Question 1

What is GraphHopper?

Accepted Answer

GraphHopper is a routing engine — it calculates directions between points and returns turn-by-turn instructions, distance, and estimated time, from OpenStreetMap data. It's the piece that answers "how do I get from A to B?" in a mapping setup. It provides both a web interface for point-to-point routing and a directions API your app can call, with support for car, bike, and foot profiles.

Question 2

Which port does it use?

Accepted Answer

GraphHopper runs on host port 8990, mapped from the container's 8989 — note the host port differs. Open http://your-server:8990 for the web UI, where you can click two points to see a route, or call the directions API at that address from your application. For public use, put a reverse proxy with TLS in front and rate-limit the API.

Question 3

What is the routing graph and why does the first start take time?

Accepted Answer

On first start GraphHopper processes your OpenStreetMap region into a routing graph — a representation of the road network optimised for fast pathfinding. Building it takes a few minutes for a small region and longer for a large one, and larger regions need more RAM. Until the graph is built, GraphHopper can't return routes, so watch the logs and let the first start complete.

Question 4

Can it route for bikes and walking, not just cars?

Accepted Answer

Yes — GraphHopper supports multiple vehicle profiles including car, bike, and foot, each applying the appropriate rules so, for example, a bike route can use paths a car can't and a walking route ignores one-way street directions. You choose the profile per request, which matters because the best route differs a lot by mode of travel. Using the wrong profile is a common cause of surprising routes.

Question 5

How does it fit with a tile server and Nominatim?

Accepted Answer

They form a complete self-hosted maps stack. The OSM tile server draws the map, Nominatim provides geocoding (address search), and GraphHopper provides routing (directions). Together they replace the display, search, and directions of a commercial map platform like Google Maps, all on your own servers using OpenStreetMap data, with no per-request billing and journeys kept private.

🗺️ Setup GraphHopper — Self-Hosted Routing and Directions

📦 Resources & Setup Scripts

Quick Install:

Tutorial Steps

1 Download the Script

2 Make it Executable

3 Run the Installer

4 Use the Web UI and Routing API

Ports Used

Overview

Why Use It

When You Need It

Who Should Use It

Real Use Cases

Main Features

How to Use After Installation

Security Best Practices

Ports and Firewall Notes

Backup and Maintenance

Common Mistakes

Troubleshooting

Alternatives

When Not to Use It

PrismaTechWork Professional Help

Frequently Asked Questions