@intlayer/docs 8.12.5-canary.0 → 9.0.0-canary.10

package/docs/en-GB/migration_from_nuxtjs_i18n_to_intlayer.md

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+---
+createdAt: 2026-06-05
+updatedAt: 2026-06-05
+title: "Migrate from @nuxtjs/i18n to Intlayer | Internationalization (i18n)"
+description: "Learn how to migrate your Nuxt app from @nuxtjs/i18n to Intlayer — step by step, without breaking your existing code. Use the @intlayer/vue-i18n compat adapter for a zero-disruption transition."
+keywords:
+  - "@nuxtjs/i18n"
+  - vue-i18n
+  - intlayer
+  - migration
+  - internationalization
+  - i18n
+  - Nuxt
+  - Vue
+  - JavaScript
+slugs:
+  - doc
+  - migration
+  - nuxtjs-i18n
+history:
+  - version: 9.0.0
+    date: 2026-06-05
+    changes: "Init history"
+author: aymericzip
+---
+
+# Migrating from @nuxtjs/i18n to Intlayer
+
+## Why migrate from @nuxtjs/i18n to Intlayer?
+
+<AccordionGroup>
+
+<Accordion header="Bundle size">
+
+Instead of loading massive JSON files into your pages, load only the necessary content. Intlayer helps **reduce your bundle and page sizes by up to 50%**.
+
+</Accordion>
+
+<Accordion header="Maintainability">
+
+Scoping your application's content **facilitates maintenance** for large-scale applications. You can duplicate or delete a single feature folder without the mental burden of reviewing your entire content codebase. Additionally, Intlayer is **fully typed** to ensure your content's accuracy.
+
+Intlayer is also the solution with the **most active development** in the i18n ecosystem — issues are fixed fast, new framework adapters land regularly, and the core API is continuously refined based on real-world production feedback.
+
+</Accordion>
+
+<Accordion header="AI Agent">
+
+Co-locating content **reduces the context needed** by Large Language Models (LLMs). Intlayer also comes with a suite of tools, such as a **CLI** to test for missing translations, **[LSP](https://github.com/aymericzip/intlayer/blob/main/docs/docs/en-GB/lsp.md)**, **[MCP](https://github.com/aymericzip/intlayer/blob/main/docs/docs/en-GB/mcp_server.md)**, and **[agent skills](https://github.com/aymericzip/intlayer/blob/main/docs/docs/en-GB/agent_skills.md)**, to make the developer experience (DX) even smoother for AI agents.
+
+</Accordion>
+
+<Accordion header="Automation">
+
+Use automation to translate in your CI/CD pipeline using the LLM of your choice at the cost of your AI provider. Intlayer also offers a **compiler** to automate content extraction, as well as a [web platform](https://github.com/aymericzip/intlayer/blob/main/docs/docs/en-GB/intlayer_CMS.md) to help **translate in the background**.
+
+</Accordion>
+
+<Accordion header="Performance">
+
+Connecting massive JSON files to components can lead to performance and reactivity issues. Intlayer optimises your content loading at build time.
+
+</Accordion>
+
+<Accordion header="Scaling with non-dev">
+
+More than just an i18n solution, Intlayer provides a **self-hosted [visual editor](https://github.com/aymericzip/intlayer/blob/main/docs/docs/en-GB/intlayer_visual_editor.md)** and a **[full CMS](https://github.com/aymericzip/intlayer/blob/main/docs/docs/en-GB/intlayer_CMS.md)** to help you manage your multilingual content in **real-time**, making collaboration with translators, copywriters, and other team members seamless. Content can be stored locally and/or remotely.
+
+</Accordion>
+
+</AccordionGroup>
+
+---
+
+## Migration strategies
+
+Since `@nuxtjs/i18n` is powered by `vue-i18n` under the hood, there are two complementary strategies for migrating to Intlayer:
+
+1. **Compat adapter (recommended for existing apps)** — Install `@intlayer/vue-i18n` and `nuxt-intlayer`. This exposes the **exact same API** as `vue-i18n` but delegates all translation work to Intlayer under the hood. You keep your existing `$t`, `useI18n()`, and Nuxt routing unchanged — the only change is the initialisation.
+
+2. **Full migration** — Gradually replace `@nuxtjs/i18n` APIs with native Intlayer hooks (`useIntlayer`) and co-locate content in `.content.ts` files alongside your components.
+
+This guide covers **Strategy 1** first (drop-in compat adapter), then walks through the optional full migration.
+
+---
+
+## Table of Contents
+
+<TOC/>
+
+---
+
+## Quick migration
+
+The following steps are the minimum required to get your existing Nuxt app running on Intlayer with zero code changes in your components.
+
+<Steps>
+
+<Step number={1} title="Install Dependencies">
+
+Install the Intlayer core packages and the compat adapter:
+
+```bash packageManager="npm"
+npx intlayer-cli init --interactive
+```
+
+```bash packageManager="pnpm"
+pnpm dlx intlayer-cli init --interactive
+```
+
+```bash packageManager="yarn"
+yarn dlx intlayer-cli init --interactive
+```
+
+```bash packageManager="bun"
+bunx intlayer-cli init --interactive
+```
+
+> the `--interactive` flag is optional. Use `intlayer-cli init` if you're an AI agent.
+
+> This command will detect your environment and install the required packages. For example:
+
+```bash packageManager="npm"
+npm install intlayer vue-intlayer nuxt-intlayer @intlayer/vue-i18n @intlayer/sync-json-plugin
+```
+
+```bash packageManager="pnpm"
+pnpm add intlayer vue-intlayer nuxt-intlayer @intlayer/vue-i18n @intlayer/sync-json-plugin
+```
+
+```bash packageManager="yarn"
+yarn add intlayer vue-intlayer nuxt-intlayer @intlayer/vue-i18n @intlayer/sync-json-plugin
+```
+
+```bash packageManager="bun"
+bun add intlayer vue-intlayer nuxt-intlayer @intlayer/vue-i18n @intlayer/sync-json-plugin
+```
+
+> You can safely keep `@nuxtjs/i18n` installed during migration, though you will remove it from your Nuxt config shortly.
+
+</Step>
+
+<Step number={2} title="Configure Intlayer">
+
+The `intlayer init` command creates a starter `intlayer.config.ts`. Update it to match your existing locales and point the `syncJSON` plugin at your message files:
+
+```typescript fileName="intlayer.config.ts" codeFormat={["typescript", "esm", "commonjs"]}
+import { Locales, type IntlayerConfig } from "intlayer";
+import { syncJSON } from "@intlayer/sync-json-plugin";
+
+const config: IntlayerConfig = {
+  internationalization: {
+    locales: [
+      Locales.ENGLISH,
+      Locales.FRENCH,
+      Locales.SPANISH,
+      // Add all your existing locales here
+    ],
+    defaultLocale: Locales.ENGLISH,
+  },
+  plugins: [
+    syncJSON({
+      // matches vue-i18n placeholder syntax: {name}
+      format: "icu",
+      source: ({ locale }) => `./locales/${locale}.json`,
+      location: "locales",
+    }),
+  ],
+};
+
+export default config;
+```
+
+> **`source`** maps a locale to its JSON file path. **`location`** tells the Intlayer watcher which folder to monitor for changes. The `format: 'icu'` option ensures that placeholders are parsed correctly for `vue-i18n`.
+
+</Step>
+
+<Step number={3} title="Update Nuxt Configuration">
+
+Replace the `@nuxtjs/i18n` module with `nuxt-intlayer` in your `nuxt.config.ts`. The Intlayer plugin automatically injects module aliases, meaning your existing `import { useI18n } from 'vue-i18n'` calls are transparently redirected to `@intlayer/vue-i18n`.
+
+```typescript fileName="nuxt.config.ts" codeFormat={["typescript", "esm", "commonjs"]}
+export default defineNuxtConfig({
+  // Remove '@nuxtjs/i18n'
+  modules: ["nuxt-intlayer"],
+});
+```
+
+> **You no longer need to define Nuxt i18n config objects.** Intlayer compiles all dictionaries at **build time**, handling locale detection, routing, and dictionary loading seamlessly.
+
+</Step>
+
+</Steps>
+
+That's it for the quick migration. Your Nuxt app now runs on Intlayer whilst keeping every `$t` and `useI18n()` intact.
+
+---
+
+## Complete migration
+
+The steps below are optional and can be done incrementally. They unlock the full Intlayer feature set: visual editor, CMS, typed content files, AI-powered translation, and more.
+
+<Steps>
+
+<Step number={4} title="Explicit import renaming (optional)" isOptional={true}>
+
+The Intlayer plugins already handle aliasing at the bundler level. If you prefer to make the dependency explicit in your source files, you can rename imports manually:
+
+| Before                               | After                                          |
+| ------------------------------------ | ---------------------------------------------- |
+| `import { useI18n } from 'vue-i18n'` | `import { useI18n } from '@intlayer/vue-i18n'` |
+
+These are **drop-in replacements** — no changes to call signatures, arguments, or return types are required.
+
+</Step>
+
+<Step number={5} title="Enable AI-Powered Translation Automation" isOptional={true}>
+
+Once Intlayer is wired up, use its CLI to fill missing translations automatically:
+
+```bash packageManager="npm"
+# Test for missing translations (add to CI)
+npx intlayer test
+
+# Fill missing translations with AI
+npx intlayer fill
+```
+
+```bash packageManager="pnpm"
+pnpm intlayer test
+pnpm intlayer fill
+```
+
+```bash packageManager="yarn"
+yarn intlayer test
+yarn intlayer fill
+```
+
+```bash packageManager="bun"
+bun x intlayer test
+bun x intlayer fill
+```
+
+Add the AI configuration to `intlayer.config.ts`:
+
+```typescript fileName="intlayer.config.ts" codeFormat={["typescript", "esm", "commonjs"]}
+import { Locales, type IntlayerConfig } from "intlayer";
+import { syncJSON } from "@intlayer/sync-json-plugin";
+
+const config: IntlayerConfig = {
+  internationalization: {
+    locales: [Locales.ENGLISH, Locales.FRENCH, Locales.SPANISH],
+    defaultLocale: Locales.ENGLISH,
+  },
+  plugins: [
+    syncJSON({
+      format: "icu",
+      source: ({ locale }) => `./locales/${locale}.json`,
+      location: "locales",
+    }),
+  ],
+  ai: {
+    apiKey: process.env.OPENAI_API_KEY,
+    // provider: "openai",     // default
+    // model: "gpt-4o-mini",   // default
+  },
+};
+
+export default config;
+```
+
+> See [Intlayer CLI documentation](https://github.com/aymericzip/intlayer/blob/main/docs/docs/en-GB/cli/index.md) for all available options.
+
+</Step>
+
+</Steps>
+
+---
+
+## What you can delete after migration
+
+Once the compat adapter is in place, the following boilerplate can be removed:
+
+| File / pattern                            | Why it's no longer needed                                                                                                                    |
+| ----------------------------------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
+| `i18n` configurations in `nuxt.config.ts` | Intlayer handles routing, dictionary loading, and default locales internally.                                                                |
+| `@nuxtjs/i18n` from `package.json`        | Replaced entirely by `nuxt-intlayer`.                                                                                                        |
+| JSON language bundles (`locales/*.json`)  | JSON bundles are only needed if you still use the `syncJSON` plugin. Once you migrate to `.content.ts` files you can delete the JSON folder. |
+
+When you are ready to go further, Intlayer **automatically discovers all `.content.ts` and `.content.json` files anywhere in your codebase** (by default, anywhere inside `./src`). You can place a `my-component.content.ts` file right next to your `MyComponent.vue` and Intlayer will pick it up at build time with no additional configuration — no imports, no registration, no centralised index file needed. This makes co-locating translations with pages and components completely frictionless.
+
+---
+
+## Configure TypeScript
+
+Intlayer uses module augmentation to provide full TypeScript intellisense for your translation keys. Make sure your `tsconfig.json` includes the auto-generated types:
+
+```json5 fileName="tsconfig.json"
+{
+  // ... Your existing TypeScript configurations
+  "include": [
+    // ... Your existing TypeScript configurations
+    ".intlayer/**/*.ts", // Include the auto-generated types
+  ],
+}
+```
+
+---
+
+## Git Configuration
+
+Add Intlayer's generated directory to your `.gitignore`:
+
+```plaintext fileName=".gitignore"
+# Ignore the files generated by Intlayer
+.intlayer
+```
+
+---
+
+## Go Further
+
+- **Visual Editor** — Manage translations visually in your browser: [Intlayer Visual Editor](https://github.com/aymericzip/intlayer/blob/main/docs/docs/en-GB/intlayer_visual_editor.md)
+- **CMS** — Externalise and manage content remotely: [Intlayer CMS](https://github.com/aymericzip/intlayer/blob/main/docs/docs/en-GB/intlayer_CMS.md)
+- **VS Code Extension** — Get autocompletion and real-time translation error detection: [Intlayer VS Code Extension](https://github.com/aymericzip/intlayer/blob/main/docs/docs/en-GB/vs_code_extension.md)
+- **CLI Reference** — Full list of CLI commands: [Intlayer CLI](https://github.com/aymericzip/intlayer/blob/main/docs/docs/en-GB/cli/index.md)
+- **Intlayer with Nuxt** — Full setup guide for Nuxt: [intlayer_with_nuxt.md](https://github.com/aymericzip/intlayer/blob/main/docs/docs/en-GB/intlayer_with_nuxt.md)
+- **Intlayer with Vue** — Full setup guide for Vue: [intlayer_with_vite+vue.md](https://github.com/aymericzip/intlayer/blob/main/docs/docs/en-GB/intlayer_with_vite+vue.md)