# overpass.ch

> Hosted Overpass API for OpenStreetMap data, with API keys, a free plan and monthly plans. The same key works for an elevation API in the format of the Google Elevation API and for vector map tiles with MapLibre styles.

overpass.ch runs a custom Rust engine, overpass-rust (https://github.com/cdutsov/overpass-rust), on the full planet with metadata and minutely updates; history queries run on Overpass API 0.7.62. Overpass QL and XML queries work unchanged. To move code from overpass-api.de, replace `https://overpass-api.de/api/interpreter` with `https://api.overpass.ch/v1/<API_KEY>/interpreter`.

On customer queries with identical answers on 11 and 12 November 2026, on the same hardware, the Rust engine was typically 84 times faster than Overpass API 0.7.62, the software of the public Overpass servers, on queries with answers under 100 KB, and 14 times faster in total time over all queries. On the afternoon of 5 November, five typical queries took 0.14–0.19 s each on overpass.ch and 35–120 s on overpass-api.de, overpass.kumi.systems and overpass.private.coffee, which answered some of them with HTTP 502 or 504 or not within two minutes.

- Every request needs an API key. Create an account at https://overpass.ch/signup and a key at https://overpass.ch/dashboard/keys. Requests without a valid key get HTTP 401.
- Send queries to `https://api.overpass.ch/v1/<API_KEY>/interpreter`, with GET and `?data=<query>`, or with POST and a form field `data` or the raw query as the body.
- The key can also go in an `X-API-Key` header, with `https://api.overpass.ch/v1/interpreter` as the URL.
- `https://api.overpass.ch/v1/<API_KEY>/translate?q=<sentence>` turns a sentence such as "cafés in Zürich" (English, German, French or Italian) into an Overpass query: JSON with `query`, `understood`, `exact`, `notes`, `alternatives` and `places`. With `run=1` it answers with the Overpass result of the query. Each call counts as one Overpass request. Docs: https://overpass.ch/docs#translate.
- Overpass Turbo, JOSM and QuickOSM take the server URL `https://api.overpass.ch/v1/<API_KEY>/` with the trailing slash. In OSMnx, set `ox.settings.overpass_url = "https://api.overpass.ch/v1/<API_KEY>"`. In osmdata for R, call `set_overpass_url("https://api.overpass.ch/v1/<API_KEY>/interpreter")`.
- Anyone who opens a web page can read a key in its code. Restrict such a key to your websites under Allowed referers on the API keys page and tick “Reject requests without a referer”, or send the queries from your own server. Do not put keys in public code repositories.
- Limits apply per account and are shared by all its keys. Requests per month count successful (HTTP 2xx) interpreter and translate calls, and each allowance starts again every month at 00:00 UTC on the day its plan was bought (free plans: the day of the sign-up; in shorter months their last day). Every response has `X-RateLimit-Limit` and `X-RateLimit-Remaining` headers.
- `[timeout:]` and `[maxsize:]` above the plan maximum are lowered to it, and the query still runs. Without them, the default timeout of the plan and a maxsize of 512 MiB apply (or the plan maximum, if lower).
- Errors from overpass.ch are JSON, such as `{"error": "rate_limited", "message": "…"}`. HTTP 429 (`rate_limited`, `concurrency_limit`, `quota_exceeded`) and 503 (`server_busy`) come with a `Retry-After` header. Wait that many seconds before the next request, and do not retry in a loop. Errors from Overpass itself (syntax errors, timeouts) pass through unchanged.
- Identical queries within 60 seconds are answered from a cache (`X-Cache: HIT`). Send `Cache-Control: no-cache` for a fresh result.
- `https://api.overpass.ch/v1/<API_KEY>/status` shows the free query slots of the key in the plain-text format of overpass-api.de. With `?format=json`, it shows the plan, the usage this month and the age of the data.
- The data is © OpenStreetMap contributors under the Open Database Licence. An app that shows it must credit “© OpenStreetMap contributors” with a link to https://www.openstreetmap.org/copyright.

```js
const res = await fetch("https://api.overpass.ch/v1/<API_KEY>/interpreter", {
  method: "POST",
  body: new URLSearchParams({
    data: '[out:json][timeout:25];node["amenity"="drinking_water"](47.36,8.53,47.38,8.55);out;',
  }),
});
if (!res.ok) {
  // on 429 and 503, wait Retry-After seconds before the next request
  throw new Error(`${res.status} ${await res.text()}`);
}
const { elements } = await res.json();
```

```python
import requests

query = '[out:json][timeout:25];node["amenity"="drinking_water"](47.36,8.53,47.38,8.55);out;'
r = requests.post("https://api.overpass.ch/v1/<API_KEY>/interpreter", data={"data": query}, timeout=60)
r.raise_for_status()
elements = r.json()["elements"]
```

The elevation API takes the same key. `GET https://api.overpass.ch/v1/<API_KEY>/elevation?locations=46.0207,7.7491|35.95,-5.6` returns heights in metres, negative at sea, in the format of the Google Elevation API (`status`, `results[].elevation`, `results[].location`). For many points, POST JSON `{"locations": [[lat, lon], …]}`, up to 10'000 per request on paid plans and 1'000 on Free. `/v1/<API_KEY>/elevation/profile` takes a path or a GPX file and adds distance, ascent and descent. `elevation=1` in the URL of an Overpass query adds an `elevation` field to every point of a JSON result. Heights on land come from Copernicus GLO-30 (30 m grid, a surface model that includes buildings and trees; GLO-90 in Armenia and Azerbaijan) and, in Switzerland and Liechtenstein, from swissALTI3D of swisstopo (2 m grid, a terrain model of the ground without trees and buildings); depths at sea from GEBCO. Each result names its `dataset` (`copernicus-glo30`, `swissalti3d`, `copernicus-glo90`, `gebco-<year>`) and `resolution` in metres. Results from swissalti3d need the credit "© swisstopo".

Map tiles take the same key. MapLibre styles are at `https://api.overpass.ch/v1/<API_KEY>/maps/styles/<style>.json`, where `<style>` is outdoor, marine, relief, driving, light, dark, white, grayscale or black. `lang` sets the label language, `terrain=1` adds 3D terrain and `buildings=1` 3D buildings from zoom 13 (all styles but relief). The vector tiles (`/maps/vector.json`, zoom 0 to 15) follow the Protomaps basemap schema, version 4, and the terrain tiles (`/maps/terrain.json`) use the Terrain-RGB format. For a web page, create a key of the type “Maps only” and set its allowed referers. Leaflet shows the styles through the plugin maplibre-gl-leaflet; OpenLayers through ol-mapbox-style (light, dark, white, grayscale, black and outdoor in full) or with @geoblocks/ol-maplibre-layer (all styles).

```js
new maplibregl.Map({
  container: "map",
  style: "https://api.overpass.ch/v1/<API_KEY>/maps/styles/outdoor.json?lang=en&terrain=1",
  center: [7.6586, 45.9763],
  zoom: 12,
});
```

Geocoding takes the same key, in two forms on the same OpenStreetMap data. The Photon API: `https://api.overpass.ch/v1/<API_KEY>/geocode/api?q=Bundesplatz 3, Bern` (search, also as you type), `/geocode/structured?street=…&housenumber=…&city=…`, `/geocode/reverse?lat=…&lon=…`; GeoJSON answers, filters `lang`, `lat`/`lon` (bias), `bbox`, `osm_tag`, `layer`, `limit`. The Nominatim API: `https://api.overpass.ch/v1/<API_KEY>/nominatim/search` and `/nominatim/reverse` with the parameters and answers of Nominatim (formats json, jsonv2, geojson), so geopy (`Nominatim(domain="api.overpass.ch/v1/<API_KEY>/nominatim")`) and Leaflet geocoders work after changing the base URL. One answered request counts once. A “Maps only” key works for geocoding too. Results may be stored, with the OpenStreetMap credit.

overpass.ch is also an MCP server (Model Context Protocol, Streamable HTTP) for AI assistants such as Claude, ChatGPT, Cursor and VS Code. In Claude, add it from the Claude directory: https://claude.ai/directory/overpass-ch. Apps that sign in to an overpass.ch account (OAuth with a Client ID Metadata Document, as Claude Code and ChatGPT do) connect to `https://api.overpass.ch/mcp`. Other clients send a key: `https://api.overpass.ch/v1/<API_KEY>/mcp`, or `https://api.overpass.ch/v1/mcp` with the key in `X-API-Key` or `Authorization: Bearer`. Its tools are `overpass_query`, `overpass_examples`, `overpass_tags` (world counts of a key or tag, its common values and the tags used with it; English words find their tags), `overpass_translate` (a sentence such as "cafés in Zürich" to a query, without running it), `geocode_search` (with `overpass_area_id` for `area(id:…)`), `geocode_reverse`, `elevation_points`, `elevation_profile` and `account_status`. Tool calls count like the same REST calls; listing the tools works without a key. Overpass queries through MCP stop after 120 s at most. In Claude and ChatGPT, `overpass_query` results with coordinates also show on a map in the chat (MCP Apps); its tiles count against the map tiles of the plan.

Plans are priced in CHF, EUR (the same number as CHF) or USD and billed monthly or yearly; a year costs ten months. The free plans are for evaluation and development, and for personal, educational and non-profit projects; commercial use needs a paid plan. Prices exclude VAT; VAT or sales tax for the country of the buyer is added at checkout. The Maps plans are a subscription of their own next to any other plan, and for map tiles and elevation lookups the larger allowance of the two applies.

- Free (no charge): 10'000 requests, 1 million elevation lookups and 100'000 map tiles a month; 1 parallel query, 30 requests a minute, timeout up to 60 s. Waits behind paid queries when the server is busy.
- Starter (CHF/EUR 19 or USD 25 a month): 100'000 requests, 125 million elevation lookups and 100'000 map tiles a month; 2 parallel queries, no per-minute limit, timeout up to 180 s.
- Pro (CHF/EUR 59 or USD 79 a month): 1 million requests, 500 million elevation lookups and 100'000 map tiles a month; 6 parallel queries, no per-minute limit, timeout up to 300 s.
- Business (CHF/EUR 149 or USD 199 a month): 3 million requests, 1.5 billion elevation lookups and 100'000 map tiles a month; 10 parallel queries, no per-minute limit, timeout up to 600 s.
- Elevation (CHF/EUR 5 or USD 7 a month): 50 million elevation lookups and 100'000 map tiles a month; the elevation API without Overpass queries.
- Maps Free (no charge): 100'000 map tiles and 1 million elevation lookups a month.
- Maps Starter (CHF/EUR 9 or USD 12 a month): 2 million map tiles and 50 million elevation lookups a month.
- Maps Pro (CHF/EUR 29 or USD 39 a month): 10 million map tiles and 200 million elevation lookups a month.
- Maps Business (CHF/EUR 79 or USD 99 a month): 40 million map tiles and 500 million elevation lookups a month.
- Geocoding Free (free): 100'000 geocoding requests a month, 300 a minute.
- Geocoding Starter (CHF/EUR 19 or USD 25 a month): 1 million geocoding requests a month, 1'500 a minute.
- Geocoding Pro (CHF/EUR 49 or USD 65 a month): 5 million geocoding requests a month, 3'000 a minute.
- Geocoding Business (CHF/EUR 129 or USD 169 a month): 20 million geocoding requests a month, 6'000 a minute.
- Dedicated: your own Overpass server or reserved capacity, from CHF/EUR 490 or USD 649 a month. Ask at https://overpass.ch/contact.

## Docs

- [Documentation](https://overpass.ch/docs): endpoints, authentication, limits, errors, setup of Overpass Turbo, JOSM, QGIS, Python and R, elevation API, map tiles
- [Pricing](https://overpass.ch/pricing): all plans, monthly or yearly, in CHF, EUR or USD
- [Query examples](https://overpass.ch/examples): 99 Overpass QL queries explained line by line, with live results; as JSON (title, category, query, link) at https://overpass.ch/examples.json
- [AI assistants (MCP)](https://overpass.ch/docs#mcp): the MCP server, its tools and the setup in Claude (from the Claude directory), ChatGPT, Claude Code, Cursor and VS Code
- [Elevation API](https://overpass.ch/elevation): heights on land and depths at sea, with a live demo
- [Saved queries and change alerts](https://overpass.ch/docs/saved-queries): Pro and Business plans store a query under a name; it runs on a schedule, `GET https://api.overpass.ch/v1/<API_KEY>/q/<name>` serves the last answer, and an e-mail or a signed webhook reports added, removed and changed elements
- [History queries](https://overpass.ch/docs#history): Pro and Business plans query the map at a past date (`[date:]`) and the changes between two dates (`[diff:]`, `[adiff:]`, XML only), version histories (`timeline`, `retro`), back to 2012-09-12; other plans get 403 `history_not_in_plan`. Examples: https://overpass.ch/examples#history
- [Map tiles](https://overpass.ch/maps): the styles on a live map, with code for MapLibre, Leaflet, OpenLayers and QGIS
- [Geocoding](https://overpass.ch/geocoding): search, autocomplete and reverse geocoding, with a live playground and examples
- [Service status](https://overpass.ch/status): age of the data, availability, query times and server load

## Guides

- [overpass-api.de: “429 Too Many Requests”](https://overpass.ch/guides/overpass-api-too-many-requests): Why the public server rejects your queries, how its slots work, and how to stay within its limits.
- [overpass-api.de: “406 Not Acceptable”](https://overpass.ch/guides/overpass-api-406-not-acceptable): Why the public server refuses scripts with a default user agent, and how to set your own in Python, R, curl and JavaScript.
- [Banned from overpass-api.de](https://overpass.ch/guides/overpass-api-ip-banned): Connection refused after too many 429s: what gets an address banned, how long it lasts, and retries within the rules.
- [Overpass API errors explained](https://overpass.ch/guides/overpass-api-errors): 429, 504, “runtime error: Query timed out”, “out of memory”, empty results: causes and fixes, with retry code.
- [Overpass API alternatives](https://overpass.ch/guides/overpass-api-alternatives): Public instances, self-hosting and six hosted services compared, with prices and history data, and when you need which.
- [Overpass speed: overpass-rust and Overpass API compared](https://overpass.ch/guides/overpass-api-speed): Customer queries timed on overpass-rust and on Overpass API 0.7.62 on the same hardware, and what makes the Rust engine faster.
- [Overpass Turbo: use another Overpass server](https://overpass.ch/guides/overpass-turbo-custom-server): Where the server setting is, the URL format, and what to check when Turbo shows an error.
- [QuickOSM (QGIS): change the Overpass server](https://overpass.ch/guides/quickosm-overpass-server): Add a server in the QuickOSM settings, or in custom_config.json on older versions, and use it in Processing.
- [OSMnx: custom Overpass server and node elevations](https://overpass.ch/guides/osmnx-overpass-server): Set overpass_url, avoid a 60-second pause before every query, and add node elevations without a Google key.
- [osmdata (R): use another Overpass server](https://overpass.ch/guides/osmdata-overpass-url): set_overpass_url() in the R package osmdata, with the key kept out of your scripts.
- [Overpass API in Claude, ChatGPT and Cursor (MCP)](https://overpass.ch/guides/overpass-mcp-server): Connect an AI assistant to the Overpass API, geocoding and elevation with one URL, and what it can then answer.
- [Overpass API in Python](https://overpass.ch/guides/overpass-api-python): requests, overpy and overpass: query any Overpass server from Python, with retries and GeoJSON.
- [Overpass history queries: [date:], [diff:] and [adiff:]](https://overpass.ch/guides/overpass-history-queries): Query OpenStreetMap as it was on a past date, or the changes between two dates, back to September 2012.
- [OpenStreetMap changes in an area between two dates](https://overpass.ch/guides/openstreetmap-changes-in-an-area): Which restaurants opened, closed or changed in a part of Zurich from 2023 to 2025, with one adiff query and a short Python script.
- [Version history of an OpenStreetMap object](https://overpass.ch/guides/openstreetmap-object-version-history): Every version of a node, way or relation since 2012, with date, user and changed tags, from timeline and retro.
- [Overpass: “does not support the diff or adiff mode”](https://overpass.ch/guides/overpass-diff-adiff-output-error): Why [diff:] and [adiff:] fail with [out:json] or CSV, and two ways to get the changes anyway.
- [A Google Elevation API alternative](https://overpass.ch/guides/google-elevation-api-alternative): The same request and response format as Google, prices compared, and results you may store and show on any map.
- [Alternatives to Open-Elevation and Open Topo Data](https://overpass.ch/guides/open-elevation-alternative): What the free public elevation APIs allow, what self-hosting takes, and how to switch.
- [Map tile API errors explained](https://overpass.ch/guides/map-tile-api-errors): 401, 403, 429, “Access blocked” on OpenStreetMap tiles, blank and grey maps: causes and fixes for MapLibre, Leaflet and Google Maps.
- [Fixing “Access blocked” on OpenStreetMap tiles](https://overpass.ch/guides/openstreetmap-tiles-access-blocked): Why tile.openstreetmap.org blocks tiles, which settings remove the Referer (Helmet, Django, nginx), and the fix for Leaflet, OpenLayers and MapLibre.
- [MapLibre “Unable to parse the tile”: causes and fixes](https://overpass.ch/guides/maplibre-unable-to-parse-tile): Gzip tiles without Content-Encoding, double compression and HTML pages: how to tell them apart, with nginx, Apache, Caddy and S3 fixes.
- [Fixing “This page can't load Google Maps correctly”](https://overpass.ch/guides/google-maps-cant-load-correctly): What RefererNotAllowedMapError, ApiNotActivatedMapError and BillingNotEnabledMapError mean, the fix for each, and what a map costs without Google.
- [Map tile API prices compared](https://overpass.ch/guides/map-tile-api-pricing): Mapbox, MapTiler, Stadia Maps, OpenFreeMap and VersaTiles at 100,000, 2 million and 10 million tiles a month, with the sources.
- [3D terrain in MapLibre GL JS](https://overpass.ch/guides/maplibre-3d-terrain): Terrain from one style parameter or in code, exaggeration, sky and camera, heights under the mouse, and what 3D costs in tiles.
- [Hillshading in MapLibre GL JS](https://overpass.ch/guides/maplibre-hillshade): A hillshade layer under the roads, its colours for light and dark maps, and the five shading methods of MapLibre.
- [Contour lines in MapLibre GL JS](https://overpass.ch/guides/maplibre-contour-lines): Contour lines as vector tiles: line and label layers, major and minor lines, labels in feet, and computing them in the browser instead.
- [A hiking map in MapLibre GL JS](https://overpass.ch/guides/hiking-map-maplibre): Trails coloured by SAC grade, a popup with the trail name, huts and stops, 3D terrain, and your own route on top.
- [A nautical map with depths and sea marks](https://overpass.ch/guides/nautical-map-maplibre): The sea coloured by depth, depth contours, buoys and lights in their colours, in one style or added to your own.
- [MapLibre GL JS tutorial: your first map](https://overpass.ch/guides/maplibre-gl-js-tutorial): A map with a style URL, markers and popups, your GeoJSON as a layer, other styles and languages, and controls. With script tags or Vite.
- [Vector map tiles in OpenLayers](https://overpass.ch/guides/openlayers-vector-tiles): A vector map with a MapLibre style in OpenLayers: ol-mapbox-style with script tags or Vite, markers and GeoJSON on top, and MapLibre as a layer for every style.
- [Vector map tiles in Leaflet](https://overpass.ch/guides/leaflet-vector-tiles): Vector maps in Leaflet through maplibre-gl-leaflet: script tags or a bundler, markers and GeoJSON on top, other styles, and protomaps-leaflet without WebGL.
- [MapLibre vs Leaflet vs OpenLayers](https://overpass.ch/guides/maplibre-vs-leaflet-vs-openlayers): How each draws, vector tiles, 3D, projections, formats and download size, the same map in all three, and when to use which.
- [react-map-gl with MapLibre](https://overpass.ch/guides/react-map-gl-maplibre): A map component with react-map-gl 8 and MapLibre 6: style, markers, popups, 3D terrain, the key in an environment variable, Next.js.
- [Vector tiles and terrain in QGIS](https://overpass.ch/guides/qgis-vector-tiles): Add a vector tile layer with a style URL, which styles QGIS can draw, terrain heights as a raster, and contour lines.
- [From Mapbox GL JS to MapLibre GL JS](https://overpass.ch/guides/mapbox-to-maplibre): The code changes, what does not have a counterpart, plugins, styles and tiles, and the setWorkerUrl call that MapLibre 6 needs with a bundler.
- [Add a map with your location to your website](https://overpass.ch/guides/business-location-map): A marker with your address, opening hours and a directions link, for the contact page, in one block of HTML and without a Google account.
- [A store locator map for your website](https://overpass.ch/guides/store-locator-map): All your shops from a spreadsheet: a list beside the map, “near me” sorted by distance, and markers that group when you zoom out.
- [Show your delivery area on a map](https://overpass.ch/guides/delivery-area-map): Zones around your shop with their delivery fee, or an area you draw, and a check for any place a customer clicks.
- [Property listings on a map](https://overpass.ch/guides/real-estate-listings-map): Price labels on the map, a popup with a link for each flat or house, and filters for rent, buy and rooms.
- [Geocoding API errors explained](https://overpass.ch/guides/geocoding-api-errors): “Access blocked”, 403, 429 and 509 on Nominatim, OVER_QUERY_LIMIT and REQUEST_DENIED on Google, geopy errors and empty results.
- [Nominatim: “Access blocked”, 403 and 429](https://overpass.ch/guides/nominatim-access-blocked): Why nominatim.openstreetmap.org blocks scripts and apps, what its usage policy allows, and requests it accepts.
- [geopy: GeocoderInsufficientPrivileges and other errors](https://overpass.ch/guides/geopy-geocoder-errors): What each geopy exception means, the user_agent check of the Nominatim geocoder, and the settings for RateLimiter.
- [Google Geocoding: REQUEST_DENIED and OVER_QUERY_LIMIT](https://overpass.ch/guides/google-geocoding-api-errors): Every status of the Google Geocoding API with its cause and fix, the error_message texts, and what geocoding costs without Google.
- [Add elevation to a GPX file](https://overpass.ch/guides/add-elevation-to-gpx): Distance, ascent and descent of a track with one curl command, and a Python script that writes the heights into the file.
- [An elevation profile for your tour pages](https://overpass.ch/guides/elevation-profile-tour): A map of the route with its profile below: distance, metres up and down, highest point and walking time. The heights are looked up once per tour.
- [Draw the summits seen from your hotel](https://overpass.ch/guides/mountain-panorama): The skyline seen from a terrace, a restaurant or a mountain station, with the name and height of each summit, as a picture for your website or for print.
- [Height, slope and sun side for property listings](https://overpass.ch/guides/property-height-slope): For each flat or house: the metres above sea level, the slope and the side the ground faces, from five lookups when you save the listing.
- [Which of your places get snow](https://overpass.ch/guides/snow-line-places): Heights for your chalets, stops or customers in one request, compared with the snow line of the forecast, and a map that turns white above it.

## Optional

- [Terms of service](https://overpass.ch/legal/terms)
- [Privacy policy](https://overpass.ch/legal/privacy)
- [Contact](https://overpass.ch/contact)