I’d like to announce the release of a new Docker container instance for Overpass.
I’ve been running Overpass locally for a couple of years and have dealt with some reliability issues by improving the shell scripts that drive database updates.
I’ve been sharing those shell scripts with people but I wanted a better way to distribute them. So, I put some effort into cleaning up the scripts (with some significant improvements – see below!) and packaged them in a container build.
Another Overpass Container?
Yes!
There’s already the excellent wiktorn/overpass-api which does a great job of setting up a local Overpass instance. If that looks good to you, you should definitely use it!
For my own use, I wanted something with all the improvements to stability and reliability that I had rolled into the shell scripts, but that would stay true to the original Overpass source code and that would expose all the same configuration options as if it were running on bare metal. I also wanted all the operational support that I already had locally, like configurable area generation intervals and periodic database backups.
Then, given the issues with the performance of public Overpass servers, and the efforts to limit large-scale usage, it seems that having more Overpass servers can only help the community.
What’s Different About This Container?
Better Database Updates
First, the database update process is much more robust. When things go wrong during Overpass database updates, the database files can be corrupted. And when that happens you have to start over with a fresh database, either from a backup or from a fresh download. That can mean many hours of downtime.
The shell scripts for database updates have been improved to shut down as gracefully under controlled circumstances and to handle uncontrolled shutdowns as safely as possible.
