Accounts
From OpenStreetMap
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This page lists all accounts (i.e. username/password combinations) that you may need to participate in different areas of OSM.
Contents |
Quickstart
If you want to edit maps, create an OSM account.
or
If you want to edit the wiki, create a wiki account
Wiki (what you're currently reading)
- no account required for read access.
- wiki account required for creating or changing pages. Can be created here.
- Your wiki account information will usually be saved in your browser so that you don't have to type it in every time (tick 'remember me')
- Email address is never displayed publicly in the wiki
- Confirm your email address in order to receive user talk page notifications
GPS tracks
- no account required for looking at tracks via http://www.openstreetmap.org/traces and downloading indvidual tracks in GPX format, or for downloading GPS points through the API.
- OSM account required for uploading tracks, and for accessing the "my tracks" list. OSM account can be created here.
- The account information will usually be saved in your browser so that you do not have to type it in every time.
OSM working data (nodes, ways, relations)
- no account required for downloading the whole data from the planet file.
- no account required for read access to data through the API (used by most editors e.g. JOSM).
- OSM account required for write access to data through the API (used by most editors e.g. JOSM). OSM account (the same used for uploading GPS tracks). create an OSM account.
- The account information will usually be saved in a preferences file by your editor and used to fetch and upload data for you.
Mailing lists
- registration required for receiving emails, and sending (posting) to the lists. Registration here.
- no account required to view the archives on the web
- Password given out by mailman but not really needed for anything.
- For sending to the list, you will need to be registered with your 'from' email address.
- If you send, your email addresses gets displayed publicly in the archives, but with some anti-scraping obfuscation.
Forum
- OSM account required for posting replies or start a new discussion
- no account required to view the archives on the web
SVN access (OSM software)
- no account required for downloading things
- SVN account required to make changes or upload new software. SVN accounts can be requested from the administrator of the svn server. See System Administrators.
- Account information can be saved by SVN in local files to avoid having to enter it every time you upload something.
- The JOSM editor resides in an SVN repository of its own and you will need an extra account for it. Contact User:Frederik Ramm if you want to participate in JOSM development. If you just want to submit an one-shot patch, simply put that in a ticket on the http://josm.openstreetmap.de/ trac (no account required).
Trac (bug tracker)
- no account required for querying/viewing tickets
- OSM account required to create new tickets or add comments to existing tickets. OSM account can be created here.
- Unfortunately email addresses are displayed publicly with no anti-scraping obfuscation
Tiles@home
- no account required for downloading tiles, viewing slippy map
OSM account required for participating in distributed rendering.
Why not just one account? - Single sign on
People have suggested and discussed the possibility of unifying all of these accounts and logins. This involves some development effort which hasn't happened yet. See Single sign on

