LocationIQ API

Name: LocationIQ API API
Brand: LocationIQ API
Availability: InStock

✓ Official Vendor SpecMaps GeolocationGeocodingapiKey9 EndpointsREST

For Agents

Geocode addresses, reverse-geocode coordinates, find nearby places, and calculate driving directions worldwide using OpenStreetMap data.

Quickstart

Get started with LocationIQ API in minutes using your preferred integration method.

# Add to your MCP client config (Claude Desktop, Cursor, Windsurf)
{
  "jentic": {
    "url": "https://api.jentic.com/mcp",
    "auth": "oauth"
  }
}

# Then ask your agent:
"geocode an address"

# → Jentic returns the GET /events tool with parameter schema, agent executes.

Capabilities

What an agent can do with LocationIQ API API.

Convert free-form or structured addresses into latitude and longitude with the /search endpoint

Reverse-geocode coordinate pairs into formatted addresses via /reverse

Suggest matching addresses while users type using /autocomplete

Find points of interest within a radius of a coordinate through /nearby

GET STARTED

Start building with LocationIQ API API

Explore with Jentic

View OpenAPI Document

Use for: I need to geocode a customer's mailing address, Reverse-geocode these GPS coordinates into a street address, Find all coffee shops within 500 metres of this point, Get the driving directions between two coordinates

Not supported: Does not handle map tile rendering, vector tile hosting, or commercial truck-specific routing — use for geocoding, reverse geocoding, autocomplete, and basic routing only.

LocationIQ provides global geocoding, reverse geocoding, routing, and place-search services backed by OpenStreetMap data and a worldwide datacentre footprint. The API supports forward, structured, and postal-code geocoding, autocomplete suggestions, nearby place search, time-zone lookups, and turn-by-turn directions across driving, cycling, and walking profiles. Account balance can be queried to track API usage against quota.

Use Cases

Patterns agents use LocationIQ API API for, with concrete tasks.

★ Address Autocomplete in Checkout

Reduce cart abandonment by suggesting validated addresses as shoppers type. The /autocomplete endpoint returns ranked address candidates that resolve to canonical coordinates, so downstream shipping and tax calculations use clean data. Integration is straightforward because results follow the standard Nominatim format.

Call /autocomplete with q='221b baker' and limit=5 to return the top five matching addresses worldwide.

Delivery Route Planning

Calculate driving directions between a depot and a delivery stop with the /directions/{profile}/{coordinates} endpoint. The response includes distance, duration, and turn-by-turn steps usable in dispatcher dashboards. Profiles cover driving, cycling, and walking so the same API powers both fleet and last-mile workflows.

Request /directions/driving/-73.989,40.733;-73.968,40.785 to get the driving route distance and duration in JSON.

Reverse Geocoding for Mobile Check-ins

Translate a phone's GPS reading into a human-readable address with /reverse. This powers check-in features, ride pickup confirmations, and field-service apps where the user does not type an address. Responses include house number, road, suburb, city, postcode, and country.

Send GET /reverse?lat=37.7749&lon=-122.4194&format=json and parse the display_name field.

AI Agent Location Lookup via Jentic

Agents that answer location questions can call LocationIQ through Jentic without managing API keys directly. Jentic exposes the geocoding, reverse-geocoding, and directions operations as MCP tools, so the agent picks the right one by intent rather than reading docs. The API key stays in the Jentic vault.

Through Jentic, search 'geocode an address', load the LocationIQ /search schema, and execute it with the user's input string.

Key Endpoints

9 endpoints — locationiq provides global geocoding, reverse geocoding, routing, and place-search services backed by openstreetmap data and a worldwide datacentre footprint.

METHOD

PATH

DESCRIPTION

GET

/search

Forward geocoding from a free-form query

GET

/reverse

Reverse geocode coordinates to an address

GET

/autocomplete

Address autocomplete suggestions

GET

/nearby

Find places within a radius of a coordinate

GET

/directions/{profile}/{coordinates}

Get a route for a transport profile

GET

/timezone

Look up the time zone for a coordinate

GET

/balance

Check remaining account quota

GET

/search

Forward geocoding from a free-form query

GET

/reverse

Reverse geocode coordinates to an address

GET

/autocomplete

Address autocomplete suggestions

GET

/nearby

Find places within a radius of a coordinate

GET

/directions/{profile}/{coordinates}

Get a route for a transport profile

Why though Jentic?

Three things that make agents converge on Jentic-routed access.

Credential isolation

The LocationIQ API key is stored encrypted in the Jentic vault. Agents receive scoped access at execution time and the raw key never enters the agent context or logs.

Intent-based discovery

Agents search by intent (e.g. 'geocode an address') and Jentic returns the matching LocationIQ operation with its input schema, so the agent calls the right endpoint without reading docs.

Time to first call

Direct LocationIQ integration: roughly half a day to wire up auth and parse responses. Through Jentic: under 10 minutes — search, load, execute.

Related APIs

Alternatives and complements available in the Jentic catalogue.

Alternative

OpenCage Geocoding API

Another OpenStreetMap-backed geocoding API with a single global endpoint

Choose OpenCage when you want one unified endpoint that accepts both forward and reverse queries with the same parameter shape.

Alternative

HERE Maps API

Enterprise-grade geocoding, routing, and traffic data from a commercial provider

Pick HERE Maps when you need real-time traffic, truck-specific routing, or higher-accuracy commercial address data.

Complementary

GraphHopper Directions API

Specialised routing engine often paired with a separate geocoder

Use GraphHopper alongside LocationIQ when you need advanced route optimisation features like matrix routing or vehicle profiles beyond the basic three.

Alternative

Positionstack API

Forward and reverse geocoding API with global coverage

Choose Positionstack when you want a simple JSON geocoding API with bulk request support.

FAQs

Specific to using LocationIQ API API through Jentic.

What authentication does the LocationIQ API use?

LocationIQ uses an API key passed as the `key` query parameter on every request. Through Jentic the key is stored in the encrypted vault and injected at execution time, so the key never appears in the agent's context.

Can I get turn-by-turn driving directions with the LocationIQ API?

Yes. Call GET /directions/{profile}/{coordinates} with profile set to driving, cycling, or walking and a semicolon-separated coordinate list. The response returns distance in metres, duration in seconds, and step-by-step instructions.

What are the rate limits for the LocationIQ API?

Rate limits depend on your plan tier. The free tier allows 5,000 requests per day at 2 requests per second. Use GET /balance to read your remaining quota at any time.

How do I geocode an address with LocationIQ through Jentic?

Run `pip install jentic`, then search Jentic for 'geocode an address', load the LocationIQ /search operation, and execute it with the address string. Jentic returns the JSON response with lat, lon, and the parsed address components.

Does LocationIQ support reverse geocoding for mobile coordinates?

Yes. Send GET /reverse with lat and lon parameters and the API returns a structured address including house number, road, city, postcode, and country, suitable for mobile check-in or ride-hailing apps.

Is the LocationIQ API free?

LocationIQ offers a free tier with 5,000 daily requests and paid tiers with higher quotas, commercial use rights, and SLA guarantees. Pricing is published at locationiq.com/pricing.