How to run a VersaTiles server on Uberspace

In this guide, we will explain how to set up and run a VersaTiles server on ↗ Uberspace.

Install Versatiles

Uberspace comes with rust already in place. You can simply install the versatiles crate:

cargo install versatiles

↗ Relevant Uberspace Manual

Download tiles

Download the full planet

WARNING

Uberspace has a ↗ user quota of 10GB by default. You have to ↗ upgrade your storage if you want to serve the full planet.

wget -c https://download.versatiles.org/osm.versatiles

Alternative: Download a regional subset

You can quite easily download only a certain area, using the versatiles tool with the --bbox option. You can use this ↗ BoundingBox tool with the CSV option to easily create a bounding box for your desired area.

For example:

versatiles convert --bbox-border 3 --bbox "5.988,47.302,15.017,54.983" https://download.versatiles.org/osm.versatiles osm.versatiles

Learn more about downloading tiles

Download Frontend

The frontend contains static files such as libraries, map styles, and fonts.

wget https://github.com/versatiles-org/versatiles-frontend/releases/latest/download/frontend.br.tar.gz

INFO

There is no need to extract this file.

Run Server

Use your favourite editor to create ~/etc/services.d/versatiles.ini. Use any port between 1024 and 65535 you like. This example uses 41241.

WARNING

Make sure to replace <username> with your actual username and check if the paths correspond to the files you downloaded

[program:versatiles]
command=/home/<username>/.cargo/bin/versatiles serve -i 0.0.0.0 -p 41241 -s /home/<username>/frontend.br.tar.gz "[osm]/home/<username>/osm.versatiles"
startsecs=60

Now you can use supervisorctl to start the versatiles server as a daemon:

supervisorctl reread
supervisorctl update

↗ Relevant Uberspace Manual

Expose Server as Web Backend

uberspace web backend set / --http --port 41241

↗ Relevant Uberspace Manual

The VersaTiles server will now be running locally on your Uberspace host. To test it open http://<username>.uber.space/ in your browser.

Refer to the ↗ Uberspace manual for further questions regarding Uberspace.

For more information, see the documentation on using the VersaTiles server.