Third-Party Libraries

Maptoolkit’s tile APIs and services are compatible with the most widely-used open-source and commercial mapping libraries. Use this page to find the right library for your project - each one has a dedicated page with setup instructions and code examples.

MapLibre GL JS

MapLibre GL JS is an open-source, community-maintained fork of Mapbox GL JS. It renders vector tiles using WebGL and is fully compatible with Maptoolkit’s vector tile styles.

Supports vector tiles. Advantages: large and active community, no licensing costs, and an API that is essentially identical to Mapbox GL JS - code written for MapLibre is straightforward to port to Mapbox and vice versa.

Mapbox GL JS

Mapbox GL JS is Mapbox’s own vector map library and is fully compatible with Maptoolkit’s vector tile styles. It provides a polished SDK with a large ecosystem of plugins and extensions.

Supports vector tiles. Note that Mapbox GL JS requires a Mapbox access token in addition to your Maptoolkit API key, even when serving tiles from Maptoolkit.

Leaflet

Leaflet is a lightweight, battle-tested library for raster tile maps. It is the most widely used JavaScript mapping library and works in all browsers without WebGL.

Supports raster tiles (via Maptoolkit’s Raster Tiles API). Advantages: minimal bundle size, a very simple and well-documented API, a huge plugin ecosystem, and broad browser compatibility - an excellent fit for simple map integrations.

OpenLayers

OpenLayers is a full-featured open-source GIS library suitable for complex geospatial applications. It supports both raster and vector tiles natively (vector tiles via the ol-mapbox-style plugin).

Supports both vector tiles and raster tiles. Advantages: advanced GIS capabilities including WMS and WFS support, making it well-suited for applications that need to consume or expose geospatial data services beyond simple basemaps.