Code DetectorCode Detector API

OnlineCredit Usage:10 per callRefreshed 1 month ago
avg: 246ms|p50: 233ms|p75: 255ms|p90: 281ms|p99: 335ms

Overview

To use Code Detector, you need an API key. You can get one by creating a free account and visiting your dashboard.

POST Endpoint

URL
https://api.apiverve.com/v1/codedetector

Example

How to call the Code Detector API in different programming languages.

cURL Request
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)"
}'
JavaScript (Fetch API)
const response = 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)"
})
});

const data = await response.json();
console.log(data);
Python (Requests)
import requests

headers = {
    'X-API-Key': 'your_api_key_here',
    'Content-Type': 'application/json'
}

payload = {
    "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)"
}

response = requests.post('https://api.apiverve.com/v1/codedetector', headers=headers, json=payload)

data = response.json()
print(data)
Go (net/http)
package main

import (
    "fmt"
    "io"
    "net/http"
    "bytes"
    "encoding/json"
)

func main() {
    payload := map[string]interface{}{
        "code": "a = 5
b = 6
c = 7

# calculate the semi-perimeter
s = (a + b + c) / 2

# calculate the area
area = (s*(s-a)*(s-b)*(s-c)) ** 0.5
print('The area of the triangle is %0.2f' %area)"
    }

    jsonPayload, _ := json.Marshal(payload)
    req, _ := http.NewRequest("POST", "https://api.apiverve.com/v1/codedetector", bytes.NewBuffer(jsonPayload))

    req.Header.Set("X-API-Key", "your_api_key_here")
    req.Header.Set("Content-Type", "application/json")

    client := &http.Client{}
    resp, err := client.Do(req)
    if err != nil {
        panic(err)
    }
    defer resp.Body.Close()

    body, _ := io.ReadAll(resp.Body)
    fmt.Println(string(body))
}
Example Response
{
  "status": "ok",
  "error": null,
  "data": {
    "likelihood": 0.99,
    "family": "PYTHON",
    "current": "python",
    "readable": "Python Code",
    "extension": ".py",
    "paradigm": "multi-paradigm",
    "isCompiled": false
  }
}

Authentication

The Code Detector API requires authentication via API key. Include your API key in the request header:

Required Header
X-API-Key: your_api_key_here

Learn more about authentication →

Interactive API Playground

Test the Code Detector API directly in your browser with live requests and responses.

Parameters

The following parameters are available for the Code Detector API:

Detect Code

ParameterTypeRequiredDescriptionDefaultExample
codestringrequired
The code snippet you want to detect the programming language of
-var test = '';

Response

The Code Detector API returns responses in JSON, XML, YAML, and CSV formats. The JSON response is shown in the Example section above; alternative formats below.

Other Response Formats

XML Response
200 OK
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<response>
  <status>ok</status>
  <error xsi:nil="true" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance"/>
  <data>
    <likelihood>0.99</likelihood>
    <family>PYTHON</family>
    <current>python</current>
    <readable>Python Code</readable>
    <extension>.py</extension>
    <paradigm>multi-paradigm</paradigm>
    <isCompiled>false</isCompiled>
  </data>
</response>
YAML Response
200 OK
status: ok
error: null
data:
  likelihood: 0.99
  family: PYTHON
  current: python
  readable: Python Code
  extension: .py
  paradigm: multi-paradigm
  isCompiled: false
CSV Response
200 OK
keyvalue
likelihood0.99
familyPYTHON
currentpython
readablePython Code
extension.py
paradigmmulti-paradigm
isCompiledfalse

Response Structure

All API responses follow a consistent structure with the following fields:

FieldTypeDescriptionExample
statusstringIndicates whether the request was successful ("ok") or failed ("error")ok
errorstring | nullContains error message if status is "error", otherwise nullnull
dataobject | nullContains the API response data if successful, otherwise null{...}

Learn more about response formats →

Response Data Fields

When the request is successful, the data object contains the following fields:

Response fields marked with Premium are available exclusively on paid plans.View pricing
FieldTypeSample ValueDescription
likelihoodPremiumnumber0.99
Confidence score for code language detection (0.0 to 1.0)
familyPremiumstring"PYTHON"
Programming language family or category classification
currentstring"python"
Detected programming language in lowercase format
readablestring"Python Code"
Human-readable name of the detected programming language
extensionstring".py"
Standard file extension for the detected language
paradigmPremiumstring"multi-paradigm"
Programming paradigm: object-oriented, functional, procedural, multi-paradigm
isCompiledPremiumbooleanfalse
Whether the language is compiled or interpreted

Headers

Only X-API-Key is required. Optional headers include Accept for response format negotiation (JSON, XML, or YAML), User-Agent, and X-Request-ID for request tracing. See all request headers →

GraphQL AccessALPHA

Access Code Detector through GraphQL to combine it with other API calls in a single request. Query only the code detector data you need with precise field selection, and orchestrate complex data fetching workflows.

Test Code Detector in the GraphQL Explorer to confirm availability and experiment with queries.

Credit Cost: Each API called in your GraphQL query consumes its standard credit cost.

GraphQL Endpoint
POST https://api.apiverve.com/v1/graphql
GraphQL Query Example
query {
  codedetector(
    input: {
      code: "a = 5
b = 6
c = 7

# calculate the semi-perimeter
s = (a + b + c) / 2

# calculate the area
area = (s*(s-a)*(s-b)*(s-c)) ** 0.5
print('The area of the triangle is %0.2f' %area)"
    }
  ) {
    likelihood
    family
    current
    readable
    extension
    paradigm
    isCompiled
  }
}

Note: Authentication is handled via the x-api-key header in your GraphQL request, not as a query parameter.

CORS Support

The Code Detector API accepts cross-origin requests from any origin, so it can be called directly from browser-based applications without a proxy. See CORS support →

Rate Limiting

Code Detector requests are throttled per minute on the Free plan and unthrottled on paid plans. Exceeding the limit returns 429 Too Many Requests; rate-limit usage is reported in the X-RateLimit-Limit, X-RateLimit-Remaining, and X-RateLimit-Reset response headers. See per-plan limits and best practices →

Error Codes

The Code Detector API uses standard HTTP status codes — 200 on success, 400 for invalid parameters, 401 for missing or invalid keys, 403 for insufficient credits, 429 for rate-limit exhaustion, and 500/503 for server-side issues. Each error response includes an X-Request-ID header you can quote when contacting support. See full error handling guide →

SDKs for Code Detector

Official Code Detector packages on npm, PyPI, NuGet, and JitPack — plus a Postman collection and an OpenAPI spec. See the SDK guide →

No-Code Integrations

Code Detector works with Zapier, Make, Pipedream, n8n, and Power Automate using the same API key. See setup guides →

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I get an API key for Code Detector?
Sign up for a free account at dashboard.apiverve.com. Your API key will be automatically generated and available in your dashboard. The same key works for Code Detector and all other APIVerve APIs. The free plan includes 1,000 credits plus a 500 credit bonus.
How many credits does Code Detector cost?

Each successful Code Detector API call consumes credits based on plan tier. Check the pricing section above for the exact credit cost. Failed requests and errors don't consume credits, so you only pay for successful code detector lookups.

Can I use Code Detector in production?

The free plan is for testing and development only. For production use of Code Detector, upgrade to a paid plan (Starter, Pro, or Mega) which includes commercial use rights, no attribution requirements, and guaranteed uptime SLAs. All paid plans are production-ready.

Can I use Code Detector from a browser?
Yes! The Code Detector API supports CORS with wildcard configuration, so you can call it directly from browser-based JavaScript without needing a proxy server. See the CORS section above for details.
What happens if I exceed my Code Detector credit limit?

When you reach your monthly credit limit, Code Detector API requests will return an error until you upgrade your plan or wait for the next billing cycle. You'll receive notifications at 80% and 95% usage to give you time to upgrade if needed.

What's Next?

Continue your journey with these recommended resources

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