Most of the time OSM.org simply works, and that’s how it should be. But beneath the calm surface there's plenty of activity to keep the project's infrastructure fast, stable, and reliable.

This talk gives a light-hearted behind the scenes look at the adventures of the Operations Team. I'll share stories of ISP equipment that fails at the worst possible moment, bots and scrapers that treat our servers a little too enthusiastically, and traffic floods that push our defences. Along the way, I’ll highlight the tools and practices that keep things running - from monitoring and automation to the occasional bits of string.

These "fires" are rarely visible to the wider community, but they shape how we plan capacity, improve resilience, and decide where we spend our time. Running OSM.org is equal parts engineering, firefighting, and persistence.

If you've ever wondered what really happens when the servers misbehave, this talk will reveal the hidden life of keeping OSM online.