Tileserver PHP vs Tileserver Mapnik
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?
Tileserver PHP
Lightweight PHP server for map tiles and UTFGrids
VS
Tileserver Mapnik
Render and serve raster map tiles from a database
| Feature | Tileserver PHP | Tileserver Mapnik |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Maps & GIS | Maps & GIS |
| License | BSD-2-Clause | MIT |
| Language | PHP | C++ |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Hard |
| Min. RAM | 256 MB | 2,048 MB |
| Deployment | bare-metal, source | docker, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 594 | ★ 318 |
| First released | 2013 | 2008 |
| Replaces | Mapbox, Google Maps tiles | Mapbox Tiles, Google Maps tiles |
Why pick each one
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
Choose Tileserver Mapnik if…
- Released under the MIT license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Written in C++
Frequently asked questions
Is Tileserver PHP or Tileserver Mapnik better?
Tileserver PHP is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler easy setup. Consider Tileserver Mapnik if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are Tileserver PHP and Tileserver Mapnik free and open-source?
Yes. Tileserver PHP is licensed under BSD-2-Clause and Tileserver Mapnik under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Tileserver PHP and Tileserver Mapnik with Docker?
Tileserver PHP: check the project docs for container support. Tileserver Mapnik: yes.