The Eleventy Multilingual starter is a free GitHub project that scaffolds a multilingual website with Eleventy (11ty), a static site generator, including a browser-language detection landing page and a language switcher.
What is Eleventy Multilingual?
Eleventy Multilingual is a starter template for building multilingual static sites with Eleventy (11ty). It takes Markdown content and layouts and outputs a static HTML site with language-specific pages, and includes a browser-language detection page and a language switcher. Created by GitHub user lea37, it is based on the multilingual Eleventy tutorial by Jérôme Coupé.
Key Features
- Browser language detection — An index page uses the visitor's browser/user language to display an "enter website" message before routing them into the site.
- Language switcher — A language switcher component lets users switch between available languages on the site.
- Eleventy static site generation — Built on Eleventy, it compiles Markdown content and templates into fast static HTML pages.
- Raw CSS — The CSS is a raw file with no framework, preprocessing, or build method, making it easy to replace or extend.
- Forestry CMS integration — Pre-configured to work with Forestry, a Git-based CMS, so you can import the repository into Forestry and edit content with a visual UI.
- Git-based content management — Any changes made in Forestry are committed back to the repository, keeping content and code in sync.
- Simple local setup — Install with git clone, npm install, and npm run serve to start a local dev server.
Who is it for?
- Multilingual site builders — Developers and content editors who need to launch a website in multiple languages without building internationalization setup from scratch.
- Eleventy users — People already using Eleventy who want a reference implementation for locale routing, language switching, and multilingual content organization.
- Forestry CMS users — Teams that want a Git-based editing workflow where content changes go straight back to the repo.
What can you do with it?
- Build a multilingual marketing site — Set up language-specific home pages with a landing page that greets visitors in their detected language.
- Prototype an international blog — Use the starter's structure to create posts in several languages with a switcher between versions.
- Learn multilingual routing in Eleventy — Study the starter's file structure and lang switcher implementation from Jérôme Coupé's tutorial as a starting point for your own projects.
How does Eleventy Multilingual work?
First, clone the repository with git and install dependencies with npm install. Then run npm run serve to start a local development server. The starter's index page reads the visitor's browser language, shows an entry message, and links into the site's language-specific sections, while the lang switcher lets visitors navigate to other available languages. For content management, import the repository into Forestry using its quick-start link, and edits made in the Forestry interface are committed back to the repo.
FAQ
Is Eleventy Multilingual free?
Yes, it is an open-source starter template available on GitHub. You can clone it, modify it, and use it for your own projects, subject to the repository's license. No pricing information is stated on the page.
How do I install Eleventy Multilingual?
Run these commands in your terminal: git clone [email protected]:lea37/eleventy-multilingual.git, then cd eleventy-multilingual, then npm install, and finally npm run serve to launch a local server.
How do I edit content with Forestry?
Import the repository into Forestry via the quick-start link provided in the project README. Once imported, Forestry shows a visual editing interface; changes you make are committed back to the repository automatically.
Does the starter use a CSS framework?
No. The project uses a raw CSS file without any CSS framework, preprocessor, or utility classes. The styling is plain and unopinionated, so you can replace it with your own CSS approach.
