SDKs

Official Lingo.dev SDKs are in development. Until they ship, the REST API works with any language that can make an HTTP request. No SDK required.

Authentication#

All requests require an API key in the X-API-Key header. Generate one in the API Keys section of the dashboard.

X-API-Key: your_api_key

Translate strings#

The Localize endpoint translates key-value pairs from one locale to another through a configured localization engine. The engine applies your glossary rules, brand voice, and per-locale model selection automatically.

curl -X POST https://api.lingo.dev/process/localize \
  -H "X-API-Key: your_api_key" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "sourceLocale": "en",
    "targetLocale": "de",
    "data": {
      "greeting": "Hello, world!",
      "cta": "Get started"
    }
  }'

{
  "sourceLocale": "en",
  "targetLocale": "de",
  "data": {
    "greeting": "Hallo, Welt!",
    "cta": "Jetzt starten"
  }
}

The response mirrors the request structure - same keys, translated values. Pass an engineId to target a specific engine; omit it to use your organization's default.

Detect language#

The Recognize endpoint detects the language of any text and returns structured BCP-47 locale metadata.

curl -X POST https://api.lingo.dev/process/recognize \
  -H "X-API-Key: your_api_key" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{ "text": "Bonjour le monde" }'

{
  "locale": "fr",
  "language": "fr",
  "label": "French",
  "direction": "ltr"
}

Create and configure engines#

The Provision endpoints let you create and configure localization engines programmatically - the same operations available in the dashboard, accessible via API. Create an engine, add per-locale model configs, define glossary terms to enforce exact translations, and write brand voice and instruction rules, all in one setup script.

curl -X POST https://api.lingo.dev/engines \
  -H "X-API-Key: your_api_key" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "ownerOrganizationId": "org_abc123",
    "name": "Production Engine",
    "sourceLocales": ["en"],
    "targetLocales": ["de", "fr", "ja"]
  }'

Next Steps#