How does osm compare to other Go OSM libraries like go-osm?

osm is more comprehensive, offering multi-format support (XML, JSON, PBF), GeoJSON conversion, and a full OSM API client, whereas go-osm might be lighter but less feature-rich. osm's scanner interface makes it better for large-scale data processing.

How to parse a huge OSM PBF file without crashing my Go app?

Use the osmpbf subpackage's Scanner interface: initialize with New(), scan in a loop to stream objects one at a time, and close properly. This avoids loading the entire file into memory, as detailed in the README's streaming example.

Can osm handle real-time OSM updates or changesets?

Yes, it supports changesets via the osm.Change type and includes a replication subpackage for fetching state and change files. However, for real-time streams, you'll need to manage concurrency manually since scanners aren't parallel-safe.

What's the performance impact of using json-iterator with osm?

Benchmarks in the README show json-iterator can reduce JSON marshaling/unmarshaling time by up to 35%, but it may increase memory allocations slightly. It's best enabled for performance-critical applications processing large JSON responses.

How to convert OSM ways to GeoJSON using osm?

Use the osmgeojson subpackage's Convert function: pass OSM objects like ways, and it outputs GeoJSON features with appropriate geometries (e.g., LineString for roads). This is compatible with osmtogeojson for consistent results.

Does osm support authentication for the OSM API?

The osmapi subpackage provides basic support for OSM API endpoints, but authentication (e.g., OAuth) requires custom HTTP client configuration, as the README focuses on read/data endpoints without explicit auth examples.

Is osm good for building a web service that serves OSM data?

Yes, with its API client and GeoJSON conversion, osm can backend services that fetch and serve OSM data. However, for high-traffic serving, you may need to add caching and handle scanner concurrency limitations to avoid bottlenecks.

osm — Go Library for OpenStreetMap Data

What is osm?

osm is a Go library for reading, writing, and manipulating OpenStreetMap data. It provides native support for OSM data formats (XML, JSON, PBF) and core OSM types like nodes, ways, and relations, solving the problem of efficiently processing OSM data in Go applications.

Target Audience

Go developers working with OpenStreetMap data, including those building geospatial tools, map data processors, or applications that consume OSM planet files or API responses.

Value Proposition

Developers choose osm for its comprehensive format support, efficient stream processing of large datasets, and clean Go-native API that abstracts OSM complexities while maintaining performance through optional CGO acceleration and JSON library swaps.

General purpose library for reading, writing and working with OpenStreetMap data

Use Cases

Best For

Parsing large OSM PBF planet files in Go applications
Building tools that convert OSM data to GeoJSON format
Implementing OSM API v0.6 clients in Go
Processing OSM replication change files
Working with Overpass API JSON responses in Go
Adding OSM data annotation (coordinates, metadata) to ways and relations

Not Ideal For

Projects not using Go that require OSM data processing libraries
Applications focused solely on map visualization or tile serving without raw data manipulation
Environments with strict no-CGO policies where PBF decompression performance is critical
Real-time systems needing low-latency, parallel streaming of OSM updates without manual concurrency setup

Pros & Cons

Pros

Comprehensive Format Support

Reads and writes OSM XML, JSON (Overpass API format), and PBF files, enabling seamless integration with planet data and API responses as highlighted in the README.

Efficient Stream Processing

Provides a Scanner interface for parsing large OSM PBF and XML files without loading everything into memory, crucial for handling planet-sized datasets efficiently.

Integrated GeoJSON Conversion

Includes an osmgeojson subpackage that converts OSM data to GeoJSON compatible with osmtogeojson, simplifying use in web mapping applications.

Full OSM API Client

Offers an osmapi subpackage with support for all v0.6 read/data endpoints, reducing boilerplate for building OSM API integrations in Go.

Performance Flexibility

Allows optional integration with faster JSON libraries like json-iterator and CGO-accelerated zlib decompression, with benchmarks showing up to 35% speed improvements.

Cons

CGO Installation Complexity

Optimal PBF decompression requires CGO and external libraries like DataDog/czlib, complicating setup on systems without a C compiler or pkg-config, as noted in the README.

No Built-in Parallelism

Scanners are not safe for parallel use, forcing developers to implement custom concurrency with channels, adding overhead for high-throughput processing scenarios.

Narrow Geospatial Scope

Focuses exclusively on OSM data formats and types, lacking support for other common geospatial formats like Shapefile or KML, which may require additional tools for broader workflows.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is osm?

Target Audience

Go developers working with OpenStreetMap data, including those building geospatial tools, map data processors, or applications that consume OSM planet files or API responses.

Value Proposition

Use Cases

Best For

Parsing large OSM PBF planet files in Go applications
Building tools that convert OSM data to GeoJSON format
Implementing OSM API v0.6 clients in Go
Processing OSM replication change files
Working with Overpass API JSON responses in Go
Adding OSM data annotation (coordinates, metadata) to ways and relations

Not Ideal For

Projects not using Go that require OSM data processing libraries
Applications focused solely on map visualization or tile serving without raw data manipulation
Environments with strict no-CGO policies where PBF decompression performance is critical
Real-time systems needing low-latency, parallel streaming of OSM updates without manual concurrency setup

Pros & Cons

Pros

Comprehensive Format Support

Reads and writes OSM XML, JSON (Overpass API format), and PBF files, enabling seamless integration with planet data and API responses as highlighted in the README.

Efficient Stream Processing

Provides a Scanner interface for parsing large OSM PBF and XML files without loading everything into memory, crucial for handling planet-sized datasets efficiently.

Integrated GeoJSON Conversion

Includes an osmgeojson subpackage that converts OSM data to GeoJSON compatible with osmtogeojson, simplifying use in web mapping applications.

Full OSM API Client

Offers an osmapi subpackage with support for all v0.6 read/data endpoints, reducing boilerplate for building OSM API integrations in Go.

Performance Flexibility

Allows optional integration with faster JSON libraries like json-iterator and CGO-accelerated zlib decompression, with benchmarks showing up to 35% speed improvements.

Cons

CGO Installation Complexity

Optimal PBF decompression requires CGO and external libraries like DataDog/czlib, complicating setup on systems without a C compiler or pkg-config, as noted in the README.

No Built-in Parallelism

Scanners are not safe for parallel use, forcing developers to implement custom concurrency with channels, adding overhead for high-throughput processing scenarios.

Narrow Geospatial Scope

Focuses exclusively on OSM data formats and types, lacking support for other common geospatial formats like Shapefile or KML, which may require additional tools for broader workflows.

Frequently Asked Questions

osm

What is osm?

Overview

Use Cases

Best For

Not Ideal For

Pros & Cons

Pros

Cons

Frequently Asked Questions

Related Projects

Found a gem we're missing?

osm

What is osm?

Overview

Use Cases

Best For

Not Ideal For

Pros & Cons

Pros

Cons

Frequently Asked Questions

Related Projects

Found a gem we're missing?