Code Detector is a simple tool for detecting the language of code in text. It returns details such as extension, language, family, and more.
Try it — live request, no key required
No key required to try it. Get a key to use it in your app.
{
"status": "ok",
"error": null,
"data": {
// Code Detector response payload
}
}
About the Code Detector API
Code Detector works by analyzing the text provided and detecting the language of code in the text. It uses various sources to determine the language and returns details such as extension, language, family, and more.
Ways to call it
One endpoint, many ways in — REST with JSON, XML, YAML and CSV, plus GraphQL and an MCP interface for AI agents.
- JSON
- Default REST response
- XML
- Markup format
- YAML
- Human-readable
- CSV
- Tabular export
- GraphQL
- Query language
- MCP
- For AI agents
Other ways to use Code Detector
Same data, same APIVerve account, same credit balance — one key works on all of them.
What does the Code Detector API do?
How do I authenticate Code Detector API requests?
How much does the Code Detector API cost?
How fast is the Code Detector API?
What response formats does the Code Detector API support?
What HTTP method does the Code Detector API use?
Request parameters — POST /v1/codedetector
Sent as JSON in the request body. Premium parameters are accepted on every plan but only take effect on plans that include them. Anything not listed here is dropped rather than passed through.
Required
| Parameter | Type | Example | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
codeRequired | string | var test = ''; | The code snippet you want to detect the programming language of length 0-50000 |
curl -X POST "https://api.apiverve.com/v1/codedetector" \
-H "x-api-key: YOUR_API_KEY" \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-d '{"code":"a = 5\nb = 6\nc = 7\n\n# calculate the semi-perimeter\ns = (a + b + c) / 2\n\n# calculate the area\narea = (s*(s-a)*(s-b)*(s-c)) ** 0.5\nprint('\''The area of the triangle is %0.2f'\'' %area)"}'Authentication
Send your key in the x-api-key header. That is the only auth step — no token exchange, and no per-endpoint scope to configure.
| Header | When | Value |
|---|---|---|
x-api-keyRequired | Every request | Your API key. Header names are case-insensitive, so X-API-Key is the same header. |
AuthorizationAlternate | Instead of the above | Bearer <key> — for clients that only expose bearer auth. Resolves to the same account and the same billing. |
content-typeRequired | POST body | application/json |
A 401 means the key is missing, invalid or expired. A 403 means the key is valid but not permitted here — blocked by a key restriction or an IP allow-list. Running out of credits is a 429.
Response — POST /v1/codedetector
Every APIVerve endpoint returns the same three top-level keys, so one response handler covers your whole integration: status, error and data. Only data changes shape.
{
"status": "ok",
"error": null,
"data": {
"likelihood": 0.99,
"family": "PYTHON",
"current": "python",
"readable": "Python Code",
"extension": ".py",
"paradigm": "multi-paradigm",
"isCompiled": false
}
}
Response fields
Paths are relative to data. Premium fields are absent rather than zeroed on plans that do not include them, so check for presence instead of comparing to 0.
| Field | Type | Example | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
likelihoodPremium | number | 0.99 | Confidence score for code language detection (0.0 to 1.0) |
familyPremium | string | "PYTHON" | Programming language family or category classification |
current | string | "python" | Detected programming language in lowercase format |
readable | string | "Python Code" | Human-readable name of the detected programming language |
extension | string | ".py" | Standard file extension for the detected language |
paradigmPremium | string | "multi-paradigm" | Programming paradigm: object-oriented, functional, procedural, multi-paradigm |
isCompiledPremium | boolean | false | Whether the language is compiled or interpreted |
Response headers
Every response carries your balance, so your own code always knows where it stands without polling anything. All four are exposed to browsers through CORS.
| Header | What it carries |
|---|---|
x-api-remaining-credits | Credits left in the current cycle |
x-api-credits-used | Credits spent in the current cycle |
x-api-max-credits | The allowance for the cycle |
x-api-version | Version of the endpoint that answered |
Errors
Read the HTTP status first, then error for the specific reason. The body names the parameter that has to change.
| Status | Meaning | What to do |
|---|---|---|
400 | Input was rejected | Read error; it names the parameter that has to change. |
401 | Key missing or invalid | Check the header name and the key value. |
403 | Key valid, but not permitted here | A key restriction or an IP allow-list — never a bad key. |
429 | Rate limited, or out of credits | Read error to tell them apart, then back off or top up. |
What a call costs — 20 credits per call
Credits are shared across every APIVerve API — one balance, one key, one bill. Failed requests never count against it, so a rejected input costs nothing.
| Plan | Per month | Credits | Code Detector calls | Per 1,000 calls |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free | Free | 200 | 10 | Free |
| Starter | $29.99 | 200,000 | 10,000 | $3.00 |
| Pro | $99.99 | 1,000,000 | 50,000 | $2.00 |
| Mega | $299.99 | 4,000,000 | 200,000 | $1.50 |
Calls are what the credits buy at this API's rate — spend them here, on any of the other APIs, or across both. Nothing is reserved per endpoint.
Call it from cURL — POST /v1/codedetector
No SDK to install — this is a plain HTTPS call to /v1/codedetector with your key in the x-api-key header. Swap in a real key and it runs as-is.
curl "https://api.apiverve.com/v1/codedetector" \
-H "x-api-key: YOUR_API_KEY"Resources
Also published for
Only the languages APIVerve ships a client for are listed — the rest call the endpoint directly over HTTPS.
Call it from Node.js — POST /v1/codedetector
Install the Node.js SDK, then call the Code Detector API with your key. The client wraps the same HTTPS request, so anything it returns is what the endpoint returns.
npm install @apiverve/codedetectorconst res = await fetch("https://api.apiverve.com/v1/codedetector", {
headers: { "x-api-key": "YOUR_API_KEY" },
});
const { data } = await res.json();
console.log(data);Resources
Also published for
Only the languages APIVerve ships a client for are listed — the rest call the endpoint directly over HTTPS.
Call it from Python — POST /v1/codedetector
Install the Python SDK, then call the Code Detector API with your key. The client wraps the same HTTPS request, so anything it returns is what the endpoint returns.
pip install apiverve-codedetectorimport requests
res = requests.get(
"https://api.apiverve.com/v1/codedetector",
headers={"x-api-key": "YOUR_API_KEY"},
)
print(res.json()["data"])Resources
Also published for
Only the languages APIVerve ships a client for are listed — the rest call the endpoint directly over HTTPS.
Call it from C# / .NET — POST /v1/codedetector
Install the C# / .NET SDK, then call the Code Detector API with your key. The client wraps the same HTTPS request, so anything it returns is what the endpoint returns.
dotnet add package APIVerve.API.CodeDetectorusing var client = new HttpClient();
client.DefaultRequestHeaders.Add("x-api-key", "YOUR_API_KEY");
var json = await client.GetStringAsync("https://api.apiverve.com/v1/codedetector");
Console.WriteLine(json);Resources
Also published for
Only the languages APIVerve ships a client for are listed — the rest call the endpoint directly over HTTPS.
Call it from Go — POST /v1/codedetector
No SDK to install — this is a plain HTTPS call to /v1/codedetector with your key in the x-api-key header. Swap in a real key and it runs as-is.
req, _ := http.NewRequest("GET", "https://api.apiverve.com/v1/codedetector", nil)
req.Header.Set("x-api-key", "YOUR_API_KEY")
res, _ := http.DefaultClient.Do(req)
defer res.Body.Close()
body, _ := io.ReadAll(res.Body)
fmt.Println(string(body))Resources
Also published for
Only the languages APIVerve ships a client for are listed — the rest call the endpoint directly over HTTPS.
Call it from PHP — POST /v1/codedetector
No SDK to install — this is a plain HTTPS call to /v1/codedetector with your key in the x-api-key header. Swap in a real key and it runs as-is.
$ch = curl_init("https://api.apiverve.com/v1/codedetector");
curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_RETURNTRANSFER, true);
curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_HTTPHEADER, ["x-api-key: YOUR_API_KEY"]);
$response = curl_exec($ch);
echo $response;Resources
Also published for
Only the languages APIVerve ships a client for are listed — the rest call the endpoint directly over HTTPS.
Call it from Ruby — POST /v1/codedetector
No SDK to install — this is a plain HTTPS call to /v1/codedetector with your key in the x-api-key header. Swap in a real key and it runs as-is.
require "net/http"
uri = URI("https://api.apiverve.com/v1/codedetector")
req = Net::HTTP::Get.new(uri)
req["x-api-key"] = "YOUR_API_KEY"
res = Net::HTTP.start(uri.hostname, uri.port, use_ssl: true) { |h| h.request(req) }
puts res.bodyResources
Also published for
Only the languages APIVerve ships a client for are listed — the rest call the endpoint directly over HTTPS.
Zero-code embed — one snippet, no backend
Drop an interactive Code Detector form onto any page. The widget calls the API for you, so no key ever appears in your markup and there is nothing to deploy.
Changelog — Code Detector API
Every change to this endpoint, newest first. Breaking changes ship as a new version and the previous one keeps serving — response fields are added, never removed or retyped in place, so an integration written against v1 keeps working.
Entries are picked up from dated catalog snapshots, so the first one appears after the next snapshot that moves something. A period where nothing changed produces no entry — silence is a valid changelog for the Code Detector API.
AI/Computer Vision
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