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Photon (Komoot) API

Free Photon geocoding API with no key: fast OpenStreetMap-based search built for typeahead, with forward and reverse geocoding. Self-hostable. Tested.

No API key requiredHTTPSFree tier

Endpoint tested and returned HTTP 200 on 2026-08-20

What is the Photon (Komoot) API?

Photon is a free, key-free geocoding API built on OpenStreetMap data and optimised for search-as-you-type, providing forward and reverse geocoding with GeoJSON output.

Photon exists because Nominatim, while excellent, is too slow and too rate-limited for autocomplete. Photon is built on Elasticsearch specifically for fast prefix matching, which makes it the right tool for a location search box.

Its public instance is run by Komoot and has no hard rate limit published, but the software is open source — self-hosting is the expected route for production use, and removes any dependency on someone else's goodwill.

Quick facts

Base URL
https://photon.komoot.io/api
Authentication
No API key required on the public instance.
Rate limit
No published hard limit, but the public instance is a courtesy — self-host for production.
Pricing
Free and open source. Data is ODbL, requiring OpenStreetMap attribution.
CORS
Not enabled — call it from your server
Official docs
Read the docs

How to use the Photon (Komoot) API

Every request below was executed against the live API on 2026-08-20, and the response shown is the real body it returned — not an illustration.

1. Geocode a place name

GET https://photon.komoot.io/api/?q=berlin&limit=1

curl
curl 'https://photon.komoot.io/api/?q=berlin&limit=1'
JavaScript (fetch)
const res = await fetch("https://photon.komoot.io/api/?q=berlin&limit=1");
if (!res.ok) throw new Error(`Request failed: ${res.status}`);
const data = await res.json();
console.log(data);
Python (requests)
import requests

res = requests.get("https://photon.komoot.io/api/?q=berlin&limit=1", timeout=20)
res.raise_for_status()
print(res.json())
Response — HTTP 200
{
  "type": "FeatureCollection",
  "features": [
    {
      "type": "Feature",
      "properties": {
        "osm_type": "R",
        "osm_id": 62422,
        "osm_key": "place",
        "osm_value": "city",
        "type": "city",
        "name": "Berlin",
        "country": "Deutschland",
        "countrycode": "DE",
        "extra": {
          "admin_level": "4"
        },
        "extent": [
          13.088345,
          52.6755087,
          13.7611609,
          52.3382448
        ]
      },
      "geometry": {
        "type": "Point",
        "coordinates": [
          13.3951309,
          52.5173885
        ]
      }
    }
  ]
}

Parameters

ParameterTypeRequiredDescription
qstringRequiredSearch query — works well with partial input. berlin
limitintegerOptionalMaximum results. 5
langstringOptionalLanguage for returned names. en
lat / lonfloatOptionalBias results towards a location. 52.52
bboxstringOptionalRestrict to a bounding box. 13.0,52.3,13.7,52.7

Response fields

typestring
FeatureCollection — the response is GeoJSON.
features[].geometry.coordinatesarray
[longitude, latitude] — note the order.
features[].properties.namestring
Place name.
features[].properties.country / state / citystring
Administrative context.
features[].properties.osm_id / osm_typeinteger|string
OpenStreetMap object reference.
features[].properties.typestring
Feature classification such as city or street.

What you can build with the Photon (Komoot) API

  • Build a fast location autocomplete box
  • Geocode addresses without Nominatim's one-per-second limit
  • Bias search results towards the user's current position
  • Self-host geocoding for privacy or volume

Common errors and how to fix them

Coordinates plotted wrongly

GeoJSON orders coordinates [longitude, latitude].

Fix: Swap them — most mapping code expects latitude first.

Irrelevant results

Global search with no bias.

Fix: Pass lat/lon to bias towards the user, or bbox to constrain the area.

Public instance unavailable

It is a courtesy service.

Fix: Self-host Photon for anything production — it is open source and designed to be run yourself.

Photon (Komoot) API — frequently asked questions

Is Photon free?

Yes, the public instance is free with no API key. It is open source and intended to be self-hosted for production use.

How is it different from Nominatim?

Photon is built on Elasticsearch for fast prefix matching, which makes it suitable for search-as-you-type. Nominatim is more precise for full addresses but limited to one request per second.

Why are my markers in the wrong place?

The response is GeoJSON, which orders coordinates as [longitude, latitude] — the reverse of what most mapping code expects. Swap the first two values.

Do I need to attribute OpenStreetMap?

Yes. The underlying data is ODbL-licensed, so displaying results requires attributing OpenStreetMap contributors.

Tools that pair with this API

JSON Formatter

Format, beautify and minify JSON online with 2-space, 4-space or tab indentation. Sort keys alphabetically and catch syntax errors instantly — free and private.

Unit Converter

Convert between units of length, weight, temperature, area, volume, speed, time and data storage instantly, with a swap button and common conversion tables.

Photon (Komoot) is an independent third-party service and is not affiliated with ByteTools or ByteVancer. Details on this page were verified on 2026-08-20; always check the official documentation before relying on this API in production, as terms and limits can change.