bikerouter

I think it's time to set up a dedicated #Overpass server for #Bikerouter.

The well-known public instances have all been struggling with availability and performance lately. I suspect this is the result of an AI bot army that has now completely spiraled out of control. I've noticed a massive spike in bot requests across various projects recently, so the connection is hard to miss.

I put together a test setup over the weekend and will run it for a while to see how it performs. If everything works out, I'll need to rent a server with enough storage for the data and run my own Overpass instance.

This isn't something I'm particularly eager to do, as it takes both time and money, but the alternative isn't appealing either: the Overpass layers are simply too useful to lose.

What does an Overpass server do? It is used for structured querying of the OpenStreetMap database and is employed in Bikerouter, for example, in the built-in POI overlays. It can also be used to create self-configured overlays, for instance to make bicycle streets easily recognizable on the map (see screenshot).

I want to give you a small preview of the next feature release for #Bikerouter today:

There will be a built-in route manager where you can manage your planned routes.

This feature breaks with Bikerouter’s “everything lives in the browser” paradigm: routes will be stored on Bikerouter’s servers, and a user account will be required.

However, this is designed in a privacy-friendly way and does not require an email address or other personal information. The feature is also optional and can simply be ignored if you’re not interested.

I’ll gradually share more details, but for now, here’s just a screenshot (which may differ from the final released version as there’s still a lot in flux).