Overview
Send a raw code snippet in a POST request. The service inspects the syntax to identify the language and returns its standard file extension and display name. Paid plans add detection confidence scores, language family, programming paradigms, and execution classification.
Endpoint
One host, one path per API. The block below shows this call in four languages; every one of them is the same HTTP request. Making requests covers the timeouts, retries and parameter rules that apply to all of them. The SDKs wrap the same call in a typed client.
curl -X POST https://api.apiverve.com/v1/codedetector \
-H "x-api-key: your_api_key_here" \
-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)"
}'const res = await fetch('https://api.apiverve.com/v1/codedetector', {
method: 'POST',
headers: {
'x-api-key': 'your_api_key_here',
'Content-Type': 'application/json',
},
body: JSON.stringify({
"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)"
}),
});
if (!res.ok) throw new Error(`${res.status} ${await res.text()}`);
const { data } = await res.json();
console.log(data);import requests
res = requests.post(
"https://api.apiverve.com/v1/codedetector",
headers={"x-api-key": "your_api_key_here"},
json={
"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)"
},
timeout=15,
)
res.raise_for_status()
print(res.json()["data"])package main
import (
"fmt"
"io"
"net/http"
"strings"
)
func main() {
body := strings.NewReader(`{
"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)"
}`)
req, _ := http.NewRequest("POST", "https://api.apiverve.com/v1/codedetector", body)
req.Header.Set("Content-Type", "application/json")
req.Header.Set("x-api-key", "your_api_key_here")
res, err := http.DefaultClient.Do(req)
if err != nil {
panic(err)
}
defer res.Body.Close()
out, _ := io.ReadAll(res.Body)
fmt.Println(string(out))
}Replace your_api_key_here with the key from your dashboard. When the inputs arrive as a list rather than one at a time, batch requests run up to 200 of them through this same API in a single call.
Authentication
Send your key in the x-api-key header. That is the only auth step — there is no token exchange and no per-endpoint scope to configure. Authentication covers creating, rotating and revoking keys.
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.
Parameters
Sent as JSON in the request body. Premium parameters are accepted on every plan but only take effect on plans that include them.
| Parameter | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
codeRequired | string | The code snippet you want to detect the programming language of length 0–50000 |
Response
Every API returns the same three top-level keys, so one response handler covers your whole integration: status, error and data. Only data changes shape. Response format covers the envelope, the other output formats and how premium fields are withheld.
{
"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 |
Errors
Read the HTTP status first, then error for the specific reason. The body names the parameter that has to change. Error handling covers the full status list and which of them are worth retrying.
| Status | Meaning | What to do |
|---|---|---|
400 | Input was rejected | Read error; it names the parameter. |
401 | Key missing or invalid | Check the header name and the key value. |
403 | Key valid, but not permitted | A key restriction or IP allow-list; see key scoping. |
429 | Rate limited, or out of credits | Read error to tell them apart; see rate limits. |
Use cases
- Syntax Highlighting Setup
- Developer forums inspect unformatted user pastes to pick the right code fence tag before rendering highlighted code blocks.
- File Download Naming
- When users export generated snippets from a web interface, editors apply the returned extension to name and save files accurately.
- Documentation Snippet Tagging
- Knowledge base platforms assign language labels to community-submitted examples without forcing authors to pick options from a manual dropdown.
- Support Ticket Routing
- To triage incoming developer issues containing raw scripts or stack traces, ticketing systems route requests based on the detected language.
Other ways to use Code Detector
Set up Code Detector on APIVerve, or reach the same source a different way. Your APIVerve account and credits work on all of them — one key, one balance.
Related
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