# Multi-Locale Guide > Source: https://agilitycms.com/docs/developers/multi-locale-guide > **Still choosing between locales, locale-specific sitemaps and separate instances?** Start with [Choosing a Localization Strategy](https://agilitycms.com/docs/developers/choosing-a-localization-strategy). This guide covers what happens once your locales exist. ## Setting up your locales Locales are configured under **Settings → Locales**. Adding, renaming, reordering and disabling locales is covered in [Locales](https://agilitycms.com/docs/editors/locales). This guide assumes your locales already exist, and focuses on what happens after that. Two things about locale setup matter specifically when you are building against the API. **The locale code is what your code will use.** The **Locale Region** dropdown assigns a standard code (for example `es-mx` for Mexico). If you need a non-standard code, tick **Custom Locale ID** and define your own. Whatever code ends up here is the exact string your API requests must use. **The region dropdown searches by code, not by language name.** Typing `Spanish` returns nothing. Type `es` to see all Spanish-speaking regions, or `es-mx` to jump straight to Mexico. ![The Add Locale dialog, showing the Locale Region dropdown and the Locale Name field](https://cdn.aglty.io/agility-cms-docs/screen-captures/locales-add-locale-modal-20260806.png) --- ## Choosing your locale context strategy When building your front end, you need to decide how locale context is determined for incoming requests. There are three common approaches. ### 1. Locale code in the URL The locale code is the first path segment: ``` https://mysite.com/en-us/about-us https://mysite.com/es-mx/about-us ``` This is the most common approach for JAMstack sites. It makes the active locale explicit and crawlable by search engines. **JAMstack / Next.js:** locale routing is handled in your application code. See [Multi-Locale Support with Next.js](https://agilitycms.com/docs/nextjs/multi-locale-support-with-next-js) for a full implementation guide. **Legacy .NET sites:** locale-in-URL routing must be enabled under **Settings → Development Framework**. ### 2. Separate domain per locale Each locale is mapped to its own domain or subdomain: ``` https://en.mysite.com/about https://es.mysite.com/about ``` To configure this, go to **Settings → Sitemaps** and click **Add a Sitemap** to create a sitemap for each locale's domain. In the Sitemap Details panel, enter a Name and Reference Name, then click **Setup Deployment** to attach your domain. ### 3. Cookie-based locale The active locale is stored in a browser cookie. This keeps URLs locale-agnostic but requires client-side logic to read and set the cookie. It is handled entirely in your front-end code and needs no configuration in Agility. --- ## Fetching locale-specific content When making requests to the Content Fetch API, the locale code is part of the URL path: ``` GET https://{guid}-api.agilitycms.cloud/{guid}/fetch/{locale}/list/{referenceName} ``` For example, to fetch a content list in Spanish (Mexico): ``` GET https://b4cc94dc-api.agilitycms.cloud/b4cc94dc/fetch/es-mx/list/posts ``` The locale code must match exactly one of the codes configured under **Settings → Locales**. Requests using an unrecognised locale code will return an error. --- ## Sitemaps per locale The sitemap is fetched per locale too: ``` GET https://{guid}-api.agilitycms.cloud/{guid}/fetch/{locale}/sitemap/flat/{channelName} GET https://{guid}-api.agilitycms.cloud/{guid}/fetch/{locale}/sitemap/nested/{channelName} ``` A page's slug can differ by locale, so build each locale's routes from that locale's own sitemap. To link a page to its translation (for a language switcher or `hreflang`), match on `pageID`, plus `contentID` for dynamic pages. [Multi-Locale Support with Next.js](https://agilitycms.com/docs/nextjs/multi-locale-support-with-next-js) shows both. --- ## Copying content into other locales from code Two Management API approaches create content in another locale: - **Initialize and Translate** copy pages, content lists or content items into other locales in one batch, as they are or machine-translated. See [Copy and Translate Content Across Locales with the API](https://agilitycms.com/docs/developers/copy-and-translate-content-with-the-api). - **Saving with the same ID** writes your own values into the target locale as a connected copy. See [Creating Content and Pages in Other Locales](https://agilitycms.com/docs/developers/creating-content-and-pages-in-other-locales). --- ## Connected Copies Connected Copies link the same content item across locales, so that each language version is understood to represent the same piece of content. **Shared contentID.** Connected copies share the same `contentID` across all locales. If you have a contentID from a query string or URL parameter, you can use it to retrieve that content in any configured locale. **Language switching.** When editing a content item that has connected copies, switching locale using the language dropdown opens the connected copy in the other locale. **Independent content.** Editing a connected copy in one locale does not affect the others, unless the field is marked **Constant across all languages** in the content model. Fields flagged as constant, such as a reference code or a sort order, are shared across every locale copy: updating the value in one updates it everywhere. --- ## Related resources - [Locales](https://agilitycms.com/docs/editors/locales), for adding, renaming, reordering and disabling locales - [Multi-Locale Support with Next.js](https://agilitycms.com/docs/nextjs/multi-locale-support-with-next-js) - [Content Fetch API](https://agilitycms.com/docs/developers/content-fetch-api) - [Choosing a Localization Strategy](https://agilitycms.com/docs/developers/choosing-a-localization-strategy) - [Copy and Translate Content Across Locales with the API](https://agilitycms.com/docs/developers/copy-and-translate-content-with-the-api) - [Copying and Translating Content Across Locales](https://agilitycms.com/docs/editors/copying-and-translating-content), for editors