Enable Geo-location

Pangolin uses a GeoIP database to map request IP addresses to approximate locations. That location data powers multiple features, including country and region access rules, geo-blocking patterns, and analytics.

To enable geo-location features in Pangolin self-hosted, download a MaxMind GeoIP database, place it in the config/ directory, and point Pangolin at the database file. This can be done for free.

Remember to keep the GeoIP database updated regularly, as IP-to-country mappings can change over time. You can just repeat the download and extraction steps periodically to ensure your database is current.

You can automate this process with a MaxMind Docker container. See the GeoLite2 Automation community guide for an example.

Install with the Installer

You can use the installer to download and place the database for you. Download the latest installer:

curl -fsSL https://static.pangolin.net/get-installer.sh | bash

Then run the installer again:

./installer

Manual Installation

Download and extract the GeoIP database

Download and extract the GeoLite2 Country database using the following commands:

# Download the GeoLite2 Country database
curl -L -o GeoLite2-Country.tar.gz https://github.com/GitSquared/node-geolite2-redist/raw/refs/heads/master/redist/GeoLite2-Country.tar.gz

# Extract the database
tar -xzf GeoLite2-Country.tar.gz

# Move the .mmdb file to the config directory
mv GeoLite2-Country_*/GeoLite2-Country.mmdb config/

# Clean up the downloaded files
rm -rf GeoLite2-Country.tar.gz GeoLite2-Country_*

Update the Pangolin config file

Update your Pangolin configuration to point to the new GeoIP database file. Edit config/config.yml to include the following entry:

server:
  maxmind_db_path: "./config/GeoLite2-Country.mmdb"

Restart Pangolin

Restart your Pangolin instance to apply the changes:

docker compose restart pangolin

Alternatively, you can create an account at MaxMind to get a license key and download the database directly from them.

After the geo-location database is enabled, use access control rules or the Geo-blocking guide to create blocking or allow rules.

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Install with the Installer

Manual Installation