Piston API

List every language and version Piston can run, then execute code in a sandbox over HTTP. No API key. Verified runtimes response and the rate limit that bites.

No API key requiredCORS enabledHTTPSFree tier

Endpoint tested and returned HTTP 200 on 2026-08-21

What is the Piston API?

Piston is a free, open source code execution engine with a public API. `GET https://emkc.org/api/v2/piston/runtimes` lists every language and version it can run, and `POST /api/v2/piston/execute` compiles and runs a snippet in an isolated container. No API key is required.

Piston is the engine behind a great many Discord bots and coding-practice sites, which is why its runtime list is so eclectic: alongside Python, Rust and Go you will find Befunge, Brainfuck, COBOL and BQN. Each entry is a language plus a specific version, so a single language name appears several times, and the version is part of the identity when you run code.

The `aliases` array is the field that saves you a lookup table: `sh` maps to `bash`, `bf` to `brainfuck`, `deno` to a Deno-hosted TypeScript runtime. Any alias is accepted where a language name is expected. The public instance is rate limited to a few requests per second per address, which is fine for a bot and hopeless for a batch grader, so anything at volume should self-host. The project ships as a container and is designed for exactly that.

Quick facts

Base URL: https://emkc.org/api/v2/piston
Authentication: No key on the public instance. Self-hosting is encouraged for anything beyond casual use and removes the shared rate limit entirely.
Rate limit: The public instance is documented as limiting to roughly 5 requests per second per IP address.
Pricing: Free and open source (MIT), self-hostable.
CORS: Enabled — callable directly from browser JavaScript
Official docs: Read the docs

How to use the Piston API

Every request below was executed against the live API on 2026-08-21, and the response shown is the real body it returned — not an illustration.

1. List every language runtime available

GET https://emkc.org/api/v2/piston/runtimes

curl

curl 'https://emkc.org/api/v2/piston/runtimes'

JavaScript (fetch)

const res = await fetch("https://emkc.org/api/v2/piston/runtimes");
if (!res.ok) throw new Error(`Request failed: ${res.status}`);
const data = await res.json();
console.log(data);

Python (requests)

import requests

res = requests.get("https://emkc.org/api/v2/piston/runtimes", timeout=20)
res.raise_for_status()
print(res.json())

Response — HTTP 200 (truncated)

[
  {
    "language": "matl",
    "version": "22.5.0",
    "aliases": []
  },
  {
    "language": "matl",
    "version": "22.7.4",
    "aliases": []
  },
  {
    "language": "bash",
    "version": "5.2.0",
    "aliases": [
      "sh"
    ]
  },
  {
    "language": "befunge93",
    "version": "0.2.0",
    "aliases": [
      "b93"
    ]
  },
  {
    "language": "bqn",
    "version": "1.0.0",
    "aliases": []
  },
  {
    "language": "brachylog",
    "version": "1.0.0",
    "aliases": []
  },
  {
    "language": "brainfuck",
    "version": "2.7.3",
    "aliases": [
      "bf"
    ]
  },
  {
    "language": "cjam",
    "version": "0.6.5",
    "aliases": []
  },
  {
    "language": "clojure",
    "version": "1.10.3",
    "aliases": [
      "clojure",
      "clj"
    ]
  },
  {
    "language": "cobol",
    "version": "3.1.2",
    "aliases": [
      "cob"
    ]
  },
  {
    "language": "coffeescript",
    "version": "2.5.1",
    "aliases": [
      "coffeescript",
      "coffee"
    ]
  },
  {
    "language": "cow",
    "version": "1.0.0",
    "aliases": [
      "cow"
    ]
  },
  {
    "language": "crystal",
    "version": "0.36.1",
    "aliases": [
      "crystal",
      "cr"
    ]
  },
  {
    "language": "dart",
    "version": "2.19.6",
    "aliases": []
  },
  {
    "language": "dash",
    "version": "0.5.11",
    "aliases": [
      "dash"
    ]
  },
  {
    "language": "typescript",
    "version": "1.32.3",
    "aliases": [
      "deno",
      "deno-ts"
    ],
    "runtime": "deno"
  },
  {
    "language": "javascript",
    "version": "1.32.3",
    "aliases": [
      "deno-j

Parameters

Parameter	Type	Required	Description
`(runtimes)`	n/a	Optional	The runtimes endpoint takes no parameters. `/runtimes`
`language`	string	Optional	For `POST /execute`: language name or any of its aliases. `python`
`version`	string	Optional	For `POST /execute`: exact version from the runtimes list, or a semver range such as `3.x`. `3.10.0`
`files`	array	Optional	For `POST /execute`: array of `{name, content}` objects. The first file is the entry point. `[{"content":"print(1)"}]`
`stdin`	string	Optional	Standard input piped to the program. `42`
`run_timeout`	integer	Optional	Execution timeout in milliseconds, subject to the instance's own ceiling. `3000`

Response fields

(root)array: One object per runtime. The same language appears once per available version, so deduplicate before building a language picker.
languagestring: Canonical language name, which is what you send in an execute request.
versionstring: Exact version of that runtime. Required in an execute request, though a semver range is accepted.
aliasesarray of strings: Alternative names accepted in place of `language`, such as `sh` for `bash` or `b93` for `befunge93`. Frequently empty.
runtimestring: Present only when a language is hosted by another runtime, for example TypeScript and JavaScript under `deno`. Its absence is meaningful.

What you can build with the Piston API

Add a runnable code block to documentation or a tutorial site
Build a Discord or Slack bot that evaluates snippets on request
Run automated exercises in a coding-practice product
Test a snippet against several language versions to check compatibility
Prototype an online judge before investing in your own sandbox infrastructure

Common errors and how to fix them

429

The public instance's per-second limit was exceeded.

Fix: Throttle to a few requests per second, or self-host Piston, which removes the shared limit.

400 on execute

The language and version pair does not exist.

Fix: Resolve both from a fresh `/runtimes` call. Versions are added and retired, so a hard-coded version will eventually break.

Empty output

The program wrote to stderr, or was killed by the timeout.

Fix: Read `run.stdout`, `run.stderr` and `run.code` separately rather than assuming stdout carries everything.

Piston API — frequently asked questions

Is the Piston API free?

Yes, the public instance needs no key. It is rate limited to a few requests per second, and the project encourages self-hosting for anything at volume.

How many languages does Piston support?

Well over sixty, counting multiple versions of each, ranging from mainstream languages to esoteric ones. `/runtimes` is the authoritative list at any moment.

Is running arbitrary code safe?

Piston executes in isolated containers with CPU, memory and process limits. Even so, sending untrusted user code to a shared public instance is a decision to make deliberately; self-host if the code or the workload is sensitive.

Do I have to specify a version?

The execute endpoint expects one, but it accepts semver ranges such as `3.x`, so you can pin loosely rather than to an exact build.

Tools that pair with this API

JSON Formatter

Format, beautify and minify JSON online with 2-space, 4-space or tab indentation. Sort keys alphabetically and catch syntax errors instantly — free and private.

Code Case Converter

Convert an identifier between camelCase, PascalCase, snake_case, kebab-case, CONSTANT_CASE, dot.case and Title Case — all forms at once. Free and private.

Text Compare

Compare two texts online free and highlight every difference. A private text comparison tool that finds matches and changes right in your browser.

cURL to Fetch Converter

Paste a curl command and get a ready-to-use JavaScript fetch() snippet plus an axios version — method, headers, body and auth mapped automatically, all offline.

Piston is an independent third-party service and is not affiliated with ByteTools or ByteVancer. Details on this page were verified on 2026-08-21; always check the official documentation before relying on this API in production, as terms and limits can change.