Carbon
Create and share beautiful images of your source code. Syntax highlighting, themes, and export.
Open the official app on carbon.now.sh
This tool is hosted by its maintainers. Click below to open carbon.now.sh in a new tab — it's their official demo.
Browse text & tools tools →What's next with Carbon?
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Use it free
Open the official tool or demo — no account needed.
Self-host it
Run the open-source version on your own infrastructure.
What is Carbon?
Carbon is an open-source web tool designed to generate visually appealing images of source code, enabling developers to share their work in an aesthetically pleasing format. Its primary purpose is to address the common issue of unattractive code screenshots on platforms like Twitter, where developers often post code snippets. By converting code into high-quality images, Carbon helps users showcase their work with customizable themes, fonts, and layouts. The tool is widely used by software developers, educators, and open-source contributors who need to present code in a professional or engaging manner. It solves the problem of poor code visibility by offering a simple way to create shareable, styled code images that enhance readability and visual appeal without requiring advanced design skills.
How it works
Carbon is a web-based tool hosted on GitHub, licensed under MIT, that transforms plain text code into styled images. It allows users to paste code snippets and generate images with customizable syntax highlighting, fonts, and layout options. The tool's purpose is to provide a way for developers to share code visually, making it easier to communicate technical ideas or showcase work on social media platforms like Twitter and GitHub. Carbon supports syntax highlighting for multiple programming languages, font customization, and layout adjustments such as dark/light themes, monospace fonts, and image sizing. It also includes features like automatic line wrapping and code formatting to improve readability.
How to use it
- 1Open the Carbon page
- 2Use the tool directly in your browser
- 3Results appear instantly — no waiting, no downloads
What it can do
- Image Processing
Use cases
Assumptions and limitations
Assumptions
- source: https://github.com/carbon-app/carbon
- license: MIT — free to use
- privacy: Opens an external demo
Limitations
- Requires internet connectivity to access the web tool
- Limited advanced formatting options compared to code editors
- No built-in support for complex code diagrams or flowcharts
- Exported images may lose quality when scaled beyond original dimensions
- Lacks offline functionality for users without internet access
Understanding the result
Create and share beautiful images of your source code. Syntax highlighting, themes, and export.
Tool details
- Clearly flagged when a network request is needed.
- No account, no sign-up, and no tracking of your content.
- Powered by carbon (MIT).
- Built with
- carbon (carbon-app/carbon)
- License
- MIT
- Runs locally
- No — requires a network request
- Verification
- Not yet verified
- Input
- Image, Code
- Output
- Image
Built with carbon-app/carbon. OpenToolVault provides the discovery and browser interface while crediting the original project maintainers.
- Built with
- carbon
- License
- MIT
Open-source project
OpenToolVault is an independent directory. We are not affiliated with or endorsed by this project.
References
- carbon-app/carbon — GitHub Repository
Upstream project · GitHub
- MIT License
Upstream project
Frequently asked
How do I generate a code image with Carbon?
Visit the Carbon website, paste your code into the editor, customize syntax themes and layout settings, then click 'Download' to save the image in PNG or SVG format. Adjust font sizes, line wrapping, and theme preferences to optimize readability.
How does Carbon handle syntax highlighting?
Carbon uses a combination of built-in language parsers and third-party libraries to apply syntax highlighting based on the code's language. Users can select from predefined themes or customize colors manually. The tool automatically detects the programming language when possible.
Can I share code images directly from GitHub?
Yes, Carbon integrates with GitHub. Users can paste code from a GitHub repository into the editor, and the tool generates a styled image. The image can then be shared via links or embedded in markdown files for use in repositories or documentation.
How does Carbon compare to alternatives like CodeSandbox or GitHub Gist?
Carbon focuses specifically on generating styled code images, while CodeSandbox is a full development environment and GitHub Gist is for code storage. Carbon's strength lies in its simplicity and visual customization, whereas alternatives offer broader functionality for coding and collaboration.
What should I do if my exported image is blurry?
Ensure the image resolution is set to 'High' in the settings before exporting. Avoid scaling the image beyond its original dimensions. If using SVG, check for font embedding issues. For PNG exports, verify that the canvas size matches the code's actual length and width.