PMTiles

PMTiles is an open specification for storing pyramids of map tiles—either vector or raster—in a single file that can be served directly from cloud object storage or any static HTTP host. By organizing tile data with an internal directory structure and supporting HTTP range requests, PMTiles allows a client to fetch individual tiles on demand without a specialized tile server, dramatically simplifying deployment and reducing infrastructure costs. The format was created by Brandon Liu and has gained rapid adoption in the open-source geospatial community. A PMTiles archive can be generated from MBTilesMBTilesMBTiles is an open specification for storing tiled map data in a single SQLite database file. It provides a portable,... databases or directly from source data using the pmtiles CLI tool. The internal directory is structured as a compact, hierarchical index that maps tile coordinates (z/x/y) to byte ranges within the file. Clients read the root directory first, then use it to locate the specific tile they need. PMTiles integrates with popular web mapping libraries through dedicated plugins for MapLibre GLMapLibre GLMapLibre GL is an open-source map rendering library forked from Mapbox GL JS. It provides GPU-accelerated vector tile... JS, LeafletLeafletLeaflet is a lightweight, mobile-friendly JavaScript library for building interactive mapping applications. Known for..., and OpenLayersOpenLayersOpenLayers is a mature, open-source JavaScript library for building interactive web maps that support a wide range of.... It works seamlessly with cloud storage services like AWS S3, Cloudflare R2, and Google Cloud Storage. By combining PMTiles with STAC catalogs or simple file listings, organizations can build entirely serverless map tileMap TileA map tile is a pre-rendered image segment of a map at a specific zoom level, typically 256x256 or 512x512 pixels. Ma... infrastructure. The format supports both MapboxMapboxMapbox is a robust platform that equips developers with tools to create highly customizable, interactive maps for web... Vector TileVector TileVector tiles package geographic vector data into a grid of small, efficiently encoded tiles that are transmitted to t... (MVT) encoded vector tiles and PNG/JPEG/WebP raster tiles, making it versatile for a wide range of mapping applications.