OSM-Carto switched to flex output

Nearly six years ago we introduced the “flex” output in osm2pgsql version 1.3.0 and then improved it over the years adding more and more functionality. About a month ago OpenStreetMap-Carto, the iconic OSM map style switched to using the “flex” output in version 6.0.0. And now the OSM Foundation has finished their gradual rollout of the new version. So the most important user of osm2pgsql doesn’t need the old “pgsql” output any more.

That switch has been eagerly awaited by the osm2pgsql maintainers, because it means we can start planning to retire the old “pgsql” output in earnest. This will allow us to remove a lot of code and simplify other parts of osm2pgsql making it easier to maintain and improve in the long term. We have already marked the “pgsql” output as deprecated with version 2.0.0 released in 2024, so this shouldn’t come as a surprise. The old “pgsql” output will not go away immediately, but it will also not be available forever. If you are still using it, start migrating your styles.