Tileserver PHP vs TileServer GL
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 GL
Serve vector and raster map tiles from MBTiles
| Feature | Tileserver PHP | TileServer GL |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Maps & GIS | Maps & GIS |
| License | BSD-2-Clause | BSD-2-Clause |
| Language | PHP | JavaScript |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 256 MB | 1,024 MB |
| Deployment | bare-metal, source | docker, bare-metal, binary |
| GitHub stars | ★ 594 | ★ 2,872 |
| First released | 2013 | 2016 |
| Replaces | Mapbox, Google Maps tiles | Mapbox |
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 GL if…
- Released under the BSD-2-Clause license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Active community (2.9k GitHub stars)
- Written in JavaScript
Frequently asked questions
Is Tileserver PHP or TileServer GL better?
Neither is universally better. TileServer GL 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 Tileserver PHP and TileServer GL free and open-source?
Yes. Tileserver PHP is licensed under BSD-2-Clause and TileServer GL under BSD-2-Clause. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Tileserver PHP and TileServer GL with Docker?
Tileserver PHP: check the project docs for container support. TileServer GL: yes.