Mapnik vs Tileserver PHP
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted maps & gis options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | Mapnik | Tileserver PHP |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Read-the-docs project |
| Health score | 89 · Excellent | 15 · At risk |
| Status | Actively maintained | Archived |
| Category | Maps & GIS | Maps & GIS |
| License | LGPL-2.1 | BSD-2-Clause |
| Language | C++ | PHP |
| Setup difficulty | Hard | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 2,048 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal | bare-metal, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 3,961 | ★ 593 |
| First released | 2006 | 2013 |
| Replaces | Google Maps, Mapbox | Mapbox, Google Maps tiles |
What are Mapnik and Tileserver PHP?
Mapnik
Mapnik is an open-source toolkit for rendering raster map tiles from OpenStreetMap and other geospatial data using a flexible styling engine. It powers custom slippy maps without relying on commercial tile providers.
- Raster tile rendering
- Flexible styling
- OpenStreetMap data support
- No vendor lock-in
Tileserver PHP
Tileserver PHP is a lightweight server that hosts raster and vector map tiles, MBTiles, and UTFGrids over standard protocols. It is simple to deploy on common PHP hosting for serving custom maps.
- Serves MBTiles and UTFGrids
- TMS and WMTS protocols
- Runs on shared PHP hosting
- Raster and vector tiles
Mapnik vs Tileserver PHP: key differences
The biggest difference is maintenance: Tileserver PHP's repository is archived and no longer developed, while Mapnik is actively maintained. Mapnik is written in C++, while Tileserver PHP is built with PHP. Licensing differs — LGPL-2.1 for Mapnik versus BSD-2-Clause for Tileserver PHP. Tileserver PHP is the lighter option, starting around 256 MB of RAM against 2,048 MB for Mapnik. Mapnik is the more established project (first released 2006), while Tileserver PHP arrived in 2013. Mapnik has the considerably larger community, at 3,961 GitHub stars versus 593. Mapnik lists first-class Docker deployment; Tileserver PHP does not.
Why pick each one
Choose Mapnik if…
- Released under the LGPL-2.1 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Active community (4k GitHub stars)
- Written in C++
Choose Tileserver PHP if…
- Released under the BSD-2-Clause license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- Written in PHP
- Tiny footprint — runs in 256 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is Mapnik or Tileserver PHP better?
Neither is universally better. Mapnik has the larger community, while Tileserver PHP is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are Mapnik and Tileserver PHP free and open-source?
Yes. Mapnik is licensed under LGPL-2.1 and Tileserver PHP under BSD-2-Clause. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Mapnik and Tileserver PHP with Docker?
Mapnik: yes. Tileserver PHP: check the project docs for container support.
Which is lighter on resources, Mapnik or Tileserver PHP?
Tileserver PHP has the smaller minimum footprint at 256 MB of RAM, compared to about 2,048 MB for Mapnik. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.