Question

1. Which modules can I use to add a google map to a node with a address entered by a user, so that the location shows on the map? (i’m asking, because I tried a few and could never find one that worked straight off the bat)
2. Am I allowed to just use google maps?
3. Will the Google Map API work from my local machine, or will it only work once it’s online acting from the registered website address?

Answer 1

You should be able to get what you want using the two following modules :

GMap

The GMap module provides an interface
to the Google Maps API within Drupal.
It integrates with the Location module
to provide users a clickable map for
entering latitude and longitude, as
well as to display maps of Drupal
nodes and users.

Location

The Location module allows real-world
geographic locations to be associated
with Drupal nodes, including people,
places, and other content. The
Location module allows admins to
collect addresses, geocode them
(translate addresses to
lattitude/longitude), and associate
locations with Drupal nodes and users.

About your question 3) :

• you can get one API key for your production website, and others for your other environments (like dev, test, staging, …)
• if you don’t have the right API key (in dev, for instance), you’ll have a not-nice JS alert each time a map loads — but it should still be displayed.

You can take a look at this entry from Google maps’s FAQ : How does the Google Maps APIs key system work?