Lingo.dev integrates directly into your CI/CD pipeline to keep translations in sync with your code. On every push, it detects what content changed, translates it using your connected localization engine - with glossary rules, brand voice, and per-locale model configuration applied consistently - and commits the results or opens a pull request. Incomplete translations never reach production.
How it works#
The CI/CD integration runs as a step in your existing pipeline. It needs two things: your i18n.json configuration and an API key.
On each run, the integration:
- Discovers source files - reads your bucket configuration to find translatable content
- Detects changes - compares against the
i18n.locklockfile to identify new or modified strings, so only the delta gets translated - Translates - sends changed content through your configured localization engine with all rules applied - glossary, brand voice, per-locale model settings
- Writes results - updates target locale files in place
- Commits or opens a PR - depending on the workflow you choose
Because only changed strings are translated, runs are fast and cost-efficient - even across dozens of locales.
Workflow options#
Four workflow patterns cover most team setups:
| Workflow | Trigger | Output |
|---|---|---|
| Commit to main | Push to main | Translations committed directly to main |
| PR from main | Push to main | Pull request with translations |
| Commit to feature branch | Push to feature branch | Translations committed to the branch |
| PR from feature branch | Push to feature branch | Pull request from the branch |
The first option - commit to main - is the simplest. Translations appear automatically with zero developer intervention. The PR-based options add a review step before translations land.
For details on choosing between these, see Advanced Patterns.
Supported platforms#
Lingo.dev provides first-party integrations for major CI/CD platforms:
| Platform | Integration |
|---|---|
| GitHub Actions | Official GitHub Action |
| GitLab CI/CD | Official Docker image |
| Bitbucket Pipelines | Official Bitbucket Pipe |
Each integration handles authentication, git operations, and PR creation natively for its platform. Any CI/CD environment that supports Node.js can also run the integration directly via the Lingo.dev CLI.