---
title: "Deploy LibreTranslate | Open Source Google Translate Alternative"
description: "Self-host LibreTranslate. 30+ languages, free private with REST API"
category: "Other"
url: https://railway.com/deploy/libretranslate-translation
---

# Deploy LibreTranslate | Open Source Google Translate Alternative

Self-host LibreTranslate. 30+ languages, free private with REST API

**[Deploy LibreTranslate | Open Source Google Translate Alternative on Railway](https://railway.com/template/libretranslate-translation)**

- **Creator:** Heimdall
- **Category:** Other
- **Total deploys:** 17

## Template content

### LibreTranslate https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/gh/homarr-labs/dashboard-icons/svg/libretranslate-dark.svg

- **Image:** libretranslate/libretranslate:latest
- **Public domain:** Yes

## Documentation

![LibreTranslate logo](https://opengraph.githubassets.com/22bed2b0104733c4c5ccd6b3bed4965f9b8e4a654e60209345da42775a6417df/LibreTranslate/LibreTranslate)

# Deploy and Host LibreTranslate on Railway

LibreTranslate is an open-source, self-hosted machine translation API powered by the Argos Translate engine — supporting 30+ languages with no third-party API keys required. Deploy LibreTranslate on Railway to run a fully private translation service with a built-in web UI and REST API.

This Railway template pre-configures LibreTranslate with 11 popular languages (English, Spanish, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Arabic, Russian), API key authentication, rate limiting, and persistent model storage via a Railway volume.

## Getting Started with LibreTranslate on Railway

Once the deployment completes, the first startup takes 1-2 minutes to download language models. After that, visit your public Railway URL to access the LibreTranslate web interface. The web UI provides a clean translation box — select source and target languages, type or paste text, and get instant translations.

To use the REST API, send POST requests to `/translate` with a JSON body containing `q` (text), `source` (language code), and `target` (language code). API key authentication is enabled by default — generate keys via the `/frontend/settings/api-keys` endpoint or by running `ltmanage keys add` inside the container. The `/languages` endpoint returns all available language pairs.

```
curl -X POST https://your-app.up.railway.app/translate \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"q":"Hello world","source":"en","target":"es","api_key":"your-key"}'
```

![LibreTranslate dashboard screenshot](https://res.cloudinary.com/asset-cloudinary/image/upload/v1776949489/3e18aa83-6dbe-4fe6-a7cf-5dfb57c7c192.png)

## About Hosting LibreTranslate

LibreTranslate solves the problem of machine translation without depending on proprietary cloud APIs like Google Translate or DeepL. All translation happens locally — no data leaves your infrastructure.

- **Privacy-first:** Text never leaves your server — ideal for GDPR, HIPAA, and data sovereignty compliance
- **REST API:** Simple JSON-based API compatible with any language or framework
- **Web UI included:** Built-in translation interface for non-technical users
- **File translation:** Upload documents (PDF, DOCX, PPTX) for batch translation
- **Language detection:** Automatic source language identification
- **No API costs:** Unlimited translations with zero per-character billing
- **Offline capable:** Works without internet after models are downloaded

## Why Deploy LibreTranslate on Railway

Railway simplifies self-hosting LibreTranslate with one-click deployment and persistent storage:

- Volume persistence keeps downloaded language models across restarts — no re-downloading
- Environment variables control which languages to load, rate limits, and auth settings
- Public HTTPS domain with automatic TLS — no reverse proxy configuration needed
- Memory limits prevent runaway model loading from consuming all resources

## Common Use Cases for Self-Hosted LibreTranslate

- **Privacy-compliant translation** — Healthcare, legal, and government orgs translate sensitive documents without sending data to third-party APIs
- **App localization API** — Developers integrate real-time translation into chat apps, support platforms, or CMS systems via the REST endpoint
- **Bulk content translation** — Translate large volumes of user-generated content, product descriptions, or documentation without per-character costs
- **Air-gapped environments** — Deploy in networks with no internet access for military, research, or regulated industries

## Dependencies for LibreTranslate on Railway

- **LibreTranslate** — `libretranslate/libretranslate:latest` — the translation API server with web UI

No external database, cache, or worker services are required. LibreTranslate is fully self-contained — API keys use local SQLite and rate limiting uses in-memory storage.

### Environment Variables Reference for LibreTranslate

| Variable | Default | Description |
|----------|---------|-------------|
| `LT_LOAD_ONLY` | all | Comma-separated language codes to load (e.g. `en,es,fr`) |
| `LT_API_KEYS` | `false` | Enable API key authentication |
| `LT_THREADS` | `4` | Number of gunicorn worker processes |
| `LT_REQ_LIMIT` | `-1` | Max requests per minute per client (-1 = unlimited) |
| `LT_CHAR_LIMIT` | `-1` | Max characters per translation request |
| `LT_BATCH_LIMIT` | `-1` | Max texts per batch request |
| `LT_DISABLE_WEB_UI` | `false` | Disable the web translation interface |
| `LT_UPDATE_MODELS` | `false` | Check for model updates at startup |

### Deployment Dependencies

- **Runtime:** Python 3.11 + Gunicorn WSGI server
- **Docker Hub:** [libretranslate/libretranslate](https://hub.docker.com/r/libretranslate/libretranslate)
- **GitHub:** [LibreTranslate/LibreTranslate](https://github.com/LibreTranslate/LibreTranslate) (~14.2k stars)
- **Docs:** [libretranslate.com](https://libretranslate.com/)

## Hardware Requirements for Self-Hosting LibreTranslate

| Resource | Minimum (3 languages) | Recommended (11 languages) |
|----------|----------------------|---------------------------|
| CPU | 1 vCPU | 2 vCPU |
| RAM | 2 GB | 4 GB |
| Storage | 1 GB | 3 GB |
| Runtime | ~60s first boot | ~90s first boot |

Loading all 30+ languages requires 8 GB+ RAM and ~10 GB storage. Use `LT_LOAD_ONLY` to control memory usage.

## Self-Hosting LibreTranslate with Docker

Run LibreTranslate locally with a single Docker command:

```
docker run -ti -p 5000:5000 \
  -v lt-models:/home/libretranslate/.local \
  -e LT_LOAD_ONLY=en,es,fr \
  libretranslate/libretranslate:latest
```

Or use Docker Compose for a production setup:

```
services:
  libretranslate:
    image: libretranslate/libretranslate:latest
    ports:
      - "5000:5000"
    environment:
      - LT_LOAD_ONLY=en,es,fr,de
      - LT_API_KEYS=true
      - LT_REQ_LIMIT=60
    volumes:
      - lt-models:/home/libretranslate/.local
      - lt-db:/app/db
    restart: unless-stopped

volumes:
  lt-models:
  lt-db:
```

## Is LibreTranslate Free to Self-Host?

LibreTranslate is free and open-source under the AGPL-3.0 license. Self-hosting is completely free with unlimited translations. The hosted API at portal.libretranslate.com offers Pro ($29/mo) and Business ($58/mo) plans for users who prefer managed infrastructure. On Railway, you only pay for compute and storage — no translation API fees.

## LibreTranslate vs Google Translate API

| Feature | LibreTranslate | Google Translate API |
|---------|---------------|---------------------|
| Price | Free (self-hosted) | $20 per million characters |
| Languages | 30+ | 130+ |
| Privacy | Data stays on your server | Data sent to Google |
| Quality | Good (neural MT) | Excellent |
| Offline | Yes | No |
| API limit | Unlimited | Pay-per-use |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | Proprietary |

LibreTranslate trades translation quality breadth for complete data privacy and zero recurring costs. For European languages, quality is comparable; for less common pairs, Google has the edge.

## FAQ

**What is LibreTranslate and why should you self-host it?**
LibreTranslate is an open-source machine translation API that runs entirely on your own infrastructure. Self-hosting ensures that sensitive text — medical records, legal documents, internal communications — never leaves your network, making it the go-to choice for organizations with data sovereignty requirements.

**What does this Railway template deploy for LibreTranslate?**
This template deploys a single LibreTranslate container with 11 pre-configured languages, API key authentication, rate limiting, and a Railway volume for persistent language model storage. No database or cache services are needed.

**Why does LibreTranslate on Railway need a volume?**
Language models (~200-300 MB per language pair) are downloaded on first startup. Without a volume at `/home/libretranslate/.local`, models re-download on every container restart, adding 1-2 minutes of downtime. The volume persists models across restarts.

**How do I add more languages to self-hosted LibreTranslate on Railway?**
Update the `LT_LOAD_ONLY` environment variable with additional language codes (e.g. `en,es,fr,de,nl,pl`). Each additional language adds ~200 MB of RAM usage. Monitor memory consumption and increase the Railway memory limit if needed.

**How do I enable API key authentication in LibreTranslate on Railway?**
Set `LT_API_KEYS=true` in the environment variables. Then exec into the container and run `ltmanage keys add` to generate API keys. Keys are stored in SQLite under the volume mount, so they persist across restarts.

**Can LibreTranslate handle file translation on Railway?**
Yes. The web UI and API support translating uploaded files (PDF, DOCX, PPTX, HTML). Set `LT_DISABLE_FILES_TRANSLATION=false` (the default) to enable this feature. Large files may require increasing the `LT_CHAR_LIMIT` value.


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