Geocoding · head-to-head
adresse.data.gouv.fr vs OpenStreetMap
The Base Adresse Nationale's API Adresse geocodes and reverse-geocodes French addresses for free with no API key, backed by Etalab and IGN's data.geopf.fr infrastructure (the old api-adresse.data.gouv.fr host now 301-redirects there). Requests and responses use the GeoJSON FeatureCollection format, with each result scored for match confidence and enriched with INSEE city codes, postcodes, and population. A live Origin-header probe confirms open CORS (Access-Control-Allow-Origin: *), so it works directly from browser JavaScript with no proxy.
The core OpenStreetMap API serves and edits the raw map database underlying OSM — nodes, ways, and relations — over HTTPS at api.openstreetmap.org. Reading map data requires no authentication at all, while creating or modifying data requires an OAuth 2.0 token tied to an OSM account (the older Basic Auth/OAuth 1.0a login methods were retired in June 2024). It's a general-purpose data API rather than a geocoding service specifically — OSM points address-lookup users to the separate Nominatim service, and bulk-read users to Overpass.
| adresse.data.gouv.fr | OpenStreetMap | |
|---|---|---|
| Authentication | None | None |
| Pricing | free | free |
| Formats | GeoJSON | XML, JSON |
| CORS | yes | yes |
| HTTPS | Yes | Yes |
OpenStreetMap supports 2 response formats, while adresse.data.gouv.fr offers fewer — pick OpenStreetMap for more integration flexibility.