Introduction
What Karpa is, and why it exists.
What is Karpa?
Karpa is a privacy-first AI translation app that runs on your machine. Instead of sending your text to a remote cloud service, Karpa uses local AI models (LM Studio, Ollama) or connects to the provider of your choice — so your data stays under your control.
It's the modern open-source alternative to cloud translation services like Google Translate or DeepL. Free forever.
Why Karpa?
| Feature | Karpa | Cloud Services |
|---|---|---|
| Privacy | ✅ Your choice — local or trusted provider | ❌ Data sent to servers |
| Internet Required | ✅ Works offline (local providers) | ❌ Always required |
| Cost | ✅ Free forever | ❌ Usually paid/subscription |
| Speed | ✅ Instant (local) / Fast (API) | ❌ Network latency |
| Data stored | ✅ Nothing leaves (local) | ❌ Logged & profiled |
Supported Providers
| Provider | Type | API Key |
|---|---|---|
| LM Studio | Local — runs on your machine | No |
| Ollama | Local — runs on your machine | No |
| OpenAI | Cloud — GPT-4o, GPT-4o-mini | Yes |
| Anthropic | Cloud — Claude models | Yes |
| Google Gemini | Cloud — Gemini Pro, Flash | Yes |
| OpenRouter | Cloud — 200+ models | Yes |
| Custom | Any OpenAI-compatible endpoint | Optional |
Features at a glance
- Complete Privacy — All translations happen locally or through a provider you trust.
- Multi-Provider — Switch between LM Studio, Ollama, OpenAI, Anthropic, Gemini, OpenRouter, or custom.
- Multi-Language — 12+ languages: English, Turkish, Spanish, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Russian, Japanese, Chinese, Korean, Arabic.
- Text & File Translation — Translate plain text or files (
.txt,.md,.json,.csv,.srt,.js,.ts,.py,.html,.css,.xml, and more). Download translated files. - Translation Tones — Standard, Formal, Casual, or Technical.
- History & Favorites — Auto-save history with file support; star translations for quick reuse.
- Progress & Cancellation — Real-time progress bar, chunk tracking, and cancel button.
- Notifications — Desktop notifications and sound effects when translations complete.
- Text-to-Speech — Listen to translations aloud.
- Dark Mode — Light, Dark, or System theme. UI in 5 languages.
- Data Backup — Export/import your history, favorites, and settings as JSON.
- Docker Support — Docker Compose, Docker pull from GHCR, and custom Docker build.
Tech stack
| Category | Technology |
|---|---|
| Framework | Next.js 16 |
| UI Library | React 19 |
| Language | TypeScript |
| Styling | Tailwind CSS v4 |
| Components | shadcn/ui + Radix UI |
| Animations | Framer Motion |
| AI Backend | LM Studio, Ollama, OpenAI, Anthropic, Gemini, OpenRouter, Custom |
Ready to get started? The Quick Start guide gets you translating in under two minutes.