Install osm2pgsql with Homebrew, apt, dnf, MacPorts, Nix, pacman

Project links

• Homepage
• Repository
• Upstream docs
• Package manager page

Commands and aliases

• osm2pgsql
• osm2pgsql-replication

Project history

The osm2pgsql project began in 2006, started by Jon Burgess and written in C, making it nearly as old as OpenStreetMap itself. In 2007, after OSM moved to API 0.5 and added relations, osm2pgsql gained multipolygon relation support and multiple projection support.

In 2008, osm2pgsql added support for OSM change files. From 2009, the main OpenStreetMap map was regenerated from minutely changes using a toolchain that imported data with osm2pgsql into PostgreSQL/PostGIS and rendered tiles with Mapnik.

The project kept following OSM's growth. In 2011, it switched to 64-bit IDs as the OSM node count passed one billion, and Kai Krueger took over maintainership from Jon Burgess. In 2012, the flat-file persistent node cache for slim mode reduced disk usage and improved import/update performance.

A long modernization arc followed: parsing moved to libosmium in 2015, geometry generation moved to libosmium in 2017, LuaJIT support arrived in 2018, version 1.0 in 2019 removed old-style multipolygon processing, and the flex output introduced in 2020 made custom output-table design a first-class workflow.

The 2022 experimental `osm2pgsql-gen` command brought generalization into the project. In 2023, a JSONB-based middle database format made it possible to store all OSM data including tags, attributes, and relation-member information. In 2024, Nominatim switched to flex output, the old gazetteer output was removed, and osm2pgsql 2.0 shipped.

Adoption history

osm2pgsql became deeply embedded because it solved the hard practical problem of keeping PostgreSQL/PostGIS databases synchronized with OSM data at rendering scale. The project history explicitly ties it to the OpenStreetMap tile toolchain and to Nominatim, the geocoder powering search on openstreetmap.org and many other map sites.

The GitHub repository passed 1,000 stars in 2021 according to the project's own history page. The Homebrew formula and package-manager metadata show distribution through Homebrew, Debian, Fedora, MacPorts, Nix, Arch, Ubuntu, and openSUSE-family packaging.

How it is used

The manual describes osm2pgsql as a specialized ETL tool for OSM data. Users usually feed it regional extracts or planet files, tune memory and disk behavior, choose pgsql or flex output, and then connect downstream software for rendering, serving, geocoding, or analysis.

The manual also warns that whole-planet imports can run for hours or days and recommends trial runs on small extracts. That operational reality is part of osm2pgsql's identity: it is not just a converter, but a tool whose schema, cache, update, and style choices determine the shape and cost of an OSM database.

Why package nerds care

osm2pgsql is package-nerd gold because it sits at the junction of C++, libosmium, Lua/LuaJIT, PostgreSQL, PostGIS, and large public datasets. Small version changes can affect import speed, schema output, multipolygon behavior, replication workflows, and downstream projects such as Nominatim or map renderers.

Its history also mirrors the OpenStreetMap ecosystem's scaling story: from early XML imports, through minutely updates and 64-bit IDs, into flexible Lua-defined outputs and JSONB-backed middle storage.

Timeline

• 2006: Jon Burgess starts osm2pgsql in C.
• 2007: relation, multipolygon, and projection support expand after OSM API 0.5.
• 2008-2009: change-file support enables minutely-update rendering workflows.
• 2009: Nominatim begins using osm2pgsql with special gazetteer output.
• 2011: 64-bit IDs land, and Kai Krueger becomes maintainer.
• 2012: the flat-file persistent node cache improves slim-mode import and update performance.
• 2015-2017: libosmium takes over parsing and geometry generation.
• 2019-2020: version 1.0 and flex output modernize the processing pipeline.
• 2022-2024: generalization, JSONB middle storage, Nominatim's flex-output migration, and osm2pgsql 2.0 reshape the project.

Related projects

• PostgreSQL and PostGIS are the target database stack. Mapnik is historically tied to the OSM tile-rendering toolchain. Nominatim uses osm2pgsql-derived import paths for geocoding data. libosmium underpins OSM parsing and geometry handling in modern osm2pgsql.

Sources

• https://api.github.com/repos/osm2pgsql-dev/osm2pgsql
• https://formulae.brew.sh/formula/osm2pgsql
• https://osm2pgsql.org/about/
• https://osm2pgsql.org/about/history/
• https://osm2pgsql.org/doc/manual.html