Installing Plugins

Plugins enable inlang to work with different i18n file formats. This guide shows how to install and configure plugins.

Adding a plugin

Add the plugin URL to the modules array in project.inlang/settings.json:

{
  "baseLocale": "en",
  "locales": ["en", "de", "fr"],
+ "modules": [
+   "https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/npm/@inlang/plugin-i18next@3/dist/index.js"
+ ]
}

Plugins are loaded from the URL when the project opens.

Why jsdelivr?

Plugins are loaded via jsdelivr, a free CDN for npm packages. This provides:

• Fast loading — CDN edge caching worldwide
• Version pinning — Lock to specific versions for reproducible builds

Version pinning examples:

@inlang/plugin-i18next@3        # Major version (3.x.x)
@inlang/plugin-i18next@3.5      # Minor version (3.5.x)
@inlang/plugin-i18next@3.5.2    # Exact version

Pin to at least a major version to avoid breaking changes.

Configuring a plugin

Most plugins require configuration. Add settings using the plugin.<plugin-id> key:

{
  "baseLocale": "en",
  "locales": ["en", "de", "fr"],
  "modules": [
    "https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/npm/@inlang/plugin-i18next@3/dist/index.js"
  ],
  "plugin.inlang.i18next": {
    "pathPattern": "./locales/{locale}.json"
  }
}

Each plugin documents its available settings on its marketplace page.

Using multiple plugins

You can install multiple plugins. Each plugin handles different files or provides different functionality:

{
  "baseLocale": "en",
  "locales": ["en", "de"],
  "modules": [
    "https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/npm/@inlang/plugin-i18next@3/dist/index.js",
    "https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/npm/@inlang/plugin-t-function-matcher@3/dist/index.js"
  ],
  "plugin.inlang.i18next": {
    "pathPattern": "./locales/{locale}.json"
  }
}

In this example:

• plugin-i18next imports/exports translation files
• plugin-t-function-matcher detects t() function calls in source code

Local plugins

Plugins can also be loaded from local files using relative paths.

From node_modules

Install a plugin via npm:

npm install @inlang/plugin-i18next

Then reference it from node_modules:

{
  "modules": ["../node_modules/@inlang/plugin-i18next/dist/index.js"]
}

The path is relative to the project.inlang directory.

Custom plugins

For your own plugins, point to the built file:

{
  "modules": ["./plugins/my-plugin.js"]
}

Remote vs local plugins

	Remote (CDN)	Local (node_modules)
Portability	Works everywhere	Requires npm install
App compatibility	Works with Fink, Sherlock, etc.	Not resolvable by external apps
Offline usage	Requires internet on first load	Works offline after install
Version pinning	Version in URL	Version in package.json

Recommendation: Use remote plugins via jsdelivr for maximum compatibility. External apps like Fink cannot resolve node_modules paths, so local plugins will only work in your local development environment.

Finding plugins

Browse available plugins at inlang.com/c/plugins.

Troubleshooting

Plugin not loading

• Verify the URL is correct and ends with .js
• Check that the CDN is accessible
• For local plugins, ensure the path is relative to project.inlang

Files not importing

• Check that pathPattern matches your file structure
• Verify {locale} placeholder is in the correct position
• Ensure locale codes in filenames match your locales array

Settings validation errors

• Review the plugin's documentation for required settings
• Check that setting values match expected types

Next steps

• Settings Reference — All configuration options
• Writing a Plugin — Create your own plugin
• Plugin API — Plugin interface reference