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Guide

Overpass Turbo: use another Overpass server

Overpass Turbo sends your queries to overpass-api.de unless you change the server in its settings.

Open Settings, type the base URL of the server into Server, ending with a slash, and save. Overpass Turbo adds interpreter itself. For overpass.ch the URL is: 
https://api.overpass.ch/v1/YOUR_API_KEY/

Step by step

  1. Open overpass-turbo.eu and click Settings in the toolbar.
  2. Under General Settings, find the Server field. It suggests the public servers listed on the OpenStreetMap wiki, but you can type any URL.
  3. Enter the server URL with its trailing slash, for example https://api.overpass.ch/v1/YOUR_API_KEY/, and click save.
  4. Run a query. The status line at the bottom of the map shows the timestamp of the data once the answer arrives.

Overpass Turbo remembers the server in your browser and adds it to the suggestions, so you can switch between servers later. To go back, pick https://overpass-api.de/api/.

Why the trailing slash matters

Overpass Turbo builds the request URL by appending interpreter to whatever is in the Server field. It does not add a slash or remove one:

Server fieldRequest goes to
…/v1/KEY/…/v1/KEY/interpreterworks
…/v1/KEY…/v1/KEYinterpreter404
…/v1/KEY/interpreter…/v1/KEY/interpreterinterpreter404

The same rule applies to the public servers: https://overpass-api.de/api/, not …/api/interpreter.

Your API key in Overpass Turbo

  • The key is part of the URL and is stored in the browser settings for overpass-turbo.eu. It is not part of the links that Share creates.
  • Two Export links do contain the server URL, and so your key: interactive map and raw data directly from Overpass API. Don't post those publicly.
  • For extra safety, create a separate key for Overpass Turbo in the dashboard and restrict it to the referrer overpass-turbo.eu. Requests from other sites are then refused.

Error messages and what they mean

  • 404, “unknown endpoint”: the URL is wrong. Check the trailing slash and that the field does not end in interpreter.
  • 401, “unknown API key”: a typo in the key, or a key that was revoked. Copy it again from the dashboard.
  • 403: the key is restricted to referrers and overpass-turbo.eu is not among them.
  • 429 Too Many Requests: on a public server, all slots of your IP address are taken (see the 429 guide). On overpass.ch, you hit the per-minute limit of your plan; the answer says how long to wait.
  • “runtime error: Query timed out”: the query needs more time than it is allowed. A [timeout:…] above the plan maximum is lowered to it, so make the query cheaper or use a plan with longer queries. The errors guide has more fixes.

What else to know

  • Shortcuts such as {{bbox}} and {{geocodeArea:…}} keep working: Overpass Turbo replaces them before it sends the query.
  • The map, the wizard and the styling are unchanged. Only the server that answers the query changes.
  • JOSM and QGIS use the same base URL: see the JOSM settings and the QuickOSM guide.
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