What Programming Languages and Formats Does paste.centos.org Support?

Updated

paste.centos.org supports syntax highlighting for a very large list of programming languages, markup formats, configuration files, and even esoteric languages. The exact set is defined by the "Language" dropdown on the "Create a new paste" page, and it is far broader than the handful of mainstream languages most pastebins offer. If you need to share a snippet in a niche language or a plain-text config file, there is a good chance a matching option exists.

How the language list works

When you create a paste, you pick a language from a dropdown before submitting. That selection tells the service how to highlight the text. The list is fixed by the site — you choose from what is offered rather than typing an arbitrary language name. Syntax highlighting is cosmetic: it improves readability for whoever opens the paste, but it does not change the stored content or validate your code.

Mainstream programming languages

The dropdown covers the languages most developers reach for:

  • C, C++, C# (including C++ with WinAPI and C for Macs variants)
  • Python (including Python for S60)
  • Java (including Java 5)
  • JavaScript, ActionScript, ActionScript3
  • PHP, Ruby (with a Ruby on Rails option), Perl, Perl 6
  • Go, Rust, Kotlin, Scala, Swift-adjacent options like Objective-C
  • Bash and other shell scripting
  • SQL variants: MySQL, PostgreSQL, T-SQL, PL/SQL, Oracle 8/9.2/11i

Markup, data, and configuration formats

Beyond general-purpose languages, the list includes formats you would use for web pages, data interchange, and system configuration:

Category Examples in the list
Markup HTML 4.01 strict, HTML5, XML, LaTeX, BBCode
Data / query JSON (via JavaScript highlighting), SQL, SPARQL, LDIF
Config INI, Apache, nginx, robots.txt, RPM Spec, Microsoft Registry Editor, Apt sources.list
Styles CSS
Build / project Make, CMake, autoconf, GNU Gettext .po/.pot

Systems, assembly, and hardware languages

The list goes well beyond web and application development:

  • Assembly for multiple architectures: x86, ARM, MOS 6502 (plus Kick Assembler and TASM/64TASS variants), Motorola 68000 (Devpac and generic), Microchip, PIC16, MMIX, DCPU/16
  • Hardware description: Verilog, SystemVerilog (IEEE 1800-2009 draft8), VHDL
  • Scientific and numeric: Matlab M-file, GNU Octave M-file, R, SciLab, PARI/GP, Gnuplot script

Functional, logic, and academic languages

  • Haskell, OCaml (Objective Caml), F#, StandardML, Erlang, Clojure, Scheme, Racket, Lisp, newLISP, Prolog, Mercury-style options like Oz
  • Others: Eiffel, Ada, Modula-2, Modula-3, Oberon-2, Smalltalk, Forth-adjacent entries

Esoteric and novelty languages

The list is unusually permissive here, which is useful if you are sharing a joke or a challenge solution:

  • Brainfuck, LOLcode, INTERCAL, HQ9+, Befunge-style entries, Whitespace-adjacent options

Scripting, automation, and tooling languages

  • PowerShell, VBScript, Visual Basic, VB.NET, AutoHotkey, AutoIT, Lua, TCL/iTCL, Vim scripting, GDB, awk, sed-adjacent tooling
  • Application-specific: mIRC Scripting, Inno Script, Nullsoft Scriptable Install System, Lightwave Script, Linden Scripting, UnrealScript

Template, database, and enterprise languages

  • Smarty template, TypoScript, ColdFusion, ABAP, Progress, PowerBuilder (PowerScript), LotusScript, Oracle forms (Per), SAS, Rexx and ooRexx, NetRexx

What this means in practice

  • You are not limited to popular languages. If your snippet is in COBOL, Fortran, Pascal, or even Brainfuck, there is likely a matching entry.
  • Plain text is always an option. If no language fits, or you do not want highlighting, choose Plain Text and the content is shown without color.
  • The list is the source of truth. Because the dropdown is fixed, check it directly on the creation page if you are unsure whether your language is covered — the site does not accept a free-form language name.
  • Highlighting is for readability only. Selecting a language does not compile, run, or validate the paste; it just controls how the text is rendered for readers.