GeoServer vs Protomaps
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted maps & gis options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Not the right match-up?
GeoServer
Server for sharing and editing geospatial data
VS
Protomaps
Serverless maps from a single PMTiles archive
| Feature | GeoServer | Protomaps |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Maps & GIS | Maps & GIS |
| License | GPL-2.0 | BSD-3-Clause |
| Language | Java | TypeScript |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 2,048 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal | binary, bare-metal, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 4,428 | ★ 2,980 |
| First released | 2001 | 2021 |
| Replaces | ArcGIS Server | Mapbox, Google Maps |
Why pick each one
Choose GeoServer if…
- Released under the GPL-2.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Active community (4.4k GitHub stars)
- Written in Java
Choose Protomaps if…
- Released under the BSD-3-Clause license
- Active community (3k GitHub stars)
- Written in TypeScript
- Tiny footprint — runs in 256 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is GeoServer or Protomaps better?
Neither is universally better. GeoServer has the larger community; both share a medium setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are GeoServer and Protomaps free and open-source?
Yes. GeoServer is licensed under GPL-2.0 and Protomaps under BSD-3-Clause. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run GeoServer and Protomaps with Docker?
GeoServer: yes. Protomaps: check the project docs for container support.