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Create, share, read, manage, and automate pastes.
User guide

Everything you need to use pastebin.ca well.

pastebin.ca is a short-link paste service for text and code. Start with a paste, choose how discoverable it should be, share the right link, and keep control through expiry, accounts, revisions, and automation tools.

Create a paste Compare sharing modes

Illustration of the paste creation screen with title, settings, editor, and publish button.
Choose a path

What are you here to do?

Share Create and send a paste Write text, set expiry and sharing options, then copy the link. Read View code comfortably Use line numbers, wrapping, search, raw output, and stable line links. Manage Use an account Sign in with a passkey, list your pastes, and create API tokens. Automate Connect CLI, API, or MCP Use pastebin.ca from terminals, scripts, agents, and MCP clients.
Workflow guides

Practical pastebin.ca workflows

Use these guides as working recipes for logs, private handoffs, release notes, revisions, encryption, CI, raw reads, MCP clients, lifecycle controls, and embeds.

Share terminal output Capture one command, keep stderr, and publish a short-lived paste with syntax and title metadata. Send a private debug bundle Package diagnostic text, encode binary archives as text when needed, and use secret-key or signed URL access rather than the public feed. Publish release notes to the feed Create a public, reusable plaintext paste with title and syntax so it appears in the public feed and profile surfaces. Version configuration revisions Create amendments instead of overwriting mutable state, then use lineage and diff views to review what changed. Deliver encrypted content Use client-side encryption for secret-key URLs or recipient delivery, and fetch ciphertext with the matching signed capability. Set up your encryption mailbox and sync keys Publish a recipient public key so others can seal pastes to your account, then sync the matching private key across your devices through an end-to-end encrypted keybag — no manual key transport. Attach CI artifacts to a run Post selected text artifacts from CI with a scoped API key, then expose paste URLs in job summaries or failure comments. Read and transform raw content Use raw URLs for plaintext streams, the JSON read endpoint for metadata, and MCP body_format when agents need base64-safe reads. Set up an MCP client Connect Claude Desktop, Cursor, Windsurf, or MCP Inspector to the hosted /mcp endpoint with OAuth or an API-key Authorization header. Report, revoke, and delete a paste Use reports for abuse, revocation tokens for anonymous cleanup, and authenticated deletes for owned pastes. Embed a code excerpt Render a plaintext paste or line range in an embeddable HTML surface with theme and line-number controls.
Create and share

Create and share a paste

A paste is an immutable text snapshot with a short URL. You can paste text or code, add a title and filename, choose syntax highlighting, and publish in one step.

  1. Write or paste content.The editor accepts plain text and code up to the paste size limit. Syntax can be detected or selected before publishing.
  2. Choose expiry, visibility, access, and read limits.Expiry controls retention. Visibility controls where the paste is listed. Access controls who can open the URL.
  3. Publish and copy the link.After publishing, share the view URL. Account pastes can also be found later under Your pastes.

New pastePosting help

Sharing decisions

Visibility and access are separate choices

Visibility decides where a paste is listed. Access decides what someone needs before the paste opens. Choose both before sharing.

Visibility: where the paste appears
ModeWhere it appearsUse when
Public feedThe public feed, RSS-style discovery, and public surfaces.You want broad discovery and are comfortable with indexing, copying, and archiving.
ProfileYour public profile, without necessarily being promoted in the main feed.You want a durable public portfolio or reference list tied to your account.
UnlistedNowhere intentionally listed by pastebin.ca.You only want people with the full URL to find it.
Access: what opens the paste
ModeHow it opensUse when
Public accessAnyone with the paste URL can read the plaintext until it expires or is revoked.The content is safe to disclose to every link holder.
Signed URLThe URL includes a capability token in the query string.You want a stronger bearer link that is not just the paste ID.
End-to-end encryptedThe browser decrypts ciphertext with a URL fragment key or recipient key.The service should store ciphertext instead of plaintext.

Unlisted and signed URLs are bearer links: anyone who receives the complete link can use it. End-to-end encryption protects content, but metadata such as size, timing, expiry, and access events can still exist.

Reading

View code and text with reader controls

Paste pages are optimized for reading and sharing exact references. The toolbar keeps view preferences local to your browser.

Line numbers and line links
Click or copy a line reference when you need to point someone to a specific section.
Wrap and font controls
Toggle wrapping, font size, tab width, striping, and mono font preferences for comfortable reading.
Search and copy
Find text in long pastes and copy individual lines or the full paste when available.
Raw, JSON, download, and embed
Use alternate representations when you need plaintext output, metadata, downloads, or an iframe-safe embed.
Illustration of a paste viewer with code lines, line numbers, and viewer controls.
Identity

Accounts, passkeys, and automation tokens

An account is optional for quick anonymous pastes. Sign in when you want persistent paste history, revocation controls, recipient encryption, connected apps, or API tokens.

Passkey sign-inUse a passkey to sign in without a password and manage additional passkeys from your account page. Your pastesReview account-owned pastes, follow versions, and manage content you may need later. API tokensCreate scoped bearer tokens for the CLI, REST API, MCP clients, and server-side automation.
Integrations

CLI, API, and MCP entry points

Choose the interface that fits your workflow: the browser for interactive sharing, the CLI for terminals, REST for scripts, and MCP for agent-capable clients.

pbca CLIInstall a single command for login, paste creation, fetching, account lists, inbox, and token workflows. REST and OpenAPIUse the OpenAPI document and agent docs for scriptable paste creation, reads, versions, and account operations. MCPConnect Claude Desktop, Cursor, Windsurf, the MCP Inspector, or other MCP clients to pastebin.ca.
Trust and safety

Privacy, abuse, and safety

Treat public pastes as public, treat unlisted links as bearer secrets, and do not publish credentials or sensitive data unless you understand the chosen mode.