---
title: "Installing Geospatial libraries"
version: 5.1
locale: it
source: https://docs.djangoproject.com/it/5.1/ref/contrib/gis/install/geolibs/
canonical: https://djangodocs.dev/it/5.1/ref/contrib/gis/install/geolibs/
---
# Installing Geospatial libraries

GeoDjango uses and/or provides interfaces for the following open source
geospatial libraries:

| Program | Description | Required | Supported Versions |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| [GEOS](/it/5.1/ref/contrib/gis/geos/) | Geometry Engine Open Source | Yes | 3.12, 3.11, 3.10, 3.9, 3.8 |
| [PROJ](https://proj.org/) | Cartographic Projections library | Yes (PostgreSQL and SQLite only) | 9.x, 8.x, 7.x, 6.x |
| [GDAL](/it/5.1/ref/contrib/gis/gdal/) | Geospatial Data Abstraction Library | Yes | 3.8, 3.7, 3.6, 3.5, 3.4, 3.3, 3.2, 3.1, 3.0 |
| [GeoIP](/it/5.1/ref/contrib/gis/geoip2/) | IP-based geolocation library | No | 2 |
| [PostGIS](https://postgis.net/) | Spatial extensions for PostgreSQL | Yes (PostgreSQL only) | 3.4, 3.3, 3.2, 3.1, 3.0 |
| [SpatiaLite](https://www.gaia-gis.it/gaia-sins/) | Spatial extensions for SQLite | Yes (SQLite only) | 5.1, 5.0, 4.3 |

Note that older or more recent versions of these libraries *may* also work
totally fine with GeoDjango. Your mileage may vary.

> **Note**
>
> The GeoDjango interfaces to GEOS, GDAL, and GeoIP may be used
> independently of Django.  In other words, no database or settings file
> required – import them as normal from [`django.contrib.gis`](/it/5.1/ref/contrib/gis/#module-django.contrib.gis).

On Debian/Ubuntu, you are advised to install the following packages which will
install, directly or by dependency, the required geospatial libraries:

```console
$ sudo apt-get install binutils libproj-dev gdal-bin
```

Please also consult platform-specific instructions if you are on [macOS](/it/5.1/ref/contrib/gis/install/#macos)
or [Windows](/it/5.1/ref/contrib/gis/install/#windows).

## Building from source

When installing from source on UNIX and GNU/Linux systems, please follow
the installation instructions carefully, and install the libraries in the
given order.  If using MySQL or Oracle as the spatial database, only GEOS
is required.

> **Note**
>
> On Linux platforms, it may be necessary to run the `ldconfig` command
> after installing each library. For example:
>
> ```shell
> $ sudo make install
> $ sudo ldconfig
> ```

> **Note**
>
> macOS users must install [Xcode](https://developer.apple.com/xcode/) in order to compile software from source.

### GEOS

GEOS is a C++ library for performing geometric operations, and is the default
internal geometry representation used by GeoDjango (it’s behind the «lazy»
geometries).  Specifically, the C API library is called (e.g., `libgeos_c.so`)
directly from Python using ctypes.

First, download GEOS from the GEOS website and untar the source archive:

```shell
$ wget https://download.osgeo.org/geos/geos-X.Y.Z.tar.bz2
$ tar xjf geos-X.Y.Z.tar.bz2
```

Then step into the GEOS directory, create a `build` folder, and step into
it:

```shell
$ cd geos-X.Y.Z
$ mkdir build
$ cd build
```

Then build and install the package:

```shell
$ cmake -DCMAKE_BUILD_TYPE=Release ..
$ cmake --build .
$ sudo cmake --build . --target install
```

#### Troubleshooting

##### Can’t find GEOS library

When GeoDjango can’t find GEOS, this error is raised:

```text
ImportError: Could not find the GEOS library (tried "geos_c"). Try setting GEOS_LIBRARY_PATH in your settings.
```

The most common solution is to properly configure your [Library environment settings](/it/5.1/ref/contrib/gis/install/#libsettings) *or* set
[GEOS\_LIBRARY\_PATH](#geoslibrarypath) in your settings.

If using a binary package of GEOS (e.g., on Ubuntu), you may need to [Install binutils](/it/5.1/ref/contrib/gis/install/#binutils).

##### `GEOS_LIBRARY_PATH`

If your GEOS library is in a non-standard location, or you don’t want to
modify the system’s library path then the [`GEOS_LIBRARY_PATH`](/it/5.1/ref/contrib/gis/geos/#std-setting-GEOS_LIBRARY_PATH)
setting may be added to your Django settings file with the full path to the
GEOS C library.  For example:

```shell
GEOS_LIBRARY_PATH = '/home/bob/local/lib/libgeos_c.so'
```

> **Note**
>
> The setting must be the *full* path to the **C** shared library; in
> other words you want to use `libgeos_c.so`, not `libgeos.so`.

See also [My logs are filled with GEOS-related errors](/it/5.1/ref/contrib/gis/geos/#geos-exceptions-in-logfile).

### PROJ

[PROJ](https://proj.org/) is a library for converting geospatial data to different coordinate
reference systems.

First, download the PROJ source code:

```shell
$ wget https://download.osgeo.org/proj/proj-X.Y.Z.tar.gz
```

… and datum shifting files (download `proj-datumgrid-X.Y.tar.gz` for
PROJ \< 7.x) [^1]:

```shell
$ wget https://download.osgeo.org/proj/proj-data-X.Y.tar.gz
```

Next, untar the source code archive, and extract the datum shifting files in the
`data` subdirectory. This must be done *prior* to configuration:

```shell
$ tar xzf proj-X.Y.Z.tar.gz
$ cd proj-X.Y.Z/data
$ tar xzf ../../proj-data-X.Y.tar.gz
$ cd ../..
```

For PROJ 9.x and greater, releases only support builds using `CMake` (see
[PROJ RFC-7](https://proj.org/community/rfc/rfc-7.html#rfc7)).

To build with `CMake` ensure your system meets the [build requirements](https://proj.org/install.html#build-requirements).
Then create a `build` folder in the PROJ directory, and step into it:

```shell
$ cd proj-X.Y.Z
$ mkdir build
$ cd build
```

Finally, configure, make and install PROJ:

```shell
$ cmake ..
$ cmake --build .
$ sudo cmake --build . --target install
```

### GDAL

[GDAL](https://gdal.org/) is an excellent open source geospatial library that has support for
reading most vector and raster spatial data formats.  Currently, GeoDjango only
supports [GDAL’s vector data](/it/5.1/ref/contrib/gis/gdal/) capabilities [^2].
[GEOS](#geosbuild) and [PROJ](#proj4) should be installed prior to building GDAL.

First download the latest GDAL release version and untar the archive:

```shell
$ wget https://download.osgeo.org/gdal/X.Y.Z/gdal-X.Y.Z.tar.gz
$ tar xzf gdal-X.Y.Z.tar.gz
```

For GDAL 3.6.x and greater, releases only support builds using `CMake`. To
build with `CMake` create a `build` folder in the GDAL directory, and step
into it:

```shell
$ cd gdal-X.Y.Z
$ mkdir build
$ cd build
```

Finally, configure, make and install GDAL:

```shell
$ cmake ..
$ cmake --build .
$ sudo cmake --build . --target install
```

If you have any problems, please see the troubleshooting section below for
suggestions and solutions.

#### Troubleshooting

##### Can’t find GDAL library

When GeoDjango can’t find the GDAL library, configure your [Library environment settings](/it/5.1/ref/contrib/gis/install/#libsettings)
*or* set [GDAL\_LIBRARY\_PATH](#gdallibrarypath) in your settings.

##### `GDAL_LIBRARY_PATH`

If your GDAL library is in a non-standard location, or you don’t want to
modify the system’s library path then the [`GDAL_LIBRARY_PATH`](/it/5.1/ref/contrib/gis/gdal/#std-setting-GDAL_LIBRARY_PATH)
setting may be added to your Django settings file with the full path to
the GDAL library.  For example:

```shell
GDAL_LIBRARY_PATH = '/home/sue/local/lib/libgdal.so'
```

**Footnotes**

[^1]: The datum shifting files are needed for converting data to and from
certain projections.
For example, the PROJ string for the [Google projection (900913 or 3857)](https://spatialreference.org/ref/epsg/3857/) requires the `null`
grid file only included in the extra datum shifting files. It is easier
to install the shifting files now, then to have debug a problem caused
by their absence later.

[^2]: Specifically, GeoDjango provides support for the [OGR](https://gdal.org/user/vector_data_model.html) library, a component of
GDAL.