MapLibre GL JS 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 | MapLibre GL JS | Tangram |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Read-the-docs project | Read-the-docs project |
| Health score | 93 · Excellent | 50 · Fair |
| Category | Maps & GIS | Maps & GIS |
| License | BSD-3-Clause | MIT |
| Language | TypeScript | JavaScript |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 256 MB | 128 MB |
| Deployment | source, bare-metal | source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 11,733 | ★ 2,334 |
| First released | 2020 | 2013 |
| Replaces | Mapbox GL JS, Google Maps JavaScript API | Mapbox GL JS, Google Maps |
What are MapLibre GL JS and Tangram?
MapLibre GL JS
MapLibre GL JS is an open-source JavaScript library for displaying interactive, customizable vector maps in the browser. It is a community-driven fork of Mapbox GL JS and renders maps with WebGL.
- WebGL vector rendering
- Custom map styles
- Open and free
- Mapbox GL compatible
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
MapLibre GL JS vs Tangram: key differences
MapLibre GL JS is written in TypeScript, while Tangram is built with JavaScript. Licensing differs — BSD-3-Clause for MapLibre GL JS versus MIT for Tangram. Tangram is the lighter option, starting around 128 MB of RAM against 256 MB for MapLibre GL JS. Tangram is the more established project (first released 2013), while MapLibre GL JS arrived in 2020. MapLibre GL JS has the considerably larger community, at 11,733 GitHub stars versus 2,334.
Why pick each one
Choose MapLibre GL JS if…
- Released under the BSD-3-Clause license
- Mature project with 11.7k GitHub stars
- Written in TypeScript
- Tiny footprint — runs in 256 MB RAM
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 MapLibre GL JS or Tangram better?
Neither is universally better. MapLibre GL JS has the larger community; both share a medium setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are MapLibre GL JS and Tangram free and open-source?
Yes. MapLibre GL JS is licensed under BSD-3-Clause and Tangram under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run MapLibre GL JS and Tangram with Docker?
MapLibre GL JS: check the project docs for container support. Tangram: check the project docs for container support.
Which is lighter on resources, MapLibre GL JS or Tangram?
Tangram has the smaller minimum footprint at 128 MB of RAM, compared to about 256 MB for MapLibre GL JS. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.