Origins
A while back, I was working on a big multi-language project at my company. I was in charge of the frontend (React/Next.js), and i18n was a big requirement.
At first, I thought: “No problem, I’ll just replace text with keys and load translations.”
But then the pain started:
- Constantly searching for keys inside huge JSON files.
- Forgetting the exact key structure and making typos.
- Reusing existing keys was harder than just writing new ones.
- Switching between code and translation files broke my focus.
The Spark of an Idea
While struggling through this, an idea clicked:
💡 What if I had an extension inside my editor that boosted the i18n workflow—helping me navigate, search, and insert keys effortlessly, without leaving the code editor?I wanted features that felt native to the editor—developer-friendly and familiar—so that using them felt natural, not like adding another heavy tool to the stack. That was the seed of i18n-boost.
Building Plan
Before writing code, I defined two key boundaries:
- Tech domain → I would start with React/Next.js since that’s my main stack.
- Editor domain → I chose VS Code (and Cursor) because that’s where I work daily. JetBrains and Zed are great, but I needed focus.
Building the First Version (with AI’s Help)
To validate the idea, I built a small MVP. Here’s where AI played a role: instead of spending weeks testing the waters, I used AI as a coding assistant to quickly hack together a prototype.
The goal wasn’t to make it perfect—it was to answer one question: Is this idea worth pursuing?
And the answer was yes.
The Naming Struggle
Naming a project is harder than writing code. Many good names were already taken.
- Some friends suggested i18n-headless, but “headless” in programming usually means “no UI”—not a good fit.
- Others suggested i18n-swift, but using a programming language name (like Swift or Express) might confuse people into thinking it was tied to that language.
- Unique (not taken).
- Descriptive (boosts developer productivity).
- Positive and memorable.
Gathering Feedback & Iteration
After building the prototype, I shared it with some friends and teammates. Their feedback was crucial. They confirmed the pain points I felt were real, and the features were genuinely useful.
That gave me the confidence to polish it further and prepare it for publishing.
Publishing the Extension
The final step was shipping. Since VS Code is the most widely used editor, publishing to the VS Code Marketplace was the first target. I also made sure it’s available on Cursor, a fast-growing editor that many developers use.
And just like that, i18n-boost went live. 🎉
Reflections & Takeaways
Looking back, here are a few lessons from the journey:
- Build tools that feel native to developers’ workflows. Familiarity lowers friction.
- Validate ideas early with MVPs—even if they’re rough.
- Don’t underestimate the power of a good name.
i18n-boost started as my personal attempt to solve an annoying problem. Now it’s a tool that can hopefully save developers worldwide countless hours while working on internationalized projects. You can check it out here. If you liked it, consider leaving a review, this helps increase the spread of the extension. Have any feature to request or bug to report? kindly open an issue i'll be happy to hear you. And if you’re struggling with i18n, give your productivity a little boost 🌐⚡.