Get up and running with the CLI in under 5 minutes.
Prerequisites
Make sure you have Node.js 18.0 or higher installed. Run node --version to check.
Installation#
Install the CLI globally using your preferred package manager:
npm install -g @lingo.dev/cliVerify Installation#
Confirm the CLI is installed correctly:
lingo --versionYou should see output like:
@lingo.dev/cli v2.4.0
Node.js v20.10.0Initialize Your Project#
Navigate to your project directory and run:
cd my-project
lingo initThis interactive command will:
- Connect to your account - Authenticate with your API key
- Select a project - Choose an existing project or create a new one
- Configure locales - Select which languages to support
- Set up file structure - Choose where to store translation files
Configuration Created
The CLI creates a lingo.config.json file with your settings. You can modify this file later as needed.
Your First Translation#
Create a simple translation file:
{
"welcome": {
"title": "Welcome to Lingo.dev",
"subtitle": "The best translation management platform"
},
"auth": {
"login": "Log in",
"logout": "Log out"
}
}Push Translations#
Upload your translations to the platform:
lingo pushThe CLI will:
- ✅ Analyze your translation files
- ✅ Validate the structure
- ✅ Upload to the server
- ✅ Show a summary of changes
✓ Analyzing translation files...
✓ Found 2 locales: en, es
✓ Uploading 15 keys...
✓ Successfully pushed translations
Summary:
Added: 15 keys
Updated: 0 keys
Unchanged: 0 keysPull Latest Translations#
Download the latest translations from your team:
lingo pullLocal Changes
If you have local changes, the CLI will warn you before overwriting. Use --force to override.
Watch Mode (Development)#
For active development, enable watch mode:
lingo watch --push --pullThis will:
- 👀 Watch for local file changes
- ⬆️ Auto-push changes to the server
- ⬇️ Auto-pull updates from your team
- 🔄 Keep everything in sync
Press Ctrl+C to exit watch mode.
Next Steps#
Now that you're set up:
Translation file formats
Key naming conventions
Namespace organization
Language codes (ISO 639-1)
Regional variants
Custom locale configuration
Scan source files
Generate translation files
AI-powered suggestions
Validation and linting
Type generation
Branch management
Getting Help#
Need assistance?
# Show help for all commands
lingo --help
# Show help for a specific command
lingo push --helpJoin our Discord community for real-time support!
