LocationIQ API
Browse all Locationiq APIs✓ Official Vendor SpecMaps GeolocationGeocodingapiKey9 EndpointsREST
For Agents
Geocode addresses, reverse-geocode coordinates, find nearby places, and calculate driving directions worldwide using OpenStreetMap data.
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.
Install Jentic One Beta
Connect the LocationIQ API to your agent
Jentic One is a self-hosted execution layer for AI agents. It lets your agent call the LocationIQ API, or any other public or private API you need. You set the rules, the agent never sees your credentials, and every call is logged.
Two steps, two machines. Install the instance in a safe environment, then register your agent from wherever it runs.
1
Step 1: Jentic One Host machine
# On the machine that will host your Jentic One instance:
curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/jentic/jentic-one/main/tools/install.sh | sh2
Step 2: Agent machine
# On the machine where your agent runs (keep this separate from the instance):
curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/jentic/jentic-one/main/tools/install.sh | sh
jentic register # connects your agent to your Jentic One instanceJentic One is in public beta. The setup above keeps your agent separate from the instance, which is what you want before using real credentials: an agent running as the same OS user as Jentic One can read its stored keys directly. Just evaluating? A single local install is fine to start. See the secure deployment guide for the tiers.
Capabilities
What an agent can do with LocationIQ 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
Calculate driving, cycling, or walking routes with /directions/{profile}/{coordinates}
Resolve a coordinate to its IANA time zone using /timezone
Track remaining daily quota by querying /balance
Use Cases
Patterns agents use LocationIQ 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
GET
/timezone
Look up the time zone for a coordinate
GET
/balance
Check remaining account quota
Why 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.
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 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.
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