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addressr

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Free Australian Address Validation, Search and Autocomplete

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# Addressr

![Addressr](https://addressr.io/icons/icon-144x144.png 'Addressr')

**The only open-source, free self-hosted Australian address validation API.**

[Australian Address Validation, Search and Autocomplete](https://addressr.io) — [addressr.io](https://addressr.io)

[![GitHub license](https://img.shields.io/github/license/mountain-pass/addressr)](https://github.com/mountain-pass/addressr/blob/master/LICENSE) [![npm](https://img.shields.io/npm/v/@mountainpass/addressr)](https://www.npmjs.com/package/@mountainpass/addressr) [![npm downloads](https://img.shields.io/npm/dm/@mountainpass/addressr)](https://www.npmjs.com/package/@mountainpass/addressr)

[![GitHub issues](https://img.shields.io/github/issues/mountain-pass/addressr)](https://github.com/mountain-pass/addressr/issues) [![GitHub pull requests](https://img.shields.io/github/issues-pr/mountain-pass/addressr)](https://github.com/mountain-pass/addressr/pulls)

# About

Australian Address Validation, Search and Autocomplete powered by the Geocoded National Address File (G-NAF), Australia's **authoritative** address database with 15+ million addresses.

- **Validated addresses** from the official G-NAF source
- **Real-time autocomplete** with fuzzy matching
- **Locality, postcode, and state search** for area pickers
- **Geocoding** to latitude/longitude (optional)
- **Self-hosted or SaaS** — your choice, your data
- **Open source** — audit the code, customize as needed

# Why Addressr

|                                    | Addressr | [Addressify](https://addressify.com.au/) | [AddressFinder](https://addressfinder.com.au/) | [Geoscape](https://geoscape.com.au/) | Google Maps |
| ---------------------------------- | -------- | ---------------------------------------- | ---------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------ | ----------- |
| Self-hosted                        | ✅       | ❌                                       | ❌                                             | ❌                                   | ❌          |
| Open source                        | ✅       | ❌                                       | ❌                                             | ❌                                   | ❌          |
| Free tier (unlimited, self-hosted) | ✅       | ❌                                       | ❌                                             | ❌                                   | ❌          |
| G-NAF data source                  | ✅       | ✅                                       | ✅                                             | ✅ (creator)                         | ❌          |
| Data sovereignty                   | ✅       | ❌                                       | ❌                                             | ❌                                   | ❌          |
| MCP integration for AI assistants  | ✅       | ❌                                       | ❌                                             | ❌                                   | ❌          |

**Stop paying Google Maps for Australian addresses.** Stop locking your data into third-party SaaS. Addressr gives you unlimited address validation on your own infrastructure, or a cheap hosted API if you prefer.

# Quick Start

## Use the Hosted API

The fastest way to get started. No infrastructure to manage.

1. Get an API key at [RapidAPI](https://rapidapi.com/addressr-addressr-default/api/addressr)
2. Search for an address:

```sh
   curl "https://addressr.p.rapidapi.com/addresses?q=1+george+st+sydney" \
     -H "x-rapidapi-key: YOUR_KEY" \
     -H "x-rapidapi-host: addressr.p.rapidapi.com"
   ```

## Use with AI Assistants

Connect Addressr to Claude, Cursor, VS Code Copilot, or any MCP-compatible AI assistant.

```json
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "addressr": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@mountainpass/addressr-mcp"],
      "env": { "RAPIDAPI_KEY": "your-key" }
    }
  }
}
```

Three tools available: **search-addresses**, **get-address**, and **health**. See [@mountainpass/addressr-mcp](https://github.com/mountain-pass/addressr-mcp) for full setup instructions.

## Self Hosted

Run Addressr on your own infrastructure for full control over your data.

1. Install addressr

```
   npm install @mountainpass/addressr -g
   ```

NOTE: If you are running windows, you'll need to use [wsl](https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/wsl/install-win10)

2. Start open search. For example run

```
   docker pull opensearchproject/opensearch:1.3.20
   docker run -p 9200:9200 -p 9300:9300 -e "discovery.type=single-node" -e "plugins.security.disabled=true" opensearchproject/opensearch:1.3.20
   ```

3. Start API server. In a second window run:

```sh
   export ELASTIC_PORT=9200
   export ELASTIC_HOST=localhost
   addressr-server-2
   ```

4. Setup the env vars for the data loader. In a third window run:

```
   export ELASTIC_PORT=9200
   export ELASTIC_HOST=localhost
   export ADDRESSR_INDEX_TIMEOUT=30s
   export ADDRESSR_INDEX_BACKOFF=1000
   export ADDRESSR_INDEX_BACKOFF_INCREMENT=1000
   export ADDRESSR_INDEX_BACKOFF_MAX=10000
   ```

1. Optional — enable geocodes by setting the following env vars for the data loader. In the third window run:
      **NOTE:** with geocodes enabled, indexing takes much longer and needs much more memory. Only turn them on if you need them. You can always add them later.

```
   export ADDRESSR_ENABLE_GEO=1
   export NODE_OPTIONS=--max_old_space_size=8196
   ```

2. Optional — limit the addresses to a single state by setting the `COVERED_STATES` env var for the data loader.
      This dramatically speeds up indexing. For example, in the third window run:

```
   export COVERED_STATES=VIC,SA
   ```

Valid values are:
   - ACT
   - NSW
   - NT
   - OT
   - QLD
   - SA
   - TAS
   - VIC
   - WA

5. Run data Loader. In the third window run:

```
   addressr-loader
   ```

6. OK, so we stretched the truth a bit with the "Quick Start" heading. The truth is that it takes quite a while to download, store and index the 15+ million addresses from [data.gov.au](http://data.gov.au/). So make a coffee, or tea, or find something else to do and come back in about an hour when it's done.

7. Search for an address using the command line

```
   curl -i http://localhost:8080/addresses?q=LEVEL+25,+TOWER+3
   ```

8. An updated G-NAF is released every 3 months. Put `addressr-loader` in a cron job or similar to keep addressr regularly updated. Read [What the loader caches](#what-the-loader-caches) first — on a persistent `target` directory the refresh depends on how the release is named upstream, and can need a manual step.
9. Wire your address form up to the address-server api.

### What the loader caches

The loader keeps three things under `target` (override the location with `GNAF_DIR`, which defaults
to `target/gnaf`). Each is skipped independently when it already exists, so a partial cleanup can
leave you re-indexing stale data:

| Path                        | Holds                           | Reused when                                                  |
| --------------------------- | ------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------ |
| `target/keyv-file.msgpack`  | the data.gov.au dataset listing | it is under a day old (up to 30 days if data.gov.au is down) |
| `target/gnaf/<release>.zip` | the downloaded archive          | a file of that exact name is readable                        |
| `target/gnaf/<release>/`    | the extracted archive           | a directory of that exact name exists                        |

Both skips are keyed on the **release filename**, which carries the release month — for example
`g-naf_may26_allstates_gda94_psv_1023.zip`. So when a quarterly release lands under a new name, the
loader downloads and extracts it automatically and no manual step is needed.

You only need to intervene when the filename has _not_ changed — a re-issued release, or an archive
that was corrupted on disk. In that case delete **both** the zip and the extracted directory, or the
loader will skip the download and re-index the old data:

```sh
rm -rf target/gnaf/<release>.zip target/gnaf/<release>/
```

If you have just seen a new release announced but the loader still reports the previous one, the
dataset listing is being served from the day-old cache. Delete `target/keyv-file.msgpack` to force a
fresh look.

`GNAF_DATUM` selects which distribution to load, `gda94` (the default) or `gda2020`. data.gov.au
publishes both for every release. Changing it is not just a config flip: the caches above are keyed
on the release filename, which embeds the datum, so a new datum downloads and extracts cleanly and
looks like it worked, while the index still holds the old coordinates until you re-index every
state. The two datums differ by roughly 1.8 metres.

A failed download leaves nothing behind: the archive is staged in `target/gnaf/incomplete/` and only
moved into place once the response has been verified as complete, so a refused or truncated fetch
aborts with the failing URL and status rather than leaving a corrupt archive for the next run to
trip over.

## Self Hosted with Docker

The `ghcr.io/mountain-pass/addressr` image runs the same v2 API server. It is built on
[Distroless](https://github.com/GoogleContainerTools/distroless), so the image contains the Node
runtime and addressr and nothing else — no shell, no package manager, no npm. The entrypoint is
`node`, so a command you pass is a script path rather than a program name.

The image is published to the [GitHub Container Registry](https://ghcr.io) as a public package, so
it pulls anonymously with no `docker login`.

Start the API server (the `ELASTIC_*` env vars are the same as above):

```sh
docker run -p 8080:8080 -e ELASTIC_HOST=host.docker.internal ghcr.io/mountain-pass/addressr
```

Run the data loader. It needs a writable `target` directory for the G-NAF download and the dataset
cache, so mount one; unlike the server, it cannot run with `--read-only`:

```sh
docker run -v "$PWD/target:/home/nonroot/target" -e ELASTIC_HOST=host.docker.internal \
  ghcr.io/mountain-pass/addressr \
  /opt/addressr/lib/node_modules/@mountainpass/addressr/bin/addressr-loader.js
```

There is no shell in the image, so `docker exec ... sh` will not work. Diagnose with `docker logs`,
`docker inspect`, `docker cp`, and the `/health` endpoint.

### Image tags

`ghcr.io/mountain-pass/addressr:latest` is the tag to pull for the newest build. Every build also
gets an immutable `:<version>-<gitsha>` tag, and a package release additionally gets a bare
`:<version>` tag such as `ghcr.io/mountain-pass/addressr:3.0.2`. Pin the `-<gitsha>` tag if you want
a build that can never be re-pointed under you; the bare `:<version>` and `:latest` tags can move to
a rebuilt image.

Publishing is automatic, per
[ADR 040](docs/decisions/040-release-pipeline-change-type-action-matrix.proposed.md): a package
release publishes all three tags, and a Docker-only change publishes `:latest` plus a new
`:<version>-<gitsha>` without an npm release.

The image was previously published by hand to Docker Hub as `mountainpass/addressr`. That image is
frozen and receives no further updates — switch any `docker pull mountainpass/addressr` to
`ghcr.io/mountain-pass/addressr`.

Note that `:latest` moves. If you track it, watch
[the Docker image changelog](docs/DOCKER-IMAGE-CHANGELOG.md) — a change to the image no longer
implies a new npm version, so it will not always show up in `CHANGELOG.md`.

# API Endpoints

Addressr exposes a HATEOAS REST API. Start at the root (`/`) and follow links to discover endpoints. A supplementary OpenAPI 3.x spec is available at `/api-docs`.

| Endpoint                     | Purpose                                                            | Example                           |
| ---------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------ | --------------------------------- |
| `GET /addresses?q=`          | Search and autocomplete addresses                                  | `/addresses?q=1+george+st+sydney` |
| `GET /addresses/{pid}`       | Get full address details (with links to locality, postcode, state) | `/addresses/GAOT_717882967`       |
| `GET /localities?q=`         | Search suburbs/localities by name                                  | `/localities?q=lilydale`          |
| `GET /localities/{pid}`      | Get locality details (with links to postcode, state)               | `/localities/loc9984d8beb142`     |
| `GET /postcodes?q=`          | Search postcodes (q optional)                                      | `/postcodes?q=3140`               |
| `GET /postcodes/{postcode}`  | Get postcode with associated localities                            | `/postcodes/6798`                 |
| `GET /states?q=`             | Search states/territories (q optional)                             | `/states?q=New`                   |
| `GET /states/{abbreviation}` | Get state details                                                  | `/states/NSW`                     |
| `GET /api-docs`              | OpenAPI 3.x specification                                          | `/api-docs`                       |
| `GET /health`                | Health check                                                       | `/health`                         |

## How it Works

![How it works](https://addressr.io/static/addressr-fe45ac1ba82b1dd5224f1c7356dfd1ca.svg 'How it works')

## Additional Settings

| Environment Variable                   | Value       | Description                                                                                               | Default |
| -------------------------------------- | ----------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ------- |
| ELASTIC_PROTOCOL                       | http        | Connect to open search over http                                                                          | ✅      |
| ELASTIC_PROTOCOL                       | https       | Connect to open search over https                                                                         |         |
| ELASTIC_USERNAME                       | _blank_     | Connect to open search without authentication                                                             | ✅      |
| ELASTIC_USERNAME                       | _non-blank_ | Connect to open search with the specified username                                                        |         |
| ELASTIC_PASSWORD                       | _blank_     | Connect to open search without authentication                                                             | ✅      |
| ELASTIC_PASSWORD                       | _non-blank_ | Connect to open search with the specified password                                                        |         |
| PAGE_SIZE                              | 8           | Number or records to return in a search                                                                   | ✅      |
| ADDRESSR_ACCESS_CONTROL_ALLOW_ORIGIN   | _blank_     | An `Access-Control-Allow-Origin` response header is **not** returned                                      | ✅      |
| ADDRESSR_ACCESS_CONTROL_ALLOW_ORIGIN   | _non-blank_ | An `Access-Control-Allow-Origin` response header is returned with the value in the environment variable   |         |
| ADDRESSR_ACCESS_CONTROL_EXPOSE_HEADERS | _blank_     | An `Access-Control-Expose-Headers` response header is **not** returned                                    | ✅      |
| ADDRESSR_ACCESS_CONTROL_EXPOSE_HEADERS | _non-blank_ | An `Access-Control-Expose-Headers` response header is returned with the value in the environment variable |         |
| ADDRESSR_ACCESS_CONTROL_ALLOW_HEADERS  | _blank_     | An `Access-Control-Allow-Headers` response header is **not** returned                                     | ✅      |
| ADDRESSR_ACCESS_CONTROL_ALLOW_HEADERS  | _non-blank_ | An `Access-Control-Allow-Headers` response header is returned with the value in the environment variable  |         |
| ADDRESSR_PROXY_AUTH_HEADER             | _blank_     | No gateway auth header enforcement (self-hosted default)                                                  | ✅      |
| ADDRESSR_PROXY_AUTH_HEADER             | _non-blank_ | Name of the header the origin requires — set alongside `ADDRESSR_PROXY_AUTH_VALUE`                        |         |
| ADDRESSR_PROXY_AUTH_VALUE              | _blank_     | No gateway auth header enforcement (self-hosted default)                                                  | ✅      |
| ADDRESSR_PROXY_AUTH_VALUE              | _non-blank_ | Expected value the header must carry — set alongside `ADDRESSR_PROXY_AUTH_HEADER`                         |         |

### Gateway auth header (optional)

By default Addressr does not enforce any proxy authentication — self-hosted npm and Docker deployments work with zero configuration.

If you front Addressr with an API gateway (RapidAPI, Kong, Tyk, Apigee, AWS API Gateway, nginx, Caddy, or your own Cloudflare Worker) and want the origin to reject traffic that bypasses your gateway, set both environment variables to the header name your gateway injects and the shared secret it forwards:

| Variable                     | Example                   | Notes                                       |
| ---------------------------- | ------------------------- | ------------------------------------------- |
| `ADDRESSR_PROXY_AUTH_HEADER` | `X-RapidAPI-Proxy-Secret` | Header name your gateway forwards           |
| `ADDRESSR_PROXY_AUTH_VALUE`  | `<your-gateway-secret>`   | Expected value; keep out of version control |

Behaviour:

- Both unset → no enforcement (default).
- Both set → requests without a matching header receive `401 Authentication required`.
- Exactly one set → the process exits at startup with a clear error (fails loud to prevent silent bypass).
- `/health` and `/api-docs` remain reachable without the header so uptime monitors and gateway OpenAPI imports keep working.

See [ADR 024](docs/decisions/024-origin-gateway-auth-header-enforcement.proposed.md) for the decision record.

NOTE: When adjusting PAGE_SIZE, you should take into account how quickly you want the initial results returned to the user. In many use cases, you want this to be as fast as possible. If you need show more results to the user, you are often better off leaving it a 8 and using the paging links to get more results while you are displaying the first 8.

Why is the default 8 and not 10? [Mechanical Sympathy](https://dzone.com/articles/mechanical-sympathy)

## System requirements

### Open Search

opensearch >= 1.2.4 with 1.4GiB of memory

### Addressr Loader

#### Default

Node.js >= 22 with 1GiB of memory

#### With Geocoding enabled

Node.js >= 22 with 8GiB of memory

### Addressr Server

Node.js >= 22 with 64MiB of memory

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