OpenStreetMap Carto is the style used for the Standard tile layer of OpenStreetMap.
This independent site includes unofficial tutorials to set-up a development environment of OpenStreetMap Carto and to manage this software. It will allow exploiting the style and also being able to contribute to the developments.
To implement this site I kept track of technical notes that have been useful to me and that I hope will also be of help to master OpenStreetMap Carto fast, learning all most relevant aspects from the ground up.
All pages of this site allow commenting. You can also contribute or create GitHup issues. Opening GitHup issues is the most effective way for correction requests.
DISCALIMER: the documentation included in this site is unofficial, might be at early stage and could require improvements that will be possibly addressed in the future. I strongly recommend referencing the official documentation for openstreetmap-carto. Keep also in mind that some information might be only valid at the time of writing and could require possible updates.
OpenStreetMap, the Wikipedia of maps, is a collaborative project to create a free editable map of the world. It consists of open data and open source software; both can be contributed.
A Beginners’ guide is available in the OpenStreetMap Wiki, providing basic information on how to add data to OpenStreetMap.
Technical details to maintain and develop the OpenStreetMap open source software, from portal to rendering and other backend platforms, can be found at the Develop page.
OpenStreetMap Carto includes the CartoCSS map stylesheets for the Standard map layer of OpenStreetMap. The styles can be converted from CartoCSS to XML and then processed by Mapnik.
CartoCSS is a CSS-like language for map design developed by MapBox and currently adopted by OpenStreetMap.
OpenStreetMap Carto is a Git-based, active and complex open source “non-software” project owned by Andy Allan, who had the brilliant idea to re-implement the original OpenStreetMap Mapnik XML style in CartoCSS, performing the initial port, involving multiple maintainers and opening the project to contributors.
If you are also willing to contribute, you are advised to analyze Guidelines for adding new features and understand the current project trend, which is very cautious with additions.
Documentation revised to support Ubuntu 20.04 LTS and to conform to openstreetmap-carto tag v5.3.1 related to January 2021.
Please, avoid opening requests of correction with Discus and use it only for for general comments; all issues should be managed with GitHub issues.
All documentation has been revised to support Ubuntu 18.04 LTS and to conform to openstreetmap-carto tag v4.10.0, commit 529e3f6 performed on Apr 20, 2018.
Added full support of Noto CJK fonts, including note on the need to backport FreeType on Ubuntu 16.04 and method to remove the warning with unifont Medium.
Revised Mapnik compilation procedure and mod_tile configuration.
Please, avoid opening requests of correction with Discus and use it only for for general comments; all issues should be managed with GitHub issues.
Added here a basic description of the standard procedure to keep the local PostgreSQL/PostGIS database in sync with OpenStreetMap as data is progressively updated to OSM.
All openstreetmap.org urls have been changed to https.
Documentation updated to openstreetmap-carto tag v4.8.0, commit 5479f91 performed on March 7, 2018.