TileServer GL is a map tile server for serving vector tiles and rendered raster tiles styled with Mapbox GL style specifications. It can serve tiles from MBTiles sources and provides endpoints compatible with popular web mapping libraries and GIS clients, with optional server-side rasterization.

Key Features

Serves vector tiles and styled raster tiles from MBTiles sources
Server-side raster rendering powered by MapLibre GL Native (in the full build)
Built-in web preview for styles, tiles, and sources
Standards-friendly endpoints including WMTS capabilities
Supports static image rendering and static file hosting for map assets
Configuration-driven setup (styles, data sources, fonts) with reload support
Deployable via Docker or as a Node.js application

Use Cases

Self-hosted basemap and thematic map tile delivery for web apps using MapLibre GL JS
Providing WMTS services for desktop GIS tools and enterprise mapping stacks
Serving styled raster tiles or static map images for systems that cannot render vector tiles

Limitations and Considerations

Full server-side raster rendering requires native dependencies; the “light” variant is pure JavaScript but does not rasterize tiles on the server

TileServer GL is a practical option when you need a configurable, container-friendly tile server that can serve both vector tiles and rendered map outputs from common MBTiles datasets. It fits well in self-hosted GIS deployments where compatibility with multiple clients and protocols is important.