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customizing_geocoder_config

⚙️ Customizing Geocoder Configuration and Caching​

Tweaking Geocoder’s global settings helps optimize performance and control accuracy. You can change default units, timeout, and enable result caching.

  1. Create or update config/initializers/geocoder.rb:
Geocoder.configure(
  # Use kilometers instead of miles
  units: :km,
  # Limit network requests to one per second
  lookup: :google,
  api_key: ENV['GOOGLE_GEOCODER_API_KEY'],
  timeout: 5,
  # Store geocoding results in Redis to avoid repeated API calls
  cache: Geocoder::Store::Redis.new,
  cache_prefix: 'geocoder:'
)
  1. Re‑geocode only when needed to reduce API usage:
class Place < ApplicationRecord
  geocoded_by :full_address
  after_validation :geocode, if: :address_needs_geocoding?

  def address_needs_geocoding?
    address.present? && (latitude.blank? || address_changed?)
  end
end

With caching enabled and selective geocoding, you’ll minimize external requests and speed up lookup.