Carbon
Turn source code into good-looking images you can share.
- Stars
- 36.1k
- Forks
- 2k
- Licence
- MIT
- Language
- JavaScript
- Last update
- 10 days ago
- Type
- App
What it is
Carbon is a web app that turns a code snippet into a styled image, with options for syntax theme, background, window style, padding, shadows, and fonts. You can paste or drop code, or load a GitHub gist by appending its ID to the URL. Images can be downloaded as PNG or SVG, copied to the clipboard, or shared as a link.
- Paste a function and export it as a PNG with a chosen syntax theme
- Open a GitHub gist by appending its ID to carbon.now.sh/<gist_id>
- Save a snippet to an account so the shared link unfurls on Twitter and Slack
- Embed a snippet on a blog using the carbon.now.sh/embed URL
Great for
- Developers who want clean code screenshots for tweets, blog posts, or slides
- Teachers and students preparing code examples for presentations
- Anyone sharing a snippet from a GitHub gist as an image
- People who want an embeddable snippet on their own website
Not ideal for
- Users who need an offline or self-hosted tool, since the README centers on the hosted site at carbon.now.sh and the offline option is only a browser install of that same site
- People who need a full code editor or running code, since Carbon only formats and renders source text as an image
How to get it
- 1
Use it in the browser (or self-host)
Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/carbon-app/carbon.git - 2
Run it
- Visit https://carbon.now.sh
- Paste code, drop a file onto the editor, or append a gist ID to the URL
- Adjust the theme, background, padding, and font options
- Export as PNG or SVG, copy the image, or copy a share link
- 3
Get the most out of it
- Create an account to save snippets so shared links unfurl on Twitter and Slack and can be edited later
- Use the Embed option with carbon.now.sh/embed to put snippets on your website
- Install Carbon as a browser app from the browser settings menu for offline use
- Try editor plugins from the Community list, such as the VS Code or IntelliJ integrations
Downloads
Strengths
- Simple workflow: paste code, adjust style, export or share in a few clicks
- Multiple export routes: PNG, SVG, clipboard, or a shareable link
- Many community integrations for editors such as VS Code, IntelliJ, and Vim
Trade-offs
- The README describes a hosted web service; self-hosting steps are not covered in the truncated text
- Saving snippets requires creating an account
- Some features depend on the browser, such as the installable offline app
How it compares
| Project | Stars | Type | Level | Updated | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| carbon (this) | 36.1k | App | beginner | 10 days ago | Developers who want clean code screenshots for tweets, blog posts, or slides |
| 30-seconds-of-interviews | 12.1k | Learning resource | beginner | 3.9 years ago | Developers preparing for JavaScript or front-end interviews |
| slides | 11.7k | App | beginner | 4 months ago | Developers who already live in the terminal and want to present technical material |
| Lepton | 10.3k | App | beginner | 4 days ago | Developers who already keep snippets as GitHub Gists or GitLab snippets |
| Python | 226k | Learning resource | beginner | 17 days ago | Students learning algorithms and data structures |
| motion-canvas | 19.6k | Framework | intermediate | 4 months ago | Developers who are comfortable with TypeScript and want code-driven animation |
Stats synced from GitHub. The assessment above was drafted with AI from the project's README on 2026-10-29 and may miss recent changes — check the README before relying on a command. MIT licence: free to use, modify and distribute, including commercially, as long as you keep the copyright notice.