User:MarkWoodbury/Blocked tiles draft
If you have followed a hyperlink or URL to this page, you are using an application or webpage that we have blocked for violating OpenStreetMap's tile usage policy.
What now?
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Information for users
If you are just trying to use an application or webpage, you probably did nothing wrong. You are seeing this message because of a problem in the software you are using.
Unfortunately the software you're using is either:
- excessively using our servers by downloading too many tiles too quickly, which is affecting our ability to keep building a map for everyone; or
- failing to comply with the Open Data Commons Open Database License (ODbL) under which the data in the map tiles is published by the OpenStreetMap Foundation(OSMF)
What should I do?
If you are using a mobile or desktop application, please check if there is a new version of the application that fixes the map. Otherwise, if there are no updates yet, or if you are using a Web application or webpage, please contact its author and let them know about the problem. You may wish to link them to this page.
Whilst we do not hold contact details for developers using our tiles, you may be able to contact the developer of your website or application using the below general tips.
- Android Applications: Contact details for application developers can be found on the Google Play store under the "App support" section. You can long-press an application icon on the home screen, then tap "App info", then follow the "App details" link to access the Google Play Store page for an application. (Other application stores and non-stock Android may have slightly different processes.)
- Apple applications: Contact details for application developers can be found on the Apple App store under the "Information" section ("App Support" link).
- Websites: Attempt to contact the website's support team via their "Contact us", "Help", "Support" or other systems/tools they recommend on their website.
If you need the map urgently or are unable to reach the developer, please see a list of available OpenStreetMap-based applications for Android, iOS and iPadOS, or other operating system platforms.
Special note for "uncommon" or customised browser users
If you are using "uncommon" browsers or plugins/tools for advanced users (including privacy and developer tools), it's possible that the behaviour of your browser/plugin is triggering a block. Whilst we cannot provide individual support for each browser/plugin, you may wish to check the developer information in Fixing excessive usage blocks to ensure this is not the cause of issues.
Common examples to ensure are addressed/compliant in this area include:
- your "User-Agent" is valid and is being sent on every request
- your HTTP-Referrer is valid and is being sent on every request (this can be an issue for umatrix users)
- caching is permitted in your browser: preventing caching (for example by setting the "Disable caching" flag in your browser console) will cause a block
Information for developers
Your application may have been blocked for one of the following reasons. Follow the link for the reason applicable to your site to see how to resolve the block.
| Block reason | Error tile image | X-Blocked HTTP header | How to resolve |
|---|---|---|---|
| Attribution missing/error | 
|
Blocked for not attributing as required by osm.org/copyright | Follow all steps under Fixing attribution blocks. |
| Excessive usage | 
|
??? | Follow all steps under Fixing technical policy blocks |
| Technical policy violation | 
|
??? | Follow all steps under Fixing technical policy blocks |
| Legal | 
|
??? | See Legal blocks |
Fixing attribution blocks
The below information can be used to understand why your application has been blocked and what steps you can take to resolve the issue.
Please read and ensure compliance with all sections before requesting to be unblocked using the GitHub process described below.
Why have you been blocked?
OpenStreetMap is open data, licensed under the Open Data Commons Open Database License (ODbL) by the OpenStreetMap Foundation(OSMF). You are free to copy, distribute, transmit and adapt our data, as long as you credit OpenStreetMap and its contributors. Attribution is formally stated in section 4.3 of the ODbL:
"However, if you Publicly Use a Produced Work, You must include a notice associated with the Produced Work reasonably calculated to make any Person that uses, views, accesses, interacts with, or is otherwise exposed to the Produced Work aware that Content was obtained from the Database, Derivative Database, or the Database as part of a Collective Database, and that it is available under this License."
In this example, the credit appears in the corner of the map:
It is the responsibility of those who publicly use OpenStreetMap data to ensure the attribution fulfills its purpose and makes the user aware of the provenance of the data. You need to actively communicate this information to the user to meet these requirements. Merely making it available to users who are actively seeking this information is not enough.
How can I fix my application or website?
Firstly, review OpenStreetMap's tile usage policy to understand what usage is permitted and what is required from you to be compliant with the licensing requirements. Then review OpenStreetMap's Attribution Guidelines which provides further details specific to the attribution requirements for a variety of example scenarios.
We cannot provide specific advice for every application and/or web development framework, however below you can find links below to how to implement attribution on common frameworks:
- Leaflet: See the Quick start page in the "Setting up the map" section and Control.Attribution settings, as well as any custom CSS
- MapLibre: Most deployments should not need manual changes as the attribution statement is generally shown by default, but check the Attribution settings (e.g. AttributionControl on MapLibre GL GS or Android or iOS settings) and any custom CSS to ensure it is shown correctly
- OpenLayers: Check your Attribution settings and any custom CSS
Once you have reviewed the guidelines and made your fix to be compliant, you'll need to ensure your application code has been deployed into your production environment/deployed through application stores (e.g. Apple/Google) in order to be seen by general users and allow validation of the change prior to unblocking.
Request unblocking
Please ensure you have fixed the attribution in your production environment/deployed through application stores (e.g. Apple/Google), as this will be validated before any block is removed.
Once you have completed the above, notify us that the fix has been implemented using the correct GitHub issue at openstreetmap/tile-attribution. Do not create a new issue - find and update the existing issue about your software. If contact is/was attempted elsewhere - it may be ignored or take very long time to process.
Fixing technical policy blocks
The below information can be used to understand why your application has been blocked and what steps you can take to resolve the issue.
Please read and ensure compliance with all sections before requesting to be unblocked.
Why have you been blocked?
OpenStreetMap is a volunteer project. We rely on the goodwill of our volunteers and kind donations to operate our expensive servers.
Unfortunately, some people have published or even sold applications that are misusing our servers. This is costing us more time and money than our volunteers and donors can afford to contribute/fund. By slowing down the servers, it also makes it harder for our mappers to draw the maps – which is the whole reason this project exists.
This is a real problem. At one point, one single application was responsible for 30% of the traffic going through our servers.
We have a clear Tile usage policy which asks applications making heavy use to set up their own map image servers (using the map data we give them for free), or use third-party servers. Unfortunately, several applications have not heeded this. We are left with no choice but to block them.
How can I fix my application or website?
Firstly, review OpenStreetMap's tile usage policy to understand what usage is permitted and what is required from you to be compliant.
The most common reasons for excessive usage blocks are:
- failing to set and send a unique User-Agent: using generic framework or tool User-Agents (e.g. Flutter's
Dart/*orflutter_map *) which means your usage is combined with multiple other applications - faking another application's User-Agent: applications must use distinct and specific User-Agents for your own application
- fake or bad/invalid headers: attempting to bypass restrictions will result in blocks being implemented
- sending no-cache headers: using
Cache-Control: no-cache,“Pragma: no-cache”etc. will result in excessive load, resulting in a block being implemented - failing to send HTTP referer headers: this can commonly be due to setting
Referrer-Policy=no-referrerorReferrer-Policy=same-originfor the website - bulk downloading: Common examples include creating a tile archive or downloading for offline usage. Bulk downloading is prohibited due to it putting an unjustified burden on the available resources
If you cannot become compliant with the requirements of the above, then you will need to use an alternative solution and your application will not be unblocked.
We are unable to give away ready-made free map images to the world. We do not put adverts on our map, and cannot fund the huge number of servers that would be required to give everyone free map images. Rather, we publish the raw map data collected by our dedicated volunteer mappers. Other people can render maps from this data.
For third-party alternatives, see commercial software and services. For help on setting up your own server, see Develop.
Request unblocking
Unblocking for applications with a technical policy block is completed automatically after an automated period of monitoring for reduced/compliant usage and/or adherence to the policy requirements.
Legal blocks
Blocks for legal reasons typically occur due to legal prohibitions (such as government legislations/sanctions on a country/region/entity or other) or an OpenStreetMap Foundation board decision not to provide service to a specific entity/website/application.
Due to the nature of such blocks, these either cannot be removed based on actions of a developer (e.g. in the case of government sanctions), or need to be addressed on a case-by-case basis.