Locations Plugin 🌍

merefield · 1월 31, 2026, 2:30오후

IP를 통한 사용자 위치 설정 작업을 @祁同伟 와 @nathank 님이 스폰서로 나서주셨다는 소식을 전하게 되어 매우 기쁩니다

이 작업은 당분간 실험적인 단계에 머물겠지만, 이미 PR이 올라와 있다는 점도 기쁜 마음으로 알려드립니다:

github.com/merefield/discourse-locations

Automated ip based user location determination (#147)

main ← automated_ip_based_user_location_determination

merged 09:02PM - 31 Jan 26 UTC

merefield

+709 -119

## IP‑based User Location (MaxMind → GeoNames) ### What this adds - Auto…matically determines a user’s location from their IP after post creation. - Uses **MaxMind (DiscourseIpInfo)** for identity + GeoNames for canonical lat/lon. - Stores exactly **one granularity level** per user (`country` / `province` / `city`) in `UserCustomField` `geo_location`. - Ensures lat/lon match the chosen granularity (privacy‑correct coordinates). - Caches GeoNames lookups by `geoname_id` (no extra gems; uses `FinalDestination::HTTP`). --- ## Prerequisites (official accounts) You must have valid accounts and credentials from: - **MaxMind GeoLite2** Sign up and obtain an Account ID + License Key: https://www.maxmind.com/en/geolite2/signup - **GeoNames** Create a username for the GeoNames API and **enable Web Services** in your GeoNames account settings: https://www.geonames.org/login --- ## Required Configuration **Env vars (MaxMind) for `app.yml`** - `DISCOURSE_MAXMIND_ACCOUNT_ID` - `DISCOURSE_MAXMIND_LICENSE_KEY` **Site settings** - `location_geonames_username` (GeoNames username) **Dev note (MaxMind DBs)** - In development, ensure the MaxMind DBs are downloaded: DISCOURSE_MAXMIND_ACCOUNT_ID=... DISCOURSE_MAXMIND_LICENSE_KEY=... bundle exec rake maxminddb:get Restart web/sidekiq afterward so `DiscourseIpInfo` reloads the DBs. --- ## Settings | Setting | Default | Description | |---|---:|---| | `location_ip_granularity` | `city` | Controls stored level: `country`, `province` (admin1), `county` (admin2), or `city`. | | `location_geonames_username` | `""` | GeoNames username for `getJSON` requests. Acts as a feature flag (blank => skip). | | `location_ip_lookup_cooldown_days` | `1` | Per‑user cooldown between IP lookups (0 disables cooldown). | | `locations_skip_ip_based_location_update_if_existing` | `true` | Skip IP lookup when existing `geo_location` already has **lat + lon**. | | `location_ip_auto_lookup_enabled` | `false` | Auto‑enqueue IP lookups on post creation. Rake task still works when off. | --- ## Flow - `post_created` → enqueue `Jobs::Locations::IpLocationLookup` with user ID + IP. - Job: - Guards: plugin enabled, users map enabled, GeoNames username present, MaxMind env vars present, cooldown OK, and optional “existing location” check. - Uses `DiscourseIpInfo.get(ip)` to get `geoname_ids`. - Resolves GeoNames IDs, picks feature by granularity (`country` / `province` / `county` / `city`), builds `geo_location`. - Saves `geo_location` to user custom field + updates `locations_user` table. --- ## Job + Hook **Hook** - `post_created` now enqueues `Jobs::Locations::IpLocationLookup` - In development, IP is overridden to a fixed test IP (`2.139.231.7`) to ensure resolvable data. **Job** - `Jobs::Locations::IpLocationLookup` (new, in `app/jobs/regular/locations/ip_location_lookup.rb`) - Logs key steps, skips when prerequisites are missing. - Writes `geo_location` only when successfully built. --- ## GeoNames Helpers New modules in `lib/locations/`: - `GeoNamesClient` - Calls `https://secure.geonames.org/getJSON` via `FinalDestination::HTTP`. - Normalizes `geoname_id`, `fcl`, `fcode`, `lat`, `lon`, etc. - Caches only successful lookups (avoids caching nil). - `GeoNamesGranularityPicker` - Selects best `PCLI` / `ADM1` / `PPL*` by desired granularity. - `GeoLocationBuilder` - Builds `geo_location` hash with correct `lat/lon`, `state`/`city` based on granularity. --- ## Rake Task New rake task in `lib/tasks/locations.rake`: **Task** rake locations:enqueue_user_ip_location_lookups[username_pattern,pattern_type,delay] **Behavior** - Iterates users and enqueues the IP lookup job using `user.ip_address`. - Progress is based on **matched population** (not total users). - Skips enqueue when IP is blank. **Options** - `username_pattern` (optional): filter users by username. - `pattern_type`: `string` (default substring match) or `regex`. - `delay`: seconds between enqueues (float, default `0`). **Help** rake locations:enqueue_user_ip_location_lookups:help

이것은 단순한 조회가 아닙니다. 그 이상을 수행합니다. 사용자 프라이버시를 보호하면서 커뮤니티의 신뢰를 높이기 위해, 자동으로 결정된 모든 위치의 특정 세분화 수준(예: 도시)을 설정할 수 있도록 합니다.

(네, VPN과 관련하여 몇 가지 문제가 발생할 수 있으며, 이를 쉽게 해결하기는 어려울 것입니다).

이 기능이 충분히 잘 작동한다고 판단되면 병합(merge)할 예정입니다.

어쨌든 이 기능은 기능 플래그(feature flag) 뒤에 배치되어 있습니다.

지속적으로 업데이트를 알려드리겠지만, 설레는 시간입니다. 이는 아마도 오랫동안 Locations 플러그인에 추가된 기능 중 가장 훌륭한 것 중 하나가 될 것입니다.

다시 한번 @祁同伟 님과 @nathank 님께 감사드립니다 !!

그리고 네, 기존 모든 사용자를 위해 이 작업을 수행하는 rake 태스크도 또 추가될 것입니다 …

글		댓글	조회수
The software powering this discussion forum encountered an unexpected problem Support	8	5929	3월 20, 2019
Discourse Version 1.4 Announcements release-notes	1	19696	9월 21, 2015
Discourse Version 2.5 Announcements release-notes	3	14725	6월 24, 2020
Visual map of users Feature	15	8249	5월 22, 2018
Discourse Version 2.2 Announcements release-notes	3	14549	2월 1, 2019

Locations Plugin 🌍

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