The OpenStreetMap Foundation runs several services subject to usage policies.

If you violate the policies, you might be automatically or manually blocked, so I decided to write a post to help community members answering questions from people who got blocked. If you’re a blocked user, the best place to ask is in the IRC channel #osm-dev on irc.oftc.net. Stick around awhile to get an answer.

The most important question is which API is being used. For this, look at the URL you’re calling.

If the URL contains nominatim.openstreetmap.org, review the usage policy. The most common cause of being blocked is bulk geocoding exceeding 1 request per second. Going over this will trigger automatic IP blocks. These are automatically lifted after several hours, so stop your process, fix it, wait, and then you won’t be blocked.

If you’re using nominatim but not exceeding 1 request per second, to get help you should provide the URL you’re calling, the HTTP User-Agent or Referer you’re sending, the IP you’re requesting from, and the HTTP response code.

If you’re calling tile.openstreetmap.org or displaying a map, review the tile usage policy. The most common causes of being blocked is tile scraping or apps that don’t follow the usage policy.

To get help you should provide where the map is being viewed (e.g. an app, website, or something else), the HTTP User-Agent or Referer you’re sending, the IP you’re requesting from, and the HTTP response code. For a website, you can generally get this information through the browser’s developer tools. The tile.openstreetmap.org debug page will also show you you this information.

If you’re having problems with an app that you’re not the developer of, you’ll often need to contact them, as they are responsible for correctly calling the services.