---
createdAt: 2025-04-18
updatedAt: 2025-12-30
title: Vite + Vue i18n - How to translate an Vue app in 2026
description: Discover how to make your Vite and Vue website multilingual. Follow the documentation to internationalize (i18n) and translate it.
keywords:
  - Internationalization
  - Documentation
  - Intlayer
  - Vite
  - Vue
  - JavaScript
slugs:
  - doc
  - environment
  - vite-and-vue
applicationTemplate: https://github.com/aymericzip/intlayer-vite-vue-template
youtubeVideo: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IE3XWkZ6a5U
history:
  - version: 7.5.9
    date: 2025-12-30
    changes: Add init command
  - version: 5.5.10
    date: 2025-06-29
    changes: Init history
---

# Translate your Vite and Vue website using Intlayer | Internationalization (i18n)

## Table of Contents

<TOC/>

## What is Intlayer?

**Intlayer** is an innovative, open-source internationalization (i18n) library designed to simplify multilingual support in modern web applications.

With Intlayer, you can:

- **Easily manage translations** using declarative dictionaries at the component level.
- **Dynamically localize metadata**, routes, and content.
- **Ensure TypeScript support** with autogenerated types, improving autocompletion and error detection.
- **Benefit from advanced features**, like dynamic locale detection and switching.

---

## Step-by-Step Guide to Set Up Intlayer in a Vite and Vue Application

<Tabs defaultTab="video">
  <Tab label="Video" value="video">
  
<iframe title="The best i18n solution for Vite and Vue? Discover Intlayer" class="m-auto aspect-16/9 w-full overflow-hidden rounded-lg border-0" allow="autoplay; gyroscope;" loading="lazy" width="1080" height="auto" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/IE3XWkZ6a5U?autoplay=0&amp;origin=http://intlayer.org&amp;controls=0&amp;rel=1"/>

  </Tab>
  <Tab label="Code" value="code">

<iframe
  src="https://stackblitz.com/github/aymericzip/intlayer-vite-vue-template?embed=1&ctl=1&file=intlayer.config.ts"
  className="m-auto overflow-hidden rounded-lg border-0 max-md:size-full max-md:h-[700px] md:aspect-16/9 md:w-full"
  title="Demo CodeSandbox - How to Internationalize your application using Intlayer"
  sandbox="allow-forms allow-modals allow-popups allow-presentation allow-same-origin allow-scripts"
  loading="lazy"
/>

  </Tab>
</Tabs>

See [Application Template](https://github.com/aymericzip/intlayer-vite-vue-template) on GitHub.

### Step 1: Install Dependencies

Install the necessary packages using npm:

```bash packageManager="npm"
npm install intlayer vue-intlayer
npm install vite-intlayer --save-dev
npx intlayer init
```

```bash packageManager="pnpm"
pnpm add intlayer vue-intlayer
pnpm add vite-intlayer --save-dev
pnpm intlayer init
```

```bash packageManager="yarn"
yarn add intlayer vue-intlayer
yarn add vite-intlayer --save-dev
yarn intlayer init
```

```bash packageManager="bun"
bun add intlayer vue-intlayer
bun add vite-intlayer --dev
bunx intlayer init
```

- **intlayer**

  The core package that provides internationalization tools for configuration management, translation, [content declaration](https://github.com/aymericzip/intlayer/blob/main/docs/docs/en/dictionary/content_file.md), transpilation, and [CLI commands](https://github.com/aymericzip/intlayer/blob/main/docs/docs/en/cli/index.md).

- **vue-intlayer**
  The package that integrates Intlayer with Vue application. It provides context providers and composables for Vue internationalization.

- **vite-intlayer**
  Includes the Vite plugin for integrating Intlayer with the [Vite bundler](https://vite.dev/guide/why.html#why-bundle-for-production), as well as middleware for detecting the user's preferred locale, managing cookies, and handling URL redirection.

### Step 2: Configuration of your project

Create a config file to configure the languages of your application:

```typescript fileName="intlayer.config.ts" codeFormat="typescript"
import { Locales, type IntlayerConfig } from "intlayer";

const config: IntlayerConfig = {
  internationalization: {
    locales: [
      Locales.ENGLISH,
      Locales.FRENCH,
      Locales.SPANISH,
      // Your other locales
    ],
    defaultLocale: Locales.ENGLISH,
  },
};

export default config;
```

```javascript fileName="intlayer.config.mjs" codeFormat="esm"
import { Locales } from "intlayer";

/** @type {import('intlayer').IntlayerConfig} */
const config = {
  internationalization: {
    locales: [
      Locales.ENGLISH,
      Locales.FRENCH,
      Locales.SPANISH,
      // Your other locales
    ],
    defaultLocale: Locales.ENGLISH,
  },
};

export default config;
```

```javascript fileName="intlayer.config.cjs" codeFormat="commonjs"
const { Locales } = require("intlayer");

/** @type {import('intlayer').IntlayerConfig} */
const config = {
  internationalization: {
    locales: [
      Locales.ENGLISH,
      Locales.FRENCH,
      Locales.SPANISH,
      // Your other locales
    ],
    defaultLocale: Locales.ENGLISH,
  },
};

module.exports = config;
```

> Through this configuration file, you can set up localized URLs, middleware redirection, cookie names, the location and extension of your content declarations, disable Intlayer logs in the console, and more. For a complete list of available parameters, refer to the [configuration documentation](https://github.com/aymericzip/intlayer/blob/main/docs/docs/en/configuration.md).

### Step 3: Integrate Intlayer in Your Vite Configuration

Add the intlayer plugin into your configuration.

```typescript fileName="vite.config.ts" codeFormat="typescript"
import { defineConfig } from "vite";
import vue from "@vitejs/plugin-vue";
import { intlayer } from "vite-intlayer";

// https://vitejs.dev/config/
export default defineConfig({
  plugins: [vue(), intlayer()],
});
```

```javascript fileName="vite.config.mjs" codeFormat="esm"
import { defineConfig } from "vite";
import vue from "@vitejs/plugin-vue";
import { intlayer } from "vite-intlayer";

// https://vitejs.dev/config/
export default defineConfig({
  plugins: [vue(), intlayer()],
});
```

```javascript fileName="vite.config.cjs" codeFormat="commonjs"
const { defineConfig } = require("vite");
const vue = require("@vitejs/plugin-vue");
const { intlayer } = require("vite-intlayer");

// https://vitejs.dev/config/
module.exports = defineConfig({
  plugins: [vue(), intlayer()],
});
```

> The `intlayer()` Vite plugin is used to integrate Intlayer with Vite. It ensures the building of content declaration files and monitors them in development mode. It defines Intlayer environment variables within the Vite application. Additionally, it provides aliases to optimize performance.

### Step 4: Declare Your Content

Create and manage your content declarations to store translations:

```tsx fileName="src/helloWorld.content.ts" contentDeclarationFormat="typescript"
import { t, type Dictionary } from "intlayer";

const helloWorldContent = {
  key: "helloworld",
  content: {
    count: t({ en: "count is ", fr: "le compte est ", es: "el recuento es " }),
    edit: t({
      en: "Edit <code>components/HelloWorld.vue</code> and save to test HMR",
      fr: "Éditez <code>components/HelloWorld.vue</code> et enregistrez pour tester HMR",
      es: "Edita <code>components/HelloWorld.vue</code> y guarda para probar HMR",
    }),
    checkOut: t({ en: "Check out ", fr: "Vérifiez ", es: "Compruebe " }),
    officialStarter: t({
      en: ", the official Vue + Vite starter",
      fr: ", le starter officiel Vue + Vite",
      es: ", el starter oficial Vue + Vite",
    }),
    learnMore: t({
      en: "Learn more about IDE Support for Vue in the ",
      fr: "En savoir plus sur le support IDE pour Vue dans le ",
      es: "Aprenda más sobre el soporte IDE para Vue en el ",
    }),
    vueDocs: t({
      en: "Vue Docs Scaling up Guide",
      fr: "Vue Docs Scaling up Guide",
      es: "Vue Docs Scaling up Guide",
    }),
    readTheDocs: t({
      en: "Click on the Vite and Vue logos to learn more",
      fr: "Cliquez sur les logos Vite et Vue pour en savoir plus",
      es: "Haga clic en los logotipos de Vite y Vue para obtener más información",
    }),
  },
} satisfies Dictionary;

export default helloWorldContent;
```

```javascript fileName="src/helloWorld.content.mjs" contentDeclarationFormat="esm"
import { t } from "intlayer";

/** @type {import('intlayer').Dictionary} */
const helloWorldContent = {
  key: "helloworld",
  content: {
    count: t({ en: "count is ", fr: "le compte est ", es: "el recuento es " }),
    edit: t({
      en: "Edit <code>components/HelloWorld.vue</code> and save to test HMR",
      fr: "Éditez <code>components/HelloWorld.vue</code> et enregistrez pour tester HMR",
      es: "Edita <code>components/HelloWorld.vue</code> y guarda para probar HMR",
    }),
    checkOut: t({ en: "Check out ", fr: "Vérifiez ", es: "Compruebe " }),
    officialStarter: t({
      en: "the official Vue + Vite starter",
      fr: "le starter officiel Vue + Vite",
      es: "el starter oficial Vue + Vite",
    }),
    learnMore: t({
      en: "Learn more about IDE Support for Vue in the ",
      fr: "En savoir plus sur le support IDE pour Vue dans le ",
      es: "Aprenda más sobre el soporte IDE para Vue en el ",
    }),
    vueDocs: t({
      en: "Vue Docs Scaling up Guide",
      fr: "Vue Docs Scaling up Guide",
      es: "Vue Docs Scaling up Guide",
    }),
    readTheDocs: t({
      en: "Click on the Vite and Vue logos to learn more",
      fr: "Cliquez sur les logos Vite et Vue pour en savoir plus",
      es: "Haga clic en los logotipos de Vite y Vue para obtener más información",
    }),
  },
};

export default helloWorldContent;
```

```javascript fileName="src/helloWorld.content.cjs" contentDeclarationFormat="commonjs"
const { t } = require("intlayer");

/** @type {import('intlayer').Dictionary} */
const appContent = {
  key: "helloworld",
  content: {
    count: t({ en: "count is ", fr: "le compte est ", es: "el recuento es " }),
    edit: t({
      en: "Edit <code>components/HelloWorld.vue</code> and save to test HMR",
      fr: "Éditez <code>components/HelloWorld.vue</code> et enregistrez pour tester HMR",
      es: "Edita <code>components/HelloWorld.vue</code> y guarda para probar HMR",
    }),
    checkOut: t({ en: "Check out ", fr: "Vérifiez ", es: "Compruebe " }),
    officialStarter: t({
      en: "the official Vue + Vite starter",
      fr: "le starter officiel Vue + Vite",
      es: "el starter oficial Vue + Vite",
    }),
    learnMore: t({
      en: "Learn more about IDE Support for Vue in the ",
      fr: "En savoir plus sur le support IDE pour Vue dans le ",
      es: "Aprenda más sobre el soporte IDE para Vue en el ",
    }),
    vueDocs: t({
      en: "Vue Docs Scaling up Guide",
      fr: "Vue Docs Scaling up Guide",
      es: "Vue Docs Scaling up Guide",
    }),
    readTheDocs: t({
      en: "Click on the Vite and Vue logos to learn more",
      fr: "Cliquez sur les logos Vite et Vue pour en savoir plus",
      es: "Haga clic en los logotipos de Vite y Vue para obtener más información",
    }),
  },
};

module.exports = appContent;
```

```json fileName="src/helloWorld.content.json" contentDeclarationFormat="json"
{
  "$schema": "https://intlayer.org/schema.json",
  "key": "helloworld",
  "content": {
    "count": {
      "nodeType": "translation",
      "translation": {
        "en": "count is ",
        "fr": "le compte est ",
        "es": "el recuento es "
      }
    },
    "edit": {
      "nodeType": "translation",
      "translation": {
        "en": "Edit <code>components/HelloWorld.vue</code> and save to test HMR",
        "fr": "Éditez <code>components/HelloWorld.vue</code> et enregistrez pour tester HMR",
        "es": "Edita <code>components/HelloWorld.vue</code> y guarda para probar HMR"
      }
    },
    "checkOut": {
      "nodeType": "translation",
      "translation": {
        "en": "Check out ",
        "fr": "Vérifiez ",
        "es": "Compruebe "
      }
    },
    "officialStarter": {
      "nodeType": "translation",
      "translation": {
        "en": "the official Vue + Vite starter",
        "fr": "le starter officiel Vue + Vite",
        "es": "el starter oficial Vue + Vite"
      }
    },
    "learnMore": {
      "nodeType": "translation",
      "translation": {
        "en": "Learn more about IDE Support for Vue in the ",
        "fr": "En savoir plus sur le support IDE pour Vue dans le ",
        "es": "Aprenda más sobre el soporte IDE para Vue en el "
      }
    },
    "vueDocs": {
      "nodeType": "translation",
      "translation": {
        "en": "Vue Docs Scaling up Guide",
        "fr": "Vue Docs Scaling up Guide",
        "es": "Vue Docs Scaling up Guide"
      }
    },
    "readTheDocs": {
      "nodeType": "translation",
      "translation": {
        "en": "Click on the Vite and Vue logos to learn more",
        "fr": "Cliquez sur les logos Vite et Vue pour en savoir plus",
        "es": "Haga clic en los logotipos de Vite y Vue para obtener más información"
      }
    }
  }
}
```

> Your content declarations can be defined anywhere in your application as soon they are included into the `contentDir` directory (by default, `./src`). And match the content declaration file extension (by default, `.content.{json,ts,tsx,js,jsx,mjs,cjs}`).

> For more details, refer to the [content declaration documentation](https://github.com/aymericzip/intlayer/blob/main/docs/docs/en/dictionary/content_file.md).

### Step 5: Utilize Intlayer in Your Code

To utilize Intlayer's internationalization features throughout your Vue application, you first need to register the Intlayer singleton instance in your main file. This step is crucial as it provides the internationalization context to all components in your application, making translations accessible anywhere in your component tree.

```javascript fileName=main.js
import { createApp } from "vue";
import { installIntlayer } from "vue-intlayer";
import App from "./App.vue";
import "./style.css";

const app = createApp(App);

// Inject the provider at the top level
installIntlayer(app);

// Mount the app
app.mount("#app");
```

Access your content dictionaries throughout your application by creating a main Vue component and using the `useIntlayer` composables:

```vue fileName="src/HelloWord.vue"
<script setup lang="ts">
import { ref } from "vue";
import { useIntlayer } from "vue-intlayer";

defineProps({
  msg: String,
});

const {
  count,
  edit,
  checkOut,
  officialStarter,
  learnMore,
  vueDocs,
  readTheDocs,
} = useIntlayer("helloworld");
const countRef = ref(0);
</script>

<template>
  <h1>{{ msg }}</h1>

  <div class="card">
    <button type="button" @click="countRef++">
      <count />
      {{ countRef }}
    </button>
    <p v-html="edit"></p>
  </div>

  <p>
    <checkOut />
    <a href="https://vuejs.org/guide/quick-start.html#local" target="_blank"
      >create-vue</a
    >, <officialStarter />
  </p>
  <p>
    <learnMore />
    <a
      href="https://vuejs.org/guide/scaling-up/tooling.html#ide-support"
      target="_blank"
      ><vueDocs /></a
    >.
  </p>
  <p class="read-the-docs"><readTheDocs /></p>
  <p class="read-the-docs">{{ readTheDocs }}</p>
</template>
```

> If your app already exists, you can use the [Intlayer Compiler](https://github.com/aymericzip/intlayer/blob/main/docs/docs/en/compiler.md), as well as the [extract command](https://github.com/aymericzip/intlayer/blob/main/docs/docs/en/cli/extract.md), to transform thousands of components in a second.

#### Accessing Content in Intlayer

Intlayer offers different APIs to access your content:

- **Component-based syntax** (recommended):
  Use the `<myContent />`, or `<Component :is="myContent" />` syntax to render content as an Intlayer Node. You can also customize the rendering by using the `.use()` method: `<Component :is="myContent.use({ b: (props) => h('strong', props) })" />`. This integrates seamlessly with the [Visual Editor](https://github.com/aymericzip/intlayer/blob/main/docs/docs/en/intlayer_visual_editor.md) and [CMS](https://github.com/aymericzip/intlayer/blob/main/docs/docs/en/intlayer_CMS.md).

- **String-based syntax**:
  Use `{{ myContent }}` to render the content as plain text, without Visual Editor support.

- **Raw HTML syntax**:
  Use `<div v-html="myContent" />` to render the content as raw HTML, without Visual Editor support.

- **Destructuration syntax**:
  The `useIntlayer` composable returns an Proxy with the content. This proxy can be destructured to access the content while keeping the reactivity.
  - Use `const content = useIntlayer("myContent");` And `{{ content.myContent }}` / `<content.myContent />`.
  - Or use `const { myContent } = useIntlayer("myContent");` And `{{ myContent}}` / `<myContent/>` to destructure the content.

### (Optional) Step 6: Change the language of your content

To change the language of your content, you can use the `setLocale` function provided by the `useLocale` composable. This function allows you to set the locale of the application and update the content accordingly.

Create a component to switch between languages:

```vue fileName="src/components/LocaleSwitcher.vue"
<script setup lang="ts">
import { getLocaleName } from "intlayer";
import { ref, watch } from "vue";
import { useLocale } from "vue-intlayer";

// Get locale information and setLocale function
const { locale, availableLocales, setLocale } = useLocale();

// Track the selected locale with a ref
const selectedLocale = ref(locale.value);

// Update the locale when the selection changes
const changeLocale = () => setLocale(selectedLocale.value);

// Keep the selectedLocale in sync with the global locale
watch(
  () => locale.value,
  (newLocale) => {
    selectedLocale.value = newLocale;
  }
);
</script>

<template>
  <div class="locale-switcher">
    <select v-model="selectedLocale" @change="changeLocale">
      <option v-for="loc in availableLocales" :key="loc" :value="loc">
        {{ getLocaleName(loc) }}
      </option>
    </select>
  </div>
</template>
```

Then, use this component in your App.vue:

```vue fileName="src/App.vue"
<script setup lang="ts">
import { useIntlayer } from "vue-intlayer";
import HelloWorld from "@components/HelloWorld.vue";
import LocaleSwitcher from "@components/LocaleSwitcher.vue";
import { ref, watch } from "vue";

const content = useIntlayer("app"); // Create related intlayer declaration file
</script>

<template>
  <div>
    <LocaleSwitcher />
    <a href="https://vite.dev" target="_blank">
      <img src="/vite.svg" class="logo" :alt="content.viteLogo" />
    </a>
    <a href="https://vuejs.org/" target="_blank">
      <img src="./assets/vue.svg" class="logo vue" :alt="content.vueLogo" />
    </a>
  </div>
  <HelloWorld :msg="content.title" />
</template>
```

### (Optional) Step 7: Add localized Routing to your application

Adding localized routing in a Vue application typically involves using Vue Router with locale prefixes. This makes unique routes for each language, which is useful for SEO and SEO-friendly URLs.

Example:

```plaintext
- https://example.com/about
- https://example.com/es/about
- https://example.com/fr/about
```

First, install Vue Router:

```bash packageManager="npm"
npm install vue-router
npx intlayer init
```

```bash packageManager="pnpm"
pnpm add vue-router
pnpm intlayer init
```

```bash packageManager="yarn"
yarn add vue-router
```

Then, create a router configuration that handles locale-based routing:

```js fileName="src/router/index.ts"
import {
  localeFlatMap,
  type Locale,
} from 'intlayer';
import { createIntlayerClient } from 'vue-intlayer';
import { createRouter, createWebHistory } from 'vue-router';
import HomeView from './views/home/HomeView.vue';
import RootView from './views/root/Root.vue';

/**
 * Declare the routes with locale-specific paths and metadata.
 */
const routes = localeFlatMap(({ urlPrefix, locale }) => [
  {
    path: `${urlPrefix}/`,
    name: `Root-${locale}`,
    component: RootView,
    meta: {
      locale,
    },
  },
  {
    path: `${urlPrefix}/home`,
    name: `Home-${locale}`,
    component: HomeView,
    meta: {
      locale,
    },
  },
]);

// Create the router instance
export const router = createRouter({
  history: createWebHistory(),
  routes,
});

// Add navigation guard for locale handling
router.beforeEach((to, _from, next) => {
  const client = createIntlayerClient();

  const metaLocale = to.meta.locale as Locale;

  // Reuse the locale defined in the route meta
  client.setLocale(metaLocale);
  next();
});
```

> The name is used to identify the route in the router. It should be unique across all routes to avoid conflicts and ensure proper navigation and linking.

Then, register the router in your main.js file:

```js fileName="src/main.ts"
import { createApp } from "vue";
import App from "./App.vue";
import { router } from "./router";
import "./style.css";

const app = createApp(App);

// Add the router to the app
app.use(router);

// Mount the app
app.mount("#app");
```

Then update your `App.vue` file to render the RouterView component. This component will display the matched component for the current route.

```vue fileName="src/App.vue"
<script setup lang="ts">
import LocaleSwitcher from "@components/LocaleSwitcher.vue";
</script>

<template>
  <nav>
    <LocaleSwitcher />
  </nav>
  <RouterView />
</template>
```

In parallel, you can also use the `intlayerProxy` to add server-side routing to your application. This plugin will automatically detect the current locale based on the URL and set the appropriate locale cookie. If no locale is specified, the plugin will determine the most appropriate locale based on the user's browser language preferences. If no locale is detected, it will redirect to the default locale.

> Note that to use the `intlayerProxy` in production, you need to switch the `vite-intlayer` package from `devDependencies` to `dependencies`.

```typescript {3,7} fileName="vite.config.ts" codeFormat="typescript"
import { defineConfig } from "vite";
import vue from "@vitejs/plugin-vue";
import { intlayer, intlayerProxy } from "vite-intlayer";

// https://vitejs.dev/config/
export default defineConfig({
  plugins: [vue(), intlayer(), intlayerProxy()],
});
```

```javascript {3,7} fileName="vite.config.mjs" codeFormat="esm"
import { defineConfig } from "vite";
import vue from "@vitejs/plugin-vue";
import { intlayer, intlayerProxy } from "vite-intlayer";

// https://vitejs.dev/config/
export default defineConfig({
  plugins: [vue(), intlayer(), intlayerProxy()],
});
```

```javascript {3,7} fileName="vite.config.cjs" codeFormat="commonjs"
const { defineConfig } = require("vite");
const vue = require("@vitejs/plugin-vue");
const { intlayer, intlayerProxy } = require("vite-intlayer");

// https://vitejs.dev/config/
module.exports = defineConfig({
  plugins: [vue(), intlayer(), intlayerProxy()],
});
```

### (Optional) Step 8: Change the URL when the locale changes

To automatically update the URL when the user changes the language, you can modify the `LocaleSwitcher` component to use Vue Router:

```vue fileName="src/components/LocaleSwitcher.vue"
<script setup lang="ts">
import { Locales, getLocaleName, getLocalizedUrl } from "intlayer";
import { ref, watch } from "vue";
import { useLocale } from "vue-intlayer";
import { useRouter } from "vue-router";

// Get Vue Router
const router = useRouter();

// Get locale information and setLocale function
const { locale, availableLocales, setLocale } = useLocale({
  onLocaleChange: (newLocale) => {
    // Get current route and create a localized URL
    const currentPath = router.currentRoute.value.fullPath;
    const localizedPath = getLocalizedUrl(currentPath, newLocale);

    // Navigate to the localized route without reloading the page
    router.push(localizedPath);
  },
});

// Track the selected locale with a ref
const selectedLocale = ref(locale.value);

// Update the locale when the selection changes
const changeLocale = () => {
  setLocale(selectedLocale.value);
};

// Keep the selectedLocale in sync with the global locale
watch(
  () => locale.value,
  (newLocale) => {
    selectedLocale.value = newLocale;
  }
);
</script>

<template>
  <div class="locale-switcher">
    <select v-model="selectedLocale" @change="changeLocale">
      <option v-for="loc in availableLocales" :key="loc" :value="loc">
        {{ getLocaleName(loc) }}
      </option>
    </select>
  </div>
</template>
```

Tip: For better SEO and accessibility, use tags as `<a href="/fr/home" hreflang="fr">` to link to localized pages, as shown in Step 10. This allows search engines to discover and index language-specific URLs properly. To preserve SPA behavior, you can prevent the default navigation with @click.prevent, change the locale using useLocale, and programmatically navigate using Vue Router.

```html
<ol>
  <li>
    <a
      hreflang="x-default"
      aria-label="Switch to English"
      target="_self"
      aria-current="page"
      href="/doc/get-started"
    >
      <div>
        <span dir="ltr" lang="en">English</span>
        <span>English</span>
        <span>EN</span>
      </div>
    </a>
  </li>
  <li>
    <a
      hreflang="es"
      aria-label="Switch to Spanish"
      target="_self"
      href="/es/doc/get-started"
    >
      <div>
        <span dir="ltr" lang="es">Español</span>
        <span>Spanish</span>
        <span>ES</span>
      </div>
    </a>
  </li>
</ol>
```

### (Optional) Step 9: Switch the HTML Language and Direction Attributes

When your application supports multiple languages, it's crucial to update the `<html>` tag's `lang` and `dir` attributes to match the current locale. Doing so ensures:

- **Accessibility**: Screen readers and assistive technologies rely on the correct `lang` attribute to pronounce and interpret content accurately.
- **Text Rendering**: The `dir` (direction) attribute ensures that text is rendered in the proper order (e.g., left-to-right for English, right-to-left for Arabic or Hebrew), which is essential for readability.
- **SEO**: Search engines use the `lang` attribute to determine the language of your page, helping to serve the right localized content in search results.

By updating these attributes dynamically when the locale changes, you guarantee a consistent and accessible experience for users across all supported languages.

```js fileName="src/composables/useI18nHTMLAttributes.ts"
import { watch } from "vue";
import { useLocale } from "vue-intlayer";
import { getHTMLTextDir } from "intlayer";

/**
 * Composable that updates the HTML <html> element's `lang` and `dir` attributes
 * based on the current locale.
 *
 * @example
 * // In your App.vue or a global component
 * import { useI18nHTMLAttributes } from './composables/useI18nHTMLAttributes'
 *
 * useI18nHTMLAttributes()
 */
export const useI18nHTMLAttributes = () => {
  const { locale } = useLocale();

  // Update the HTML attributes whenever the locale changes
  watch(
    () => locale.value,
    (newLocale) => {
      if (!newLocale) return;

      // Update the language attribute
      document.documentElement.lang = newLocale;

      // Set the text direction (ltr for most languages, rtl for Arabic, Hebrew, etc.)
      document.documentElement.dir = getHTMLTextDir(newLocale);
    },
    { immediate: true }
  );
};
```

Use this composable in your `App.vue` or a global component:

```vue fileName="src/App.vue"
<script setup lang="ts">
import { useI18nHTMLAttributes } from "@composables/useI18nHTMLAttributes";

// Apply the HTML attributes based on the current locale
useI18nHTMLAttributes();
</script>

<template>
  <!-- Your app template -->
</template>
```

### (Optional) Step 10: Creating a Localized Link Component

To ensure that your application’s navigation respects the current locale, you can create a custom `Link` component. This component automatically prefixes internal URLs with the current language, so that. For example, when a French-speaking user clicks on a link to the "About" page, they are redirected to `/fr/about` instead of `/about`.

This behavior is useful for several reasons:

- **SEO and User Experience**: Localized URLs help search engines index language-specific pages correctly and provide users with content in their preferred language.
- **Consistency**: By using a localized link throughout your application, you guarantee that navigation stays within the current locale, preventing unexpected language switches.
- **Maintainability**: Centralizing the localization logic in a single component simplifies the management of URLs, making your codebase easier to maintain and extend as your application grows.

```vue fileName="src/components/Link.vue"
<script setup lang="ts">
import { getLocalizedUrl } from "intlayer";
import { computed } from "vue";
import { useLocale } from "vue-intlayer";

const props = defineProps({
  href: {
    type: String,
    required: true,
  },
});

const { locale } = useLocale();

// Check if the link is external
const isExternalLink = computed(() => /^https?:\/\//.test(props.href || ""));

// Create a localized href for internal links
const localizedHref = computed(() =>
  isExternalLink.value ? props.href : getLocalizedUrl(props.href, locale.value)
);
</script>

<template>
  <a :href="localizedHref" v-bind="$attrs">
    <slot />
  </a>
</template>
```

For use with Vue Router, create a router-specific version:

```vue fileName="src/components/RouterLink.vue"
<script setup lang="ts">
import { getLocalizedUrl } from "intlayer";
import { computed } from "vue";
import { useLocale } from "vue-intlayer";

const props = defineProps({
  to: {
    type: [String, Object],
    required: true,
  },
});

const { locale } = useLocale();

// Create localized to-prop for router-link
const localizedTo = computed(() => {
  if (typeof props.to === "string") {
    return getLocalizedUrl(props.to, locale.value);
  } else {
    // If 'to' is an object, localize the path property
    return {
      ...props.to,
      path: getLocalizedUrl(props.to.path ?? "/", locale.value),
    };
  }
});
</script>

<template>
  <router-link :to="localizedTo" v-bind="$attrs">
    <slot />
  </router-link>
</template>
```

Use these components in your application:

```vue fileName="src/App.vue"
<script setup lang="ts">
import Link from "@components/Link.vue";
import RouterLink from "@components/RouterLink.vue";
</script>

<template>
  <div>
    <!-- Vue router  -->
    <RouterLink to="/">Root</RouterLink>
    <RouterLink to="/home">Home</RouterLink>
    <!-- Other -->
    <Link href="/">Root</Link>
    <Link href="/home">Home</Link>
  </div>
</template>
```

### (Optional) Step 11: Extract the content of your components

If you have an existing codebase, transforming thousands of files can be time-consuming.

To ease this process, Intlayer propose a [compiler](https://github.com/aymericzip/intlayer/blob/main/docs/docs/en/compiler.md) / [extractor](https://github.com/aymericzip/intlayer/blob/main/docs/docs/en/cli/extract.md) to transform your components and extract the content.

To set it up, you can add a `compiler` section in your `intlayer.config.ts` file:

```typescript fileName="intlayer.config.ts" codeFormat="typescript"
import { type IntlayerConfig } from "intlayer";

const config: IntlayerConfig = {
  // ... Rest of your config
  compiler: {
    /**
     * Indicates if the compiler should be enabled.
     */
    enabled: true,

    /**
     * Defines the output files path
     */
    output: ({ fileName, extension }) => `./${fileName}${extension}`,

    /**
     * Indicates if the components should be saved after being transformed.
     * That way, the compiler can be run only once to transform the app, and then it can be removed.
     */
    saveComponents: false,

    /**
     * Dictionary key prefix
     */
    dictionaryKeyPrefix: "",
  },
};

export default config;
```

```javascript fileName="intlayer.config.mjs" codeFormat="esm"
/** @type {import('intlayer').IntlayerConfig} */
const config = {
  // ... Rest of your config
  compiler: {
    /**
     * Indicates if the compiler should be enabled.
     */
    enabled: true,

    /**
     * Defines the output files path
     */
    output: ({ fileName, extension }) => `./${fileName}${extension}`,

    /**
     * Indicates if the components should be saved after being transformed.
     * That way, the compiler can be run only once to transform the app, and then it can be removed.
     */
    saveComponents: false,

    /**
     * Dictionary key prefix
     */
    dictionaryKeyPrefix: "",
  },
};

export default config;
```

```javascript fileName="intlayer.config.cjs" codeFormat="commonjs"
/** @type {import('intlayer').IntlayerConfig} */
const config = {
  // ... Rest of your config
  compiler: {
    /**
     * Indicates if the compiler should be enabled.
     */
    enabled: true,

    /**
     * Defines the output files path
     */
    output: ({ fileName, extension }) => `./${fileName}${extension}`,

    /**
     * Indicates if the components should be saved after being transformed.
     * That way, the compiler can be run only once to transform the app, and then it can be removed.
     */
    saveComponents: false,

    /**
     * Dictionary key prefix
     */
    dictionaryKeyPrefix: "",
  },
};

module.exports = config;
```

<Tabs>
 <Tab value='Extract command'>

Run the extractor to transform your components and extract the content

```bash packageManager="npm"
npx intlayer extract
```

```bash packageManager="pnpm"
pnpm intlayer extract
```

```bash packageManager="yarn"
yarn intlayer extract
```

```bash packageManager="bun"
bunx intlayer extract
```

 </Tab>
 <Tab value='Babel compiler'>

Update your `vite.config.ts` to include the `intlayerCompiler` plugin:

```ts fileName="vite.config.ts"
import { defineConfig } from "vite";
import { intlayer, intlayerCompiler } from "vite-intlayer";

export default defineConfig({
  plugins: [
    intlayer(),
    intlayerCompiler(), // Adds the compiler plugin
  ],
});
```

```bash packageManager="npm"
npm run build # Or npm run dev
```

```bash packageManager="pnpm"
pnpm run build # Or pnpm run dev
```

```bash packageManager="yarn"
yarn build # Or yarn dev
```

```bash packageManager="bun"
bun run build # Or bun run dev
```

 </Tab>
</Tabs>

### Configure TypeScript

Intlayer uses module augmentation to get benefits of TypeScript and make your codebase stronger.

![Autocompletion](https://github.com/aymericzip/intlayer/blob/main/docs/assets/autocompletion.png?raw=true)

![Translation error](https://github.com/aymericzip/intlayer/blob/main/docs/assets/translation_error.png?raw=true)

Ensure your TypeScript configuration includes the autogenerated types.

```json5 fileName="tsconfig.json"
{
  // ... Your existing TypeScript configurations
  "include": [
    // ... Your existing TypeScript configurations
    ".intlayer/**/*.ts", // Include the auto-generated types
  ],
}
```

### Git Configuration

It is recommended to ignore the files generated by Intlayer. This allows you to avoid committing them to your Git repository.

To do this, you can add the following instructions to your `.gitignore` file:

```bash
# Ignore the files generated by Intlayer
.intlayer
```

### VS Code Extension

To improve your development experience with Intlayer, you can install the official **Intlayer VS Code Extension**.

[Install from the VS Code Marketplace](https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=intlayer.intlayer-vs-code-extension)

This extension provides:

- **Autocompletion** for translation keys.
- **Real-time error detection** for missing translations.
- **Inline previews** of translated content.
- **Quick actions** to easily create and update translations.

For more details on how to use the extension, refer to the [Intlayer VS Code Extension documentation](https://intlayer.org/doc/vs-code-extension).

---

### Go Further

To go further, you can implement the [visual editor](https://github.com/aymericzip/intlayer/blob/main/docs/docs/en/intlayer_visual_editor.md) or externalize your content using the [CMS](https://github.com/aymericzip/intlayer/blob/main/docs/docs/en/intlayer_CMS.md).

---
