Automatic Updates for GeoIP2 and GeoIP Legacy Databases

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. Please follow the instructions below.

Step 1 – Install GeoIP Update

Install GeoIP Update. The latest release may be downloaded from GitHub Releases. See here for installation instructions.

If you are using an older version of GeoIP Update, you may need to upgrade to GeoIP Update 4.x or later version. The 4.x and later versions meet our requirement for using TLS 1.2 or greater for all requests to our servers to keep your data secure.

Please see our upgrade guide for more information on upgrading from an older version of GeoIP Update.

Step 2 – Obtain GeoIP.conf with Account Information

For Paid GeoIP2 and GeoIP Legacy Databases

Get a partially pre-filled configuration file (may require authentication) and save it in your configuration directory (e.g., /usr/local/etc/) as GeoIP.conf. You will need to replace the YOUR_LICENSE_KEY_HERE placeholder with an active license key associated with your MaxMind account. You can see your license key information on your account License Keys page.

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.

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

6 12 * * 3 /usr/local/bin/geoipupdate
# end of crontab

This crontab file would run every week, and it would email you the results.

If you are running a firewall, geoipupdate requires that the DNS and HTTPS (443) ports be open.

Troubleshooting

If you receive an error when running GeoIP Update, you can use the verbose option by adding the -v flag. This will print out each step taken as it runs. The information provided can often help to clarify issues. Additional instructions for GeoIP Update can be viewed when running man geoipupdate on the command line.

Please note that GeoIP Update requires current access to database updates to run properly. If your subscription needs to be renewed, updates can be purchased while logged into your Account Summary page.

Updating to the latest release of GeoIP Update may be required to resolve some errors.

Direct Downloads

This is only recommended for systems unable to use GeoIP Update or for clients using the CSV-format databases.

In order to download the databases from a script or program, please use the permalinks found on the GeoIP download page.

  1. In the “Download Links” column, click “Get Permalink(s)” for the desired database.
  2. Copy the permalink(s) provided in the modal window.
  3. Replace YOUR_LICENSE_KEY with your license key.
  4. If you are using wget or curl from a shell script, please be sure to quote the URL.

This download will return a compressed file in gzip (for binary) or zip (for CSV) format, which can be uncompressed using a program like 7-Zip or gzip.

Download Limits

MaxMind reserves the right to limit the number of downloads made within a limited period of time.