# General Translation Python SDKs: Quickstart
URL: https://generaltranslation.com/en-GB/docs/python/quickstart.mdx
---

title: Quickstart
description: Install the General Translation Python SDK and translate your first Flask or FastAPI app.
related:
  links:
    - /docs/python/guides/translating-strings
    - /docs/python/guides/detecting-locale
    - /docs/python/guides/declaring-variables
    - /docs/python/guides/storing-translations

---

The General Translation Python SDK translates user-facing strings in Flask and FastAPI apps. You initialise it once with your app, then wrap strings in your routes with the [`t`](/docs/python/reference/functions/t) function, which translates into the current request's locale.

Install the integration for your framework: `gt-flask` for Flask, `gt-fastapi` for FastAPI. Both build on the shared `gt-i18n` runtime, which you can also use directly in a non-framework project.

<Callout type="warn">
  The Python SDK is **experimental and unstable**. `gt-i18n`, `gt-flask`, and `gt-fastapi` are still in early development and may have breaking changes between releases. It requires Python 3.10 or later.
</Callout>

## What the Python SDK does [#overview]

The SDK gives you:

* **String translation** with [`t`](/docs/python/reference/functions/t), using ICU message syntax.
* **Per-request locale** detection from the `Accept-Language` header, or your own logic.
* **Finite variants** with [`derive`](/docs/python/reference/functions/derive), and non-translatable values with [`declare_var`](/docs/python/reference/functions/declare-var).
* **CDN or local delivery** of translations generated by the [General Translation CLI](/docs/cli/quickstart).

## Quickstart [#quickstart]

Install the integration, add a config file, initialise with your app, and translate a string.

### 1. Install the integration

<Tabs items={['Flask', 'FastAPI']}>
  <Tab value="Flask">
    ```bash
    pip install gt-flask
    ```
  </Tab>

  <Tab value="FastAPI">
    ```bash
    pip install gt-fastapi
    ```
  </Tab>
</Tabs>

### 2. Configure your locales

Create a `gt.config.json` at your project root with your Project ID and locales. See the [configuration reference](/docs/python/reference/config) for every key.

```json title="gt.config.json"
{
  "projectId": "your-project-id",
  "defaultLocale": "en",
  "locales": ["es", "fr"]
}
```

With the placeholder `projectId`, the app still runs and the request locale still changes, but every string comes back in the source language. That is expected until you set your own Project ID and publish translations.

### 3. Initialise with your app

Call `initialize_gt(app)` once at startup. It reads `gt.config.json`, registers per-request locale detection, and eagerly loads translations. There is no API key parameter — CDN loading uses `project_id` and `cache_url`.

<Tabs items={['Flask', 'FastAPI']}>
  <Tab value="Flask">
    ```python title="app.py"
    from flask import Flask
    from gt_flask import initialize_gt, t, get_locale

    app = Flask(__name__)
    initialize_gt(app)

    @app.route("/")
    def index():
        return {"message": t("Hello, world!"), "locale": get_locale()}
    ```

    Run it with:

    ```bash
    flask --app app run
    ```
  </Tab>

  <Tab value="FastAPI">
    ```python title="main.py"
    from fastapi import FastAPI
    from gt_fastapi import initialize_gt, t, get_locale

    app = FastAPI()
    initialize_gt(app)

    @app.get("/")
    def index():
        return {"message": t("Hello, world!"), "locale": get_locale()}
    ```

    FastAPI needs a separate ASGI server. Install Uvicorn and start the app with:

    ```bash
    pip install "uvicorn[standard]"
    uvicorn main:app
    ```
  </Tab>
</Tabs>

### 4. Translate with variables

Use ICU placeholders and pass values as keyword arguments.

```python
t("Hello, {name}!", name="Alice")
```

### 5. Generate translations

Use the [General Translation CLI](/docs/cli/quickstart) to translate your content before you deploy, so translations are available at runtime. The CLI is a Node tool, so it requires Node to be installed and runs via `npx`.

```bash
npx gt translate
```

## Use the core library without a framework [#core]

If you are not using Flask or FastAPI, install `gt-i18n` directly. There is no [`initialize_gt`](/docs/python/reference/functions/initialize-gt) in the core library — construct an [`I18nManager`](/docs/python/reference/classes/i18n-manager), register it with [`set_i18n_manager`](/docs/python/reference/functions/set-i18n-manager), and set the request locale yourself.

```bash
pip install gt-i18n
```

```python
from gt_i18n import I18nManager, set_i18n_manager, t

manager = I18nManager(default_locale="en", locales=["es", "fr"])
set_i18n_manager(manager)

manager.set_locale("es")
print(t("Hello, world!"))
```

See [Translating strings](/docs/python/guides/translating-strings) for context and variables, and [Detecting the request locale](/docs/python/guides/detecting-locale) to customise locale detection.
## Next steps

- /docs/python/guides/translating-strings
- /docs/python/guides/detecting-locale
- /docs/python/guides/declaring-variables
- /docs/python/guides/storing-translations