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Next.js 13
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Client Components

Usage in Client Components

next-intl is available in the app directory from version 2.10 onwards.

Getting started

Create a Next.js 13 app that uses the app directory if you haven't done so already. The goal is to prefix all routes with the locale, so we can retrieve it as a dynamic segment and use it to configure next-intl.

  1. Create the following file structure:
├── messages (1)
│   ├── en.json
│   └── ...
├── app
│   ├── [locale]
│   │   ├── layout.tsx (2)
│   │   └── page.tsx (3)
│   └── ...
└── middleware.tsx (4)
  1. Set up messages for a language, e.g. in messages/en.json (1):
{
  "Index": {
    "title": "Hello world!"
  }
}
  1. Configure NextIntlClientProvider in app/[locale]/layout.tsx (2):
import {NextIntlClientProvider} from 'next-intl/client';
import {notFound} from 'next/navigation';

export default async function LocaleLayout({children, params: {locale}}) {
  let messages;
  try {
    messages = (await import(`../../messages/${locale}.json`)).default;
  } catch (error) {
    notFound();
  }

  return (
    <NextIntlClientProvider locale={locale} messages={messages}>
      {children}
    </NextIntlClientProvider>
  );
}
  1. Turn your component in app/[locale]/page.tsx into a Client Component to be able to use translations (3):
'use client';

import {useTranslations} from 'next-intl';

export default function Index() {
  const t = useTranslations('Index');
  return <h1>{t('title')}</h1>;
}
  1. Create a middleware that handles redirects:
import {createIntlMiddleware} from 'next-intl/server';

// This middleware intercepts requests to `/` and will redirect
// to one of the configured locales instead (e.g. `/en`). A cookie
// is set in the background, so if the user switches to a new
// language, this language will take precedence from now on.
export default createIntlMiddleware({
  locales: ['en', 'de'],
  defaultLocale: 'en'
});

That's all you need to do to start using translations in the app directory!

If you've encountered an issue, you can explore the code for a working example (demo).

💡

Note that you have to make use of 'use client'; in all components that use features from next-intl if you use this approach. Support for next-intl APIs in Server Components is available in a preview version.

Usage in head.js

This is the one component that Next.js doesn't allow to be marked with 'use client;'.

Support for Server Components in next-intl will allow you to use the same APIs as in other components. For the meantime, as a stopgap solution, you can use the core library from next-intl.

// app/[locale]/head.tsx

import {createTranslator} from 'next-intl';
import {notFound} from 'next/navigation';

type Props = {
  params: {
    locale: string;
  };
};

export default async function Head({params: {locale}}: Props) {
  let messages;
  try {
    messages = (await import(`../../messages/${locale}.json`)).default;
  } catch (error) {
    notFound();
  }

  // Currently you can use the core (non-React) APIs when you
  // have to use next-intl in a Server Component like `Head`.
  // In the future you'll be able to use the React APIs here as
  // well (see https://next-intl-docs.vercel.app/docs/next-13).
  const t = createTranslator({locale, messages});

  return (
    <>
      <title>{t('Head.title')}</title>
    </>
  );
}
Getting started
Server Components (preview)