Introduction

Serverless apps are Crowdin apps without a backend: a static JavaScript bundle that runs right inside the Crowdin UI. Crowdin serves your bundle, injects the user and project context, and performs REST API calls on the current user’s behalf - restricted to the scopes your manifest declares. There is nothing for you to host or operate.

Serverless apps work in both Crowdin and Crowdin Enterprise.

How it fits together

A serverless app is made of three parts:

• manifest.json declares the app: its name, the UI modules it adds to Crowdin, the API scopes it may use, and where its bundle is served from.
• The CLI builds your frontend into a single dist/app.js (plus assets such as translation catalogs) and manages the app in Crowdin: while dev runs, Crowdin loads the bundle straight from your machine; after publish, Crowdin serves the uploaded bundle itself.
• The SDK runs inside the bundle: it registers your modules, exposes typed context, events, and host actions, and provides a Crowdin REST API client that needs no tokens, a UI kit styled to match Crowdin, and an i18n runtime for translating your app.

When to build a serverless app

Serverless apps are the fastest way to extend the Crowdin UI: panels in the editor, project tools, dashboards, menus, and other frontend experiences that work with Crowdin data through the REST API.

If your app needs its own backend - webhooks, background jobs, file processing, integrations with external services under your own credentials - build a classic Crowdin app with the Crowdin Apps SDK instead.

Packages

Package	Description
@crowdin/serverless-apps-cli	Create, develop, preview, and publish serverless apps from your terminal
@crowdin/serverless-apps-sdk	Typed runtime SDK: host bridge, React hooks, UI components, i18n, and an in-app Crowdin API client

Ready to try it? Head over to the quick start.