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Get API capabilities

  • One of the main OpenStreetMap API usabilities

This API call is meant to provide information about the capabilities and limitations of the current API.

Returned values may change at any time and this XML document only serves as an example

Copyright, attribution, and license refers to legal information.

Request

/api/capabilities

/api/0.6/capabilities

Response

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<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<osm version="0.6" generator="OpenStreetMap server" copyright="OpenStreetMap and contributors" attribution="https://www.openstreetmap.org/copyright" license="https://opendatacommons.org/licenses/odbl/1-0/">
    <api>
        <version minimum="0.6" maximum="0.6"/>
        <area maximum="0.25"/>
        <note_area maximum="25"/>
        <tracepoints per_page="5000"/>
        <waynodes maximum="2000"/>
        <relationmembers maximum="32000"/>
        <changesets maximum_elements="10000" default_query_limit="100" maximum_query_limit="100"/>
        <notes default_query_limit="100" maximum_query_limit="10000"/>
        <timeout seconds="300"/>
        <status database="online" api="online" gpx="online"/>
    </api>
    <policy>
        <imagery>
            <blacklist regex=".*\.google(apis)?\..*/(vt|kh)[\?/].*([xyz]=.*){3}.*"/>
            <blacklist regex="http://xdworld\.vworld\.kr:8080/.*"/>
            <blacklist regex=".*\.here\.com[/:].*"/>
        </imagery>
    </policy>
</osm>

Additional information

Attributes description

Attribute Description
version minimum maximum API call versions that the server will accept
area maximum Maximum area in square degrees that can be queried by API calls
tracepoints per_page Maximum number of points in a single GPS trace (possibly incorrect)
waynodes maximum Maximum number of nodes that a way may contain
relationmembers maximum Maximum number of members that a relation may contain
changesets maximum_elements Maximum number of combined nodes, ways and relations that can be contained in a changeset
changesets default_query_limit maximum_query_limit Default and maximum values of the limit parameter of changeset queries
notes default_query_limit maximum_query_limit Default and maximum values of the limit parameter of notes bounding box queries and search
status Returns either online, readonly or offline for each of the database, API and GPX API. The database field is informational, and the API/GPX fields indicate whether a client should expect read and write requests to work (online), only read requests to work (readonly) or no requests to work (offline)
policy Imagery blacklist lists all aerial and map sources, which are not permitted for OSM usage due to copyright. Editors must not show these resources as background layer