This page provides two methods for automatically updating GeoIP2 and GeoIP Legacy binary databases.
Using GeoIP Update
MaxMind provides the GeoIP Update program, which performs automatic updates for both GeoIP2 and GeoIP Legacy binary databases. GeoIP updates require an active GeoIP subscription. Please follow the instructions below.
Step 1 – Install GeoIP Update
Install GeoIP Update. The latest release may be downloaded from GitHub Releases.
Step 2 – Obtain GeoIP.conf with Account Information
For Paid GeoIP2 and GeoIP Legacy Databases
Get a pre-filled configuration file (may require authentication) and save it in your configuration directory (e.g., /usr/local/etc/) as GeoIP.conf.
You may also write this file by hand using the template below (not recommended).
# GeoIP.conf file - used by geoipupdate program to update databases
# from http://www.maxmind.com
AccountID YOUR_ACCOUNT_ID_HERE
LicenseKey YOUR_LICENSE_KEY_HERE
EditionIDs YOUR_EDITION_IDS_HERE
Note that for geoipupdate versions less than 2.5.0, use UserId instead of AccountID and ProductIds instead of EditionIDs.
For Free GeoLite2 Databases
The GeoIP Update program will also work without an account to retrieve the GeoLite2 databases. Please use the following GeoIP.conf file:
# The following AccountID and LicenseKey are required placeholders. # For geoipupdate versions earlier than 2.5.0, use UserId here instead of AccountID. AccountID 0 LicenseKey 000000000000 # Include one or more of the following edition IDs: # * GeoLite2-City - GeoLite 2 City # * GeoLite2-Country - GeoLite2 Country # For geoipupdate versions earlier than 2.5.0, use ProductIds here instead of EditionIDs. EditionIDs GeoLite2-City GeoLite2-Country
Step 3 – Run GeoIP Update
Run geoipupdate. To fully automate this process on Linux or Unix, use a crontab file like:
# top of crontab
MAILTO=your@email.com
10 5 * * 3 /usr/local/bin/geoipupdate
# end of crontab
This crontab file would run every week, and it would email you the results. To apply the crontab file run:
$ crontab cronfile
If you are running a firewall, geoipupdate requires that the DNS and HTTPS (443) ports be open.
Direct Downloads
This is only recommended for systems unable to use GeoIP Update, such as Windows.
In order to download the databases from a script or program, please use the “direct download URL” on our GeoIP download page. If you are using using wget or curl from a shell script, please be sure to quote the URL.
This download will return a compressed file in gzip format, which can be uncompressed using a program like 7-Zip or gzip.