Headway vs React Leaflet Maps
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?
Headway
Self-hostable maps stack you can run yourself
VS
React Leaflet Maps
React components for embedding Leaflet maps
| Feature | Headway | React Leaflet Maps |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Maps & GIS | Maps & GIS |
| License | Apache-2.0 | Hippocratic-2.1 |
| Language | Rust | TypeScript |
| Setup difficulty | Hard | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 8,192 MB | 64 MB |
| Deployment | docker | source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 2,957 | ★ 5,598 |
| First released | 2022 | 2015 |
| Replaces | Google Maps | Google Maps React, Mapbox React |
Why pick each one
Choose Headway if…
- Released under the Apache-2.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Active community (3k GitHub stars)
- Written in Rust
Choose React Leaflet Maps if…
- Released under the Hippocratic-2.1 license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- Mature project with 5.6k GitHub stars
- Written in TypeScript
Frequently asked questions
Is Headway or React Leaflet Maps better?
React Leaflet Maps is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler easy setup. Consider Headway if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are Headway and React Leaflet Maps free and open-source?
Yes. Headway is licensed under Apache-2.0 and React Leaflet Maps under Hippocratic-2.1. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Headway and React Leaflet Maps with Docker?
Headway: yes. React Leaflet Maps: check the project docs for container support.