Codesnipp.it: More Than Just Code Sharing

Whether you’re looking for a bit of JavaScript to enhance your website or you’re simply searching for that PHP class that will make it easier to handle database connections, you can spend a lot of time searching for bits of code but some cause more harm than good.

A few weeks ago, we took a quick look at Codesnipp.it and we thought that it was so good, it was definitely worth a full review. With Codesnipp.it, you can easily find and share snippets of code with fellow developers, as well as commenting on them. Find out more inside.

Overview

Codesnipp.it is a community for developers to share useful snippets of code with others and get feedback, as well as browse through the ever-growing selection that other users have posted. It’s not just limited to code, and you can also use the site to ask questions or get help from others. It includes options for the easy tagging and categorisation of code based on their language or specified tags. With support for a wide array of programming languages, it’s easy to find exactly what you are looking for and with support for syntax highlighting, it makes the shared code easier to read and you’re job a whole lot easier.

Interface

One of Codesnipp.it’s greatest assets is its interface. The whole site is really simple to use and although there are some enhancements made to make the interface more visually-appealing, these are quite subtle and do not compromise the overall usability of it. As well as this, a lot of the interface is very much laid out in the format of a stream, allowing users to view the latest and most popular activity on the site in a simple and straightforward way.

Pricing

Although it’s possible to register for free when you obtain an invite, you can also purchase a “Ninja” membership which allows you to have a significantly higher quota of snippet postings and invites. This is a very reasonable price and after purchasing, your avatar is highlighted to show other members your status.

Getting Started

Because of the well-justified invite-only nature of Codesnipp.it, you can’t get in without an invite. You can either obtain one by finding a member and then asking them to kindly send you one or by purchasing the premium “Ninja” plan.

If you have an invite, simply click the email and you’ll be then taken to Codesnipp.it. However, it’s not possible to sign up the conventional way and once you’ve clicked on the link, you’ll be sent an email detailing your randomly-generated password which you can then use in conjunction with your email address to login.

Creating Snippits

It’s a really simple process to add snippits and you are automatically presented with a form that allows you to do just that on the main page. It’s simply a case of choosing a title for the snippit, pasting your code and then using categories and tags to allow other users to find your snippits.

As Codesnipp.it isn’t just for sharing code and can also be used for asking questions, you can define when you are adding your snippit whether the post is a question or not. Either way, this is basically the same easy process and once you’ve done, your snippit is automatically added and other users can then access it. You can easily go back and edit your snippits after they’ve been posted and you can even delete them should the need arise.

Browsing Snippets

Because of Codesnipp.it’s support for the tagging and categorisation of individual snippits, it’s pretty easy to find exactly what you’re looking for or simply browse through to see the snippits that are available. It offers a search feature which allows you to find snippits based on tags that you specify. It’s also possible to search a range of popular tags that can really help if you’re not looking for anything particular, and would perhaps like to look through some interesting snippits that others have posted.

The Codesnipp.it categories are split mainly into each language, with the minor exception of significant implementations of these like WordPress and CodeIgniter.

Interactivity

One of the unique things about Codesnipp.it compared with other code-sharing websites it its focus on interactivity between users and snippits. It’s possible to praise useful snippits and thus increase their popularity by using the “like” feature, ensuring that others can also easily discover the most useful ones. Codesnipp.it also features a comment system where users can comment on that particular snippit and this is great for when you require additional support or have a question reagrding the use of that snippit or you’d just like to thank the developer for sharing.

Snippits can also be shared through popular social networking websites like Twitter and Facebook just by using the buttons below each snippit.

API

Finally, Codesnipp.it features an API that can also be used by developers for working with the website and developing applications to ease use of it. Though this isn’t really a specific feature of the website itself, it can prove to be incredibly useful if you’d like to perform actions like automatically posting snippits from your own website, decreasing the time taken to add each one manually. There has also been an extension for Firefox developed to allow for the easy viewing of all the latest interaction on the site and also add snippits directly from the browser.

Final Thoughts

Overall, I really love the concept of Codesnipp.it. I’ve never really come across a website such as this that’s dedicated simply to developers who wish to either help out fellow developers or just those wanting some great pieces of code that can really complete their application.

Because you’re required to have an invite to create an account and post snippits, the community is quite small and as such, is quite devoid of spam—which is just what is needed with this sort of website. The only users being those whom it’s aimed at, making the content more relavent. To conclude, I think that Codesnipp.it is a really useful website that can really prove to be a great help for all developers, regardless of their skill level.