Permissions

django-live-translations controls access to the editing UI through a configurable permission check. By default, only authenticated superusers can see and use the translation editing widget.

Default behavior

The default permission check allows access for authenticated superusers only:

def default_permission_check(request: HttpRequest) -> bool:
    return (
        hasattr(request, "user")
        and request.user.is_authenticated
        and request.user.is_superuser
    )

For all other users, the package has no visible effect and near-zero performance overhead.

Custom permission check

Override the default by setting PERMISSION_CHECK to a dotted path or callable:

Staff members only

# myapp/permissions.py
from django.http import HttpRequest


def can_edit_translations(request: HttpRequest) -> bool:
    return (
        hasattr(request, "user")
        and request.user.is_authenticated
        and request.user.is_staff
    )

# settings.py
LIVE_TRANSLATIONS = {
    "PERMISSION_CHECK": "myapp.permissions.can_edit_translations",
}

Group-based access

# myapp/permissions.py
from django.http import HttpRequest


def can_edit_translations(request: HttpRequest) -> bool:
    if not hasattr(request, "user") or not request.user.is_authenticated:
        return False
    return request.user.groups.filter(name="Translators").exists()

Permission-based access

# myapp/permissions.py
from django.http import HttpRequest


def can_edit_translations(request: HttpRequest) -> bool:
    if not hasattr(request, "user") or not request.user.is_authenticated:
        return False
    return request.user.has_perm("live_translations.change_translationentry")

Preview mode

Preview mode allows authorized users to see inactive translations overlaid on the page without activating them. This is useful for reviewing translations before making them live.

• Toggle with Ctrl+Shift+P (configurable via SHORTCUT_PREVIEW)
• Inactive translations are shown with amber outlines
• Preview mode uses the lt_preview cookie to persist the state

Preview mode is gated by the same permission check as edit mode - only users who pass the PERMISSION_CHECK can use it.

API endpoint protection

All API endpoints under /__live-translations__/ are protected by the same permission check. Unauthorized requests receive a 403 Forbidden response. The endpoints are:

No URL configuration is needed - these are handled automatically by the middleware.