# Setup OpenStreetMap Tile Server on Ubuntu 20.x 🗺

By Zubair Ahmed · Published 2020-11-13
Source: https://www.grizzlybit.dev/blog/setup-openstreemaps-tile-server-on-ubuntu

## Introduction

OpenStreetMaps (OSM) is quoted to be a "free wiki world map". The OSM tile server is essentially a web server specialized in delivering raster maps. It serves them as static ties and is also able to perform rendering in real-time or providing cached images.

## Install Dependencies

we will start by updating our Ubuntu repositories

```bash
sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get upgrade
```

Once done, we will start install the required base packages

```bash
sudo apt-get install postgresql postgresql-contrib postgis postgresql-10-postgis-2.4 postgresql-10-postgis-2.4-scripts osm2pgsql git
```

Just a brief description of all the above dependencies are mentioned below:

- Postgres is the default database solution we will use for data persistence
- Postgis is used for spatial data
- Osm2pgsql is used to import the data into our postgres database
- Git is a code versioning tool which we will use for cloning repositories

Furthermore, we will install mapnik packages and Node.js (npm)

```bash
sudo apt-get install curl unzip gdal-bin mapnik-utils libmapnik-dev nodejs npm
```

Now, we will globally install carlo dependency

```bash
sudo npm install -g carto
```

We will now install `mod_tile` and `renderd` to render and display tiles

```bash
sudo add-apt-repository ppa:osmadmins/ppa && sudo apt install libapache2-mod-tile renderd
```

Lastly, we will install certain font packages that are required

```bash
sudo apt-get install ttf-dejavu fonts-noto-cjk fonts-noto-hinted fonts-noto-unhinted ttf-unifont
```

Ufff.... 😅, I think we are done with installing packages. Now let's move on to the setup.

## Setup

Firstly, we will begin by switching over to our postgres user

```bash
sudo -u postgres -i
```

Now, let's create a new database user

```bash
createuser osm
```

Next, we will create a new database named gis with the owner as the new user we have just created

```bash
createdb -E UTF8 -O osm gis
```

Now, setting the owner

```bash
psql -c "ALTER TABLE spatial_ref_sys OWNER TO osm;" -d gis
```

We will also enable two extensions for our created database

```bash
psql -c "CREATE EXTENSION postgis;" -d gis
```

```bash
psql -c "CREATE EXTENSION hstore;" -d gis
```

Now, that we have setup our postgres database for importing the tile data we can now exit

```bash
exit
```

Let's now set up a system user called `osm`

```bash
adduser osm
```

Now, we will clone the repository that contains styles and transformations scripts that we will need for database imports

```bash
git clone https://github.com/gravitystorm/openstreetmap-carto.git
```

Next, we will download the map data we will be using `wget`

```bash
wget -c http://planet.openstreetmap.org/pbf/planet-latest.osm.pbf
```

Now, alas, we can start importing the data

```bash
osm2pgsql --slim -d gis --hstore --multi-geometry --number-processes 2 --tag-transform-script /home/osm/openstreetmap-carto/openstreetmap-carto.lua --style /home/osm/openstreetmap-carto/openstreetmap-carto.style -C 12000 planet-latest.osm.pbf
```

Note: The `-C` option should be used in a way that it matches the amount of RAM on your PC/Virtual Machine and `--number-processes` matches the number of CPU cores.

Since this process will take quite a bit of time. It is recommended to run the entire process using a `screen` multiplex session. For a quickie on `screen` please [click here](https://www.grizzlybit.dev/blog/how-to-use-screen-on-linux-to-detach-and-reattach-your-terminal). 👈

Now we use the `osm` user and go into the directory where we had cloned the `openstreetmap-carto` repository and run the python script that loads the shapefiles from the internet

```bash
scripts/get-shapefiles.py
```

Shapefiles are a format in which we can store GeoJSON data.

Now, we will use carto global dependency that was installed to convert `project.mml` file to a style file for mapnik to use

```bash
carto project.mml > style.xml
```

Now, we will configure `renderd`

```bash
nano /etc/renderd.conf
```

There are a few points to note here:

- `num_threads` should match the number of cores on your map server.
- `plugins_dir` should be `/usr/lib/mapnik/3.0/input`
- `XML` should match the style file generated

Save the file, now we will edit the initialization script in `/etc/init.d/renderd`

```bash
nano /etc/init.d/renderd
```

Here the `RUNASUSER` be set to `osm`

Now, we will change the permission of the `mod_file` folder

```bash
sudo chown osm:osm /var/lib/mod_tile/ -R
```

Now, we can reload the daemon and restart `renderd`

```bash
sudo systemctl daemon-reload && sudo systemctl daemon-reload
```

Now, you might browse to the address `http:/127.0.0.1/osm/slippymap.html` and select local tiles to view your imported map tiles.

Voila! That's pretty much it, you have setup your own tile server.

Happy Grizzly 🐻 Coding!