Detect-File-Encoding-And-Language
The open-source package that became an unexpected success.
This package was born out of necessity. While building the Movie Subtitles extension, I couldn't find a reliable tool to detect the character encoding and language of user-uploaded files. I wasn't familiar with AWS or Google Cloud Platform, and existing npm packages either didn't work for me or had unclear instructions.
I thought: "It can't be that difficult to detect the language of a text file." So I started working on it myself and decided—well, if I'm doing this for my Chrome extension, I might as well share it with other people who might be in a similar situation.
What's really interesting is that this was originally just a byproduct of the movie subtitles project—but now it has around 180,000 downloads each month, compared to the movie subtitles extension, which has about 8,000 active users. It also got the most attention in job interviews and contributed the most to landing my first job as a software developer.
40+ Languages Supported
Accurately detects over 40 languages and various character encodings with high precision.
Multiple Environments
Works in Node.js, the browser, and as a command-line tool.
Easy Integration
Simple API that requires no external keys or complex setup.
Multiple File Formats
Supports .txt, .srt, .sub, .html, .csv, and .tsv files with best results on large inputs.
I was building the Movie Subtitles Chrome extension and struggling with encoding issues when users uploaded subtitle files in different languages. The existing solutions either didn't work reliably or required complex cloud service setups that I wasn't ready for as a beginner.
I wanted to create something that was completely free, required no API keys, and had clear, simple instructions. For everyone who was in a similar situation as I was—maybe beginners who don't know how to use AWS, or developers who just need a straightforward solution—I thought I'd open source it and make sure it's easy to use.
Most Interview-Worthy Project
When it came to landing my first job as a developer, this project got the most attention in interviews. The combination of solving a real problem, open-sourcing the solution, and achieving significant adoption demonstrated both technical skills and product thinking that employers valued.
Use It Today
Join thousands of developers who rely on this package for reliable language and encoding detection.