Nuxt i18n Integration
Full Nuxt 3 support with auto-imports, SSR, and Nitro compatibility.
Wire Better i18n into Nuxt in three steps
No Nuxt module to install: a plugin, the zero-dependency core client, and the vue-i18n you already have.
Install the client
core delivers and caches the messages. Add @nuxtjs/i18n only if you also want it to own locale routing.
npm install @better-i18n/core vue-i18n
# Optional — only if you want @nuxtjs/i18n to own
# locale routing, prefixes and hreflang:
npm install @nuxtjs/i18nCreate the client at module scope
One instance per server process, so the 60-second cache is shared across requests instead of rebuilt per render.
import { createI18nCore } from '@better-i18n/core'
// Module scope, not inside a composable: the TTL cache lives on the
// instance, so a per-request client would refetch on every render.
export const betterI18n = createI18nCore({
projectId: 'your-org/your-project', // Settings → General → Project ID
defaultLocale: 'en',
})Register vue-i18n from a Nuxt plugin
The plugin awaits the messages before the app mounts, so SSR output and client hydration read the same strings.
import { createI18n } from 'vue-i18n'
import { betterI18n } from '~/lib/better-i18n'
export default defineNuxtPlugin(async (nuxtApp) => {
const locale = useRoute().params.locale?.toString() ?? 'en'
// Runs on the server during SSR, and in the browser on a cold client
// navigation. The CDN shape is the shape vue-i18n expects.
const messages = await betterI18n.getMessages(locale)
nuxtApp.vueApp.use(
createI18n({
legacy: false,
locale,
fallbackLocale: 'en',
messages: { [locale]: messages },
})
)
})How it works
Where a Nuxt string comes from
No build step and no bundled locale files: the plugin resolves a locale at runtime, on the server first.
Read path — every locale load
useI18n() reads the messages the plugin registered before mount.
0 network calls per render
getMessages(locale) from the plugin — server-side during SSR.
60s TTL · 0 deps
Cloudflare worker answers from the nearest edge cache.
max-age=60 · always 200
The published translation files the sync worker wrote.
source of truth
Fallback chain — tried in order when a hop fails
Write path — dashboard to app
Proposal reviewed in the dashboard, glossary enforced.
MCP · dashboard · CLI
Sync worker writes the locale files to R2.
better-i18n publish
Fire-and-forget purge of the affected keys and the manifest.
non-critical by design
The next getMessages() past the TTL returns the new copy.
~60s worst case
Quick Start
Add i18n to your Nuxt app with the module.
<script setup lang="ts">
import { useI18n } from 'vue-i18n'
import { betterI18n } from '~/lib/better-i18n'
const { t, locale, setLocaleMessage } = useI18n()
// Locales come from the project manifest, not a hardcoded array
const { data: languages } = await useAsyncData('locales', () =>
betterI18n.getLanguages()
)
async function switchTo(next: string) {
setLocaleMessage(next, await betterI18n.getMessages(next))
locale.value = next
}
</script>
<template>
<h1>{{ t('home.title') }}</h1>
<p>{{ t('home.greeting', { name: 'World' }) }}</p>
</template>Translated Nitro server routes
The client has no browser-only dependency, so an API route can answer in the caller's language too.
// server/api/greeting.get.ts — Nitro route, same client
import { betterI18n } from '~/lib/better-i18n'
export default defineEventHandler(async (event) => {
const locale = getQuery(event).locale?.toString() ?? 'en'
// Shares the in-memory cache with the rest of the server process.
const messages = await betterI18n.getMessages(locale)
return { text: messages.api?.greeting ?? '', locale }
})Features
Better I18N and the Nuxt ecosystem
We handle translation management and delivery; the Nuxt pieces you already use keep their jobs.
Better I18N + @nuxtjs/i18n
The official Nuxt module for locale routing: path prefixes, redirects, hreflang and SEO head tags.Keeps routing, hands translation delivery to Better I18N
Better I18N + vue-i18n
The formatter underneath: t(), ICU plurals, date and number formatting, reactive locale state.Receives the CDN messages as-is — no adapter in between
Better I18N + Nitro
Nuxt's server engine, where API routes and server-side rendering actually execute.Runs the same zero-dependency client, sharing one cache
Related
Explore Other Framework Guides
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