Headway vs Tangram
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted maps & gis options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | Headway | Tangram |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Read-the-docs project |
| Health score | 84 · Excellent | 50 · Fair |
| Category | Maps & GIS | Maps & GIS |
| License | Apache-2.0 | MIT |
| Language | Rust | JavaScript |
| Setup difficulty | Hard | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 8,192 MB | 128 MB |
| Deployment | docker | source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 3,002 | ★ 2,334 |
| First released | 2022 | 2013 |
| Replaces | Google Maps | Mapbox GL JS, Google Maps |
What are Headway and Tangram?
Headway
Headway is a complete, self-hostable maps stack that combines tiles, geocoding, and routing into one deployment. It aims to let anyone run their own Google Maps replacement for a city or region.
- Complete maps stack
- Search and routing built in
- Per-region deployment
- Privacy focused
Tangram
Tangram is an open-source map rendering engine that draws 2D and 3D maps using WebGL with fully customizable styling. It works with vector tiles and is designed for creative cartographic experiments.
- WebGL rendering
- 2D and 3D maps
- Custom styling
- Vector tile support
Headway vs Tangram: key differences
Headway is written in Rust, while Tangram is built with JavaScript. Licensing differs — Apache-2.0 for Headway versus MIT for Tangram. Tangram is the lighter option, starting around 128 MB of RAM against 8,192 MB for Headway. Tangram is the more established project (first released 2013), while Headway arrived in 2022. Headway lists first-class Docker deployment; Tangram does not.
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 Tangram if…
- Released under the MIT license
- Active community (2.3k GitHub stars)
- Written in JavaScript
- Tiny footprint — runs in 128 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is Headway or Tangram better?
Neither is universally better. Headway has the larger community, while Tangram is simpler to set up (medium difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are Headway and Tangram free and open-source?
Yes. Headway is licensed under Apache-2.0 and Tangram under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Headway and Tangram with Docker?
Headway: yes. Tangram: check the project docs for container support.
Which is lighter on resources, Headway or Tangram?
Tangram has the smaller minimum footprint at 128 MB of RAM, compared to about 8,192 MB for Headway. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.