Google Docs, but for code.
You know the moment: someone shares a Google Doc, you click the link, and you’re editing together within a second. No signup, no install, just cursors moving in real time. Codepad does the same thing for code, with a real editor underneath instead of a prose surface.
The “Google Docs moment” for code
Google Docs made “send me the link” the default for writing. That same ergonomic, the same casual, no-friction share, never quite arrived for code. People paste into chat and lose formatting. They open a screen-share for a five-line snippet. They spin up a repo for a ten-minute scratch session.
Codepad fills that gap. One click creates a pad. One paste fills it. One link sends it. Anyone with the URL is co-editing in real time.
What Google Docs can’t give code
Pasting code into a Google Doc works, until it doesn’t. The ergonomics are right, but the surface is wrong. You lose:
- Syntax highlighting. A real editor colors keywords, strings, and comments so you can read at a glance. Codepad uses CodeMirror 6 with 40+ language modes.
- Line numbers and a real gutter.So you can say “check line 23” without counting from the top.
- Bracket matching, tab indentation, vim keybindings. The small ergonomics that make code editing feel like code editing.
- Multiple files in one URL. Tabs let you split a prompt, the code, and a scratchpad without juggling links.
- Conflict-free real-time sync. Yjs CRDT under the hood. Two people typing in the same line never lose work.
What it feels like in practice
- Open a pad. Click
+ new pad. You get a URL likecodepad.pro/p/swift-heron-42. - Paste your code. Syntax highlighting kicks in automatically. The pad detects the language from the content.
- Send the URL.Slack, email, calendar invite, wherever. No signup, no install, no “allow this app to access your Google account.”
- Watch the cursors. Labeled, colored carets appear when your collaborator joins. You see exactly where they are, in real time, like Google Docs.
Google Docs vs Codepad for code
| Feature | Google Docs | Codepad |
|---|---|---|
| Send-the-link sharing | Yes | Yes |
| Real-time cursors | Yes | Yes |
| Syntax highlighting | No | 40+ languages |
| Line numbers and gutter | No | Yes |
| Bracket matching, vim keys | No | Yes |
| Multiple files per doc | No | Yes (tabs) |
| Account required | Google account | No |
| Shared timer | No | Yes |
| Private notes panel | No | Yes |
What people use it for
- Pair programming. Two people, one snippet, no screen-share. Both cursors visible, both keyboards live.
- Code review walk-throughs. Drop the diff into a pad, comment in the margin tab, both of you read together.
- Mock interviews. Use the shared timer for the clock and the private notes panel for scoring.
- Teaching. Students join a pad, watch you type, try it themselves on a separate tab.
- Quick scratch.Anywhere you would’ve opened a Gist or pasted into Slack, open a pad instead.
Send the link
One click, one URL, real-time editing. Code that finally feels like a Google Doc.