installed the Nominatim software itself, if not return to the
[installation page](Installation.md).
+## Importing with a database user without superuser rights
+
+Nominatim usually creates its own PostgreSQL database at the beginning of the
+import process. This makes usage easier for the user but means that the
+database user doing the import needs the appropriate rights.
+
+If you prefer to run the import with a database user with limited rights,
+you can do so by changing the import process as follows:
+
+1. Run the command for database preparation with a database user with
+ superuser rights. For example, to use a db user 'dbadmin' for a
+ database 'nominatim', execute:
+
+ ```
+ NOMINATIM_DATABASE_DSN="pgsql:dbname=nominatim;user=dbadmin" nominatim import --prepare-database
+ ```
+
+2. Grant the import user the right to create tables. For example, foe user 'import-user':
+
+ ```
+ psql -d nominatim -c 'GRANT CREATE ON SCHEMA public TO "import-user"'
+ ```
+
+3. Now run the reminder of the import with the import user:
+
+ ```
+ NOMINATIM_DATABASE_DSN="pgsql:dbname=nominatim;user=import-user" nominatim import --continue import-from-file --osm-file file.pbf
+ ```
+
## Importing multiple regions (without updates)
To import multiple regions in your database you can simply give multiple
```bash
update
- ├── europe
- │ ├── andorra
- │ │ └── sequence.state
- │ └── monaco
- │ └── sequence.state
- └── tmp
- └── europe
- ├── andorra-latest.osm.pbf
- └── monaco-latest.osm.pbf
-
+ ├── europe
+ │ ├── andorra
+ │ │ └── sequence.state
+ │ └── monaco
+ │ └── sequence.state
+ └── tmp
+ └── europe
+ ├── andorra-latest.osm.pbf
+ └── monaco-latest.osm.pbf
```
This will get diffs from the replication server, import diffs and index
the database. The default replication server in the
-script([Geofabrik](https://download.geofabrik.de)) provides daily updates.
-
-## Importing Nominatim to an external PostgreSQL database
+script ([Geofabrik](https://download.geofabrik.de)) provides daily updates.
-You can install Nominatim using a database that runs on a different server when
-you have physical access to the file system on the other server. Nominatim
-uses a custom normalization library that needs to be made accessible to the
-PostgreSQL server. This section explains how to set up the normalization
-library.
+## Using an external PostgreSQL database
-### Option 1: Compiling the library on the database server
+You can install Nominatim using a database that runs on a different server.
+Simply point the configuration variable `NOMINATIM_DATABASE_DSN` to the
+server and follow the standard import documentation.
-The most sure way to get a working library is to compile it on the database
-server. From the prerequisites you need at least cmake, gcc and the
-PostgreSQL server package.
+The import will be faster, if the import is run directly from the database
+machine. You can easily switch to a different machine for the query frontend
+after the import.
-Clone or unpack the Nominatim source code, enter the source directory and
-create and enter a build directory.
+## Moving the database to another machine
-```sh
-cd Nominatim
-mkdir build
-cd build
-```
-
-Now configure cmake to only build the PostgreSQL module and build it:
-
-```
-cmake -DBUILD_IMPORTER=off -DBUILD_API=off -DBUILD_TESTS=off -DBUILD_DOCS=off -DBUILD_OSM2PGSQL=off ..
-make
-```
-
-When done, you find the normalization library in `build/module/nominatim.so`.
-Copy it to a place where it is readable and executable by the PostgreSQL server
-process.
+For some configurations it may be useful to run the import on one machine, then
+move the database to another machine and run the Nominatim service from there.
+For example, you might want to use a large machine to be able to run the import
+quickly but only want a smaller machine for production because there is not so
+much load. Or you might want to do the import once and then replicate the
+database to many machines.
-### Option 2: Compiling the library on the import machine
+The important thing to keep in mind when transferring the Nominatim installation
+is that you need to transfer the database _and the project directory_. Both
+parts are essential for your installation.
-You can also compile the normalization library on the machine from where you
-run the import.
+The Nominatim database can be transferred using the `pg_dump`/`pg_restore` tool.
+Make sure to use the same version of PostgreSQL and PostGIS on source and
+target machine.
-!!! important
- You can only do this when the database server and the import machine have
- the same architecture and run the same version of Linux. Otherwise there is
- no guarantee that the compiled library is compatible with the PostgreSQL
- server running on the database server.
+!!! note
+ Before creating a dump of your Nominatim database, consider running
+ `nominatim freeze` first. Your database looses the ability to receive further
+ data updates but the resulting database is only about a third of the size
+ of a full database.
-Make sure that the PostgreSQL server package is installed on the machine
-**with the same version as on the database server**. You do not need to install
-the PostgreSQL server itself.
-
-Download and compile Nominatim as per standard instructions. Once done, you find
-the normalization library in `build/module/nominatim.so`. Copy the file to
-the database server at a location where it is readable and executable by the
-PostgreSQL server process.
-
-### Running the import
-
-On the client side you now need to configure the import to point to the
-correct location of the library **on the database server**. Add the following
-line to your your `.env` file:
-
-```php
-NOMINATIM_DATABASE_MODULE_PATH="<directory on the database server where nominatim.so resides>"
-```
+Next install nominatim-api on the target machine by following the standard
+installation instructions. Again, make sure to use the same version as the
+source machine.
-Now change the `NOMINATIM_DATABASE_DSN` to point to your remote server and continue
-to follow the [standard instructions for importing](Import.md).
+Create a project directory on your destination machine and set up the `.env`
+file to match the configuration on the source machine. That's all.