MaxMind DB Apache Module
This module allows you to query MaxMind DB files from Apache 2.2+ using thelibmaxminddb library.
Requirements
This module requires Apache 2.2 or 2.4 to be installed, including anycorresponding “dev†package, such as apache2-dev on Ubuntu. You should haveapxs or apxs2 in your $PATH.
You also must install the libmaxminddbC library.
Installation
From a Named Release Tarball (Recommended)
NOTE: These instructions are for installation from the named .tar.gztarballs on the Releasespage (e.g. mod_maxminddb-*.tar.gz).
To install the module from a tarball, run the following commands from thedirectory with the extracted source:
./configure
make install
To use another Apache installation, specify a path to the right apxs binary:
./configure --with-apxs=/foo/bar/apxs
From a GitHub “Source Code†Archive / Git Repo Clone (Achtung!)
NOTE: These instructions are for installation from the GitHub “SourceCode†archives also available on theReleases page (e.g.X.Y.Z.zip or X.Y.Z.tar.gz), as well as installation directly from a cloneof the Git repo. Installation from these sources are possible but willpresent challenges to users not comfortable with manual dependency resolution.
- Ensure the build tools automake, autoconf and libtool are installed.
- Extract the archive and switch into the directory containing the extractedsource.
- Run ./bootstrap. Many users will experience challenges here as there areseveral dependencies that need to be present before this can completesuccessfully.
- Run:
./configure
make install
To use another Apache installation, specify a path to the right apxs binary:
./configure --with-apxs=/foo/bar/apxs
Usage
To use this module, you must first download or create a MaxMind DB file. Weprovide free GeoLite2 databasesas well as commercial GeoIP2 databases.
After installing this module and obtaining a database, you must now set up themodule in your Apache configuration file (e.g., /etc/apache2/apache2.conf)or in an .htaccess file. You must set MaxMindDBEnable to enable themodule, MaxMindDBFile to specify the database to use, and MaxMindDBEnv tobind the desired lookup result to an environment variable.You can also enable MaxMindDBSetNotes if you wish the environment variablesto also be set as Apache notes.
This module uses the client IP address for the lookup. This is not always whatyou want. If you need to use an IP address specified in a header (e.g., byyour proxy frontend),mod_remoteip maybe used to set the client IP address.
Manually setting the client IP address is also possible. SeeClient IP address lookup control.
Directives
All directives may appear either in your server configuration or an.htaccess file. Directives in <Location> and <Directory> blocks willalso apply to sub-locations and subdirectories. The configuration will bemerged with the most specific taking precedence. For instance, a conflictingdirective set for a subdirectory will be used for the subdirectory ratherthan the directive set for the parent location.
Similarly, the main server configuration may set defaults that will be mergedinto the configuration provided by individual virtual hosts. However, pleasenote that currently no configuration merging is performed between server/vhostand directory configurations.
MaxMindDBEnable
This directive enables or disables the MaxMind DB lookup. Valid settings areOn and Off.
MaxMindDBEnable On
MaxMindDBFile
This directive associates a name placeholder with a MaxMind DB file on thedisk. You may specify multiple databases, each with its own name.
MaxMindDBFile COUNTRY_DB /usr/local/share/GeoIP/GeoLite2-Country.mmdb
MaxMindDBFile CITY_DB /usr/local/share/GeoIP/GeoLite2-City.mmdb
The name placeholder can be any string that Apache parses as a word. Werecommend sticking to letters, numbers, and underscores.
MaxMindDBEnv
This directive assigns the lookup result to an environment variable. The firstparameter after the directive is the environment variable. The secondparameter is the name of the database followed by the path to the desired datausing map keys or 0-based array indexes separated by /.
MaxMindDBEnv COUNTRY_CODE COUNTRY_DB/country/iso_code
MaxMindDBEnv REGION_CODE CITY_DB/subdivisions/0/iso_code
MaxMindDBNetworkEnv
This directive assigns the network associated with the IP address to anenvironment variable. The network will be in CIDR format. This directivemay only be used once per database.
MaxMindDBNetworkEnv COUNTRY_DB COUNTRY_NETWORK
MaxMindDBNetworkEnv CITY_DB CITY_NETWORK
MaxMindDBSetNotes
This directive enables or disables the setting of Apache notes alongside theenvironment variables set via MaxMindDBEnv. Valid settings are On and Off.It defaults to Off.
MaxMindDBSetNotes On
Exported Environment Variables
In addition to the environment variable specified by MaxMindDBEnv, thismodule exports MMDB_ADDR, which contains the IP address used for lookups bythe module. This is primarily intended for debugging purposes.If MaxMindDBSetNotes is On, all environment variables are also exported asApache notes.
Client IP address lookup control
In case you want supply your own value for the IP address to lookup, it may bedone by setting the environment variable MMDB_ADDR.This can be done, for instance, withModSecurity in (real) phase 1.Note that mod_setenvif and mod_rewrite cannot be used for this as they arerunning after this module. For most usages,mod_remoteipis an easier alternative.
Examples
These examples show how to export data from the database into environmentvariables.
ASN Database
<IfModule mod_maxminddb.c>
MaxMindDBEnable On
MaxMindDBFile ASN_DB /usr/local/share/GeoIP/GeoLite2-ASN.mmdb
MaxMindDBEnv MM_ASN ASN_DB/autonomous_system_number
MaxMindDBEnv MM_ASORG ASN_DB/autonomous_system_organization
MaxMindDBNetworkEnv ASN_DB ASN_DB_NETWORK
</IfModule>
City Database
<IfModule mod_maxminddb.c>
MaxMindDBEnable On
MaxMindDBFile CITY_DB /usr/local/share/GeoIP/GeoLite2-City.mmdb
MaxMindDBEnv MM_COUNTRY_CODE CITY_DB/country/iso_code
MaxMindDBEnv MM_COUNTRY_NAME CITY_DB/country/names/en
MaxMindDBEnv MM_CITY_NAME CITY_DB/city/names/en
MaxMindDBEnv MM_LONGITUDE CITY_DB/location/longitude
MaxMindDBEnv MM_LATITUDE CITY_DB/location/latitude
MaxMindDBNetworkEnv CITY_DB CITY_DB_NETWORK
</IfModule>
Connection-Type Database
<IfModule mod_maxminddb.c>
MaxMindDBEnable On
MaxMindDBFile CONNECTION_TYPE_DB /usr/local/share/GeoIP/GeoIP2-Connection-Type.mmdb
MaxMindDBEnv MM_CONNECTION_TYPE CONNECTION_TYPE_DB/connection_type
MaxMindDBNetworkEnv CONNECTION_TYPE_DB CONNECTION_TYPE_DB_NETWORK
</IfModule>
Domain Database
<IfModule mod_maxminddb.c>
MaxMindDBEnable On
MaxMindDBFile DOMAIN_DB /usr/local/share/GeoIP/GeoIP2-Domain.mmdb
MaxMindDBEnv MM_DOMAIN DOMAIN_DB/domain
MaxMindDBNetworkEnv DOMAIN_DB DOMAIN_DB_NETWORK
</IfModule>
ISP Database
<IfModule mod_maxminddb.c>
MaxMindDBEnable On
MaxMindDBFile ISP_DB /usr/local/share/GeoIP/GeoIP2-ISP.mmdb
MaxMindDBEnv MM_ASN ISP_DB/autonomous_system_number
MaxMindDBEnv MM_ASORG ISP_DB/autonomous_system_organization
MaxMindDBEnv MM_ISP ISP_DB/isp
MaxMindDBEnv MM_ORG ISP_DB/organization
MaxMindDBNetworkEnv ISP_DB ISP_DB_NETWORK
</IfModule>
Blocking by Country
This example shows how to block users based on their country:
MaxMindDBEnable On
MaxMindDBFile DB /usr/local/share/GeoIP/GeoLite2-Country.mmdb
MaxMindDBEnv MM_COUNTRY_CODE DB/country/iso_code
SetEnvIf MM_COUNTRY_CODE ^(RU|DE|FR) BlockCountry
Deny from env=BlockCountry
Note that at least the “Deny†or “Allow†directive (or “Require†directive inApache 2.4 and above) must be applied within a <Directory>, <Location> or<Files> container.
Data Output Format
All data is provided as a string bound to the specified Apache environmentvariable. Floating point numbers are provided to five digits after the decimalplace. All integers types except 128-bit integers are provided as decimal.128-bit integers are returned as hexadecimal. Booleans are returned as “0†forfalse and “1†for true.
Note that data stored as the “bytes†type in a MaxMind DB database can containnull bytes and may end up truncated when stored in an environment variable. Ifyou really need to access this data, we recommend using one of ourprogramming languageAPIs instead.
Support
Please report all issues with this code using the GitHub issuetracker.
If you are having an issue with a commercial MaxMind database that is notspecific to this module, please see our supportpage.
If you are having an issue with a commercial MaxMind database that is not specific to this module, please see our support page.
