshot doesn't really have much utility.
Ok, I disagree. Ctrl+scroll wheel (or plus sign) in the editor for a temporary boost in font size and then screenshot and then roll it back. If you also have a appealing color scheme for your code, it already looks good. Done in 5 sec. Been doing it this way forever for sharing code in chats/email. Maybe these tools are better for sharing on social media?
Thanks for the article, I didn't know about these tools. :-)
Very cool!
I want to translate it into Chinese to help more developers, Can I get your authorization?
I will give credit at the top of the article.
Thank you. Of course! Looking forward to it.
Cool I already knew about carbon.now.sh the others are new to me.