GeoServer vs OSRM
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted maps & gis options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Not the right match-up?
GeoServer
Server for sharing and editing geospatial data
VS
OSRM
High-performance routing engine for OpenStreetMap
| Feature | GeoServer | OSRM |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Maps & GIS | Maps & GIS |
| License | GPL-2.0 | BSD-2-Clause |
| Language | Java | C++ |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Hard |
| Min. RAM | 2,048 MB | 8,192 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal | docker, bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 4,428 | ★ 7,955 |
| First released | 2001 | 2012 |
| Replaces | ArcGIS Server | Google Directions API |
Why pick each one
Choose GeoServer if…
- Released under the GPL-2.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Active community (4.4k GitHub stars)
- Written in Java
Choose OSRM if…
- Released under the BSD-2-Clause license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Mature project with 8k GitHub stars
- Written in C++
Frequently asked questions
Is GeoServer or OSRM better?
Neither is universally better. OSRM has the larger community, while GeoServer is simpler to set up (medium difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are GeoServer and OSRM free and open-source?
Yes. GeoServer is licensed under GPL-2.0 and OSRM under BSD-2-Clause. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run GeoServer and OSRM with Docker?
GeoServer: yes. OSRM: yes.