Headway is a self-hostable maps stack that provides mapping, geocoding, and routing capabilities powered by OpenStreetMap data.
The tool addresses the need for organizations and individuals to operate mapping infrastructure independently rather than relying on third-party services. It bundles together a frontend interface, basemap rendering, geocoding for address and point-of-interest search, and a routing engine into a single deployable package. Users can either select from over two hundred predefined city extracts or supply their own OpenStreetMap data covering any geographic area, from a neighborhood to the entire planet. The stack supports multiple travel modes including driving, cycling, and walking, with transit directions under active development.
Headway suits projects requiring self-contained mapping infrastructure with control over data and deployment. It works well for organizations that want to avoid vendor lock-in or need mapping functionality in environments without reliable external API access. The tool is appropriate for medium-sized deployments; a metro-area instance typically requires around four gigabytes of memory to run, though the build process for generating data files demands substantially more resources, with eight gigabytes minimum and potentially more for larger areas. Disk space needs during build can reach fifty to one hundred gigabytes.
The project maintains active development with regular commits and passing automated checks across formatting, linting, and tests enforced through pre-commit hooks. The codebase is written primarily in Rust and accepts community contributions through pull requests for enhancements and bug fixes.
