MapProxy vs MapServer
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?
MapProxy
Tile cache and proxy for geospatial web services
VS
MapServer
Open-source platform for publishing spatial data
| Feature | MapProxy | MapServer |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Maps & GIS | Maps & GIS |
| License | Apache-2.0 | MIT |
| Language | Python | C |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Hard |
| Min. RAM | 1,024 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal | bare-metal, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 667 | ★ 1,206 |
| First released | 2010 | 1997 |
| Replaces | ArcGIS Server | ArcGIS Server, Google Maps Platform |
Why pick each one
Choose MapProxy if…
- Released under the Apache-2.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Written in Python
Choose MapServer if…
- Released under the MIT license
- Active community (1.2k GitHub stars)
- Written in C
- Lightweight — runs in 512 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is MapProxy or MapServer better?
Neither is universally better. MapServer has the larger community, while MapProxy is simpler to set up (medium difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are MapProxy and MapServer free and open-source?
Yes. MapProxy is licensed under Apache-2.0 and MapServer under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run MapProxy and MapServer with Docker?
MapProxy: yes. MapServer: check the project docs for container support.