LibreTranslate
LibreTranslate is available in the NetActuate Marketplace as a one-click, open-source appliance you can deploy into any NetActuate PoP. Self-hosted machine translation API and web console; your text never leaves your VM. It is grouped under the Media & Streaming category.
What It Does
LibreTranslate is a free and open-source machine-translation engine you run entirely on your own server. It exposes a simple translation API and a clean web console, powered by Argos Translate, with no third-party translation service and no data leaving your VM.
This appliance pre-bakes the English, Spanish, French and German language models at build time and disables runtime model updates, so it starts translating on the first boot without a slow model download.
Key features
- REST translation API plus a browser translate console, no login required
- Fully self-hosted and private: text is translated on your VM, not a cloud service
- Pre-installed English, Spanish, French and German models (en, es, fr, de)
- Language detection and a /languages endpoint that lists installed models
- Optional API-key auth when you want to gate or meter access
Use cases
- Private translation for apps, support desks, and internal tools
- On-prem localization pipelines that must keep content in your own infrastructure
- A drop-in, self-hosted alternative to hosted translation APIs
Why run it on the NetActuate edge Running LibreTranslate in a PoP near your users cuts round-trip latency for translation calls and keeps sensitive content inside infrastructure you control, instead of sending it to an external translation provider.
Deployed from the NetActuate marketplace, LibreTranslate boots ready to use: open the console on HTTP port 5000 and translate immediately, or call the API from your code. Seed an optional API key to enable key auth, or leave it blank to keep the console open.
Vendor and Project
LibreTranslate is an open-source project, offered here under the Open Source listing with best-effort community support.
- Project home: libretranslate.com
NetActuate supports the underlying infrastructure. Application-level support follows the listing SLA class (open-source, best effort).
Sizing
| vCPU | RAM | Disk | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum | 1 | 2 GB | 25 GB |
| Recommended | 2 | 4 GB | 50 GB |
No VPU (hardware acceleration) is required for this appliance. Choose a size at deploy based on your expected load.
Configuration Fields
When you deploy, you provide these fields. They are written into the appliance at first boot.
| Field | Required | Default | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| API key | No | none | Optional. Set an API key to enable LibreTranslate API-key auth (pass it as the api_key parameter). Stored in your secret list; never echoed back. Leave blank for an open translation console. Allowed: 8 to 128 non-whitespace characters. Stored write-only in your account secret list |
Using the Appliance
Start translating in minutes
- Open the console. Browse to http://YOUR_VM_IP:5000/ . The web translate UI has no login; pick a source and target language and translate.
- Call the API. POST to http://YOUR_VM_IP:5000/translate with JSON {"q":"hello","source":"en","target":"es"}. GET http://YOUR_VM_IP:5000/languages returns the installed languages (English, Spanish, French, German).
- Optional API key. If you seeded an API key, pass it as the api_key parameter; the key is stored in your secret list. Leave it blank to keep the console open.
Exposure posture: the appliance serves plain HTTP on port 5000 with an open console by default. Put a TLS-terminating proxy in front and enable API-key auth before exposing it publicly.
FAQ
Is there a software license fee? No. LibreTranslate is open source and free to run. You pay only for the NetActuate infrastructure and bandwidth.
Which port does the appliance serve on?
The primary service is published on port 5000 by default; see the configuration fields for any adjustable ports.
Who supports it? NetActuate operates the underlying infrastructure. The application itself is community-supported open source (best-effort SLA class).
Version and Changelog
| Version | Status | Released |
|---|---|---|
| 1.9.6 | Current (default) | 2026-07-13 |
Deploy
- Deploy in the portal: Deploy LibreTranslate
- View the listing: portal.netactuate.com/platform/marketplace/l/libretranslate
- Public listing: netactuate.com/marketplace/libretranslate
Need Help?
Contact support@netactuate.com or open a support ticket from the portal.