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Overpass API

by Roland Olbricht and the OpenStreetMap community · API service · also known as Overpass QL, Overpass turbo

Read-only query service for OpenStreetMap data using the Overpass QL language, available on public instances or self-hosted

AGPL-3.0-only licenseFreeOpen sourceCloudSelf-hostedSelf-hostable
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Link verified Nov 2, 2026

Overview

Overpass API is a read-only query engine for OpenStreetMap data written by Roland Olbricht and maintained with the OSM community. Clients send a query in Overpass QL (or an XML form) describing tags, areas, bounding boxes and relationships, and receive matching nodes, ways and relations as JSON or XML, optionally with geometry. Public instances such as overpass-api.de are updated within minutes of OSM edits and are free to use under fair-use limits, while the Overpass turbo web front end helps compose and visualise queries. The server software is AGPL-licensed and can be installed on your own hardware from planet extracts for unrestricted throughput. Query cost grows quickly with area and tag complexity, public servers apply timeouts and rate limits, and results carry the ODbL obligations of OSM data.

Capabilities

  • Filter OSM objects by tag, bounding box, area or proximity
  • Recursion over relations and ways to assemble full geometries
  • JSON and XML output with optional geometry
  • Minute-level freshness on public instances
  • Self-hostable server from planet files
  • Overpass turbo for interactive query building

Typical workflows

  1. Fetch all amenities within a radius of each property in a sample
  2. Download building footprints for a municipality into GeoPandas

Strengths

  • Free public access with current data
  • Expressive query language
  • Open-source server

Limitations

  • Public instances impose timeouts and rate limits
  • Large or complex queries are slow or rejected
  • Not a bulk-download replacement for planet extracts

Prerequisites

  • HTTP client; Overpass QL knowledge

Who it is for

  • Researchers extracting OSM features
  • Developers prototyping map applications

Alternatives & comparison

Downloading an OSM extract into PostGIS or GeoPandas suits repeated heavy analysis; Overpass is better for targeted, fresh, ad-hoc extraction without local infrastructure.

  • GeoPandas

    Python library extending pandas with geometry columns, spatial operations, reprojection, spatial joins and file I/O for vector geodata

    Open sourceOpen source
  • OpenStreetMap

    Collaboratively edited world map database released under the ODbL, with planet files, an editing API and derived tiles and extracts

    Open sourceFree
  • PostGIS

    Spatial extension for PostgreSQL adding geometry, geography and raster types with indexing and hundreds of SQL functions

    Open sourceOpen source
Compare Overpass API with its alternatives →

Sources & verification

Primary sources consulted for this record. Claims are tied to the fields each source supports; the automated link checker re-verifies every URL on a schedule.

  • License
    COPYING (AGPL v3)

    https://github.com/drolbr/Overpass-API/blob/master/COPYING

    Supports: license_spdx, source_model

    checked Nov 1, 2026
  • Official documentation
    Overpass API — OSM Wiki

    https://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/Overpass_API

    Supports: capabilities, limitations

    checked Nov 1, 2026
  • Official site
    Overpass API

    https://overpass-api.de/

    Supports: name, summary

    checked Nov 1, 2026
  • Official site
    Overpass turbo

    https://overpass-turbo.eu/

    Supports: capabilities

    checked Nov 1, 2026
Confidence
High
Reviewed
Nov 1, 2026
Links
Verified · Nov 2, 2026

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