TileServer GL is an open-source vector and raster map tile server with GL JSON styles. Learn its features, setup, and self-hosting options.
TileServer GL is an open-source map tile server built to host vector and raster maps styled with GL JSON, the JSON-based styling format originally defined by Mapbox and now used broadly across the open web mapping ecosystem. It was first announced at the FOSS4G 2016 conference and has been developed and maintained largely through the MapTiler organization on GitHub, with historical contributions credited to Klokan Technologies, Mapbox, and the MapLibre community. The project is licensed under the permissive BSD 2-Clause license and is free to download, modify, and self-host.
Unlike a hosted SaaS mapping API, TileServer GL is software that organizations run themselves, either on a cloud server, on-premises infrastructure, or entirely offline. It serves vector tiles (typically produced by projects like OpenMapTiles) directly to clients such as MapLibre GL JS, Mapbox GL JS, Leaflet, and OpenLayers for web use, and to native Android and iOS mapping SDKs for mobile apps, while also offering server-side rasterization for clients or GIS tools that require traditional raster tiles, WMTS layers, or static map images.
Server-side rendering is powered by MapLibre GL Native, a C++/OpenGL rendering engine accessed through Node.js bindings, which lets TileServer GL turn the same vector tile and style data into pixel-based images without requiring the client to do any GL rendering itself.
TileServer GL serves both vector tiles and server-rendered raster tiles from a single style definition, so the same map style can power interactive vector maps in modern JS libraries and static or legacy raster consumers (like older GIS clients) simultaneously. It supports OGC WMTS output for compatibility with traditional GIS software such as QGIS and ArcGIS.
The project ships in two forms: a full version with native rendering dependencies for server-side rasterization, and a lightweight pure-JavaScript version with no native dependencies that runs more portably (including on platforms where compiling native modules is difficult) but does not perform server-side rasterization. Both can be run via Docker or npm.
Because it is self-hosted and open source, TileServer GL gives organizations full control over map data, styling, and infrastructure costs, making it a common backend for offline mapping applications, custom basemaps, and self-hosted alternatives to commercial tile APIs.
TileServer GL itself is free and open source under the BSD 2-Clause license; there is no subscription fee, tile-request pricing, or licensing cost from the project. Users only pay for the infrastructure they run it on (server or cloud compute costs) and, if desired, for source vector tile data such as OpenMapTiles extracts, which are separately licensed.
Organizations that prefer a managed alternative can use MapTiler's commercial hosted tile services or MapTiler Server product instead of self-hosting, but TileServer GL as a standalone open-source project remains free to run indefinitely with no vendor account required.
TileServer GL is used to self-host vector and raster map tiles for web maps, mobile apps, and GIS software, serving as an alternative to commercial map tile APIs.
Yes, TileServer GL is free and open source under the BSD 2-Clause license, with no subscription or licensing fees from the project itself.
TileServer GL is maintained primarily through the MapTiler organization on GitHub, with historical contributions from Klokan Technologies and the broader MapLibre and Mapbox open-source communities.
It uses MapLibre GL Native, a C++/OpenGL rendering engine, accessed via Node.js bindings, to rasterize vector tiles server-side.
Yes, because it is self-hosted software, TileServer GL can run entirely offline or on isolated networks with locally stored tile data.
It typically serves vector tiles produced by projects like OpenMapTiles, though it can serve any compatible vector or raster tile source.
Node.js version 20 or above is required, with Node 24 recommended; a lightweight pure-JavaScript version is also available with no native dependencies.
TileServer GL is free, self-hosted software requiring your own infrastructure, while MapTiler's commercial cloud and MapTiler Server products are managed, paid alternatives for teams that don't want to self-host.