SHSelfHostIndex

OpenStreetMap Carto vs Protomaps

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?
OP OpenStreetMap Carto The standard map style for OpenStreetMap rendering VS PR Protomaps Serverless maps from a single PMTiles archive
FeatureOpenStreetMap CartoProtomaps
Deploy effortRead-the-docs projectRead-the-docs project
Health score81 · Excellent84 · Excellent
CategoryMaps & GISMaps & GIS
LicenseCC0-1.0BSD-3-Clause
LanguageCartoCSSTypeScript
Setup difficultyHardMedium
Min. RAM4,096 MB256 MB
Deploymentbare-metal, sourcebinary, bare-metal, source
GitHub stars★ 1,730★ 3,051
First released20122021
ReplacesGoogle MapsMapbox, Google Maps

What are OpenStreetMap Carto and Protomaps?

OpenStreetMap Carto

OpenStreetMap Carto is the CartoCSS map stylesheet used to render the standard map layer on openstreetmap.org. It is used with renderers like Mapnik to produce raster tiles from OSM data.

  • Standard OSM map style
  • Mapnik rendering
  • Detailed cartography
  • Widely reused base style

Protomaps

Protomaps is an open-source project for displaying maps from a single static file in the PMTiles format. It enables serverless map hosting on object storage or a CDN with no tile server required.

  • Single-file map archives
  • Serverless hosting
  • Works on object storage
  • Cheap to operate

OpenStreetMap Carto vs Protomaps: key differences

OpenStreetMap Carto is written in CartoCSS, while Protomaps is built with TypeScript. Licensing differs — CC0-1.0 for OpenStreetMap Carto versus BSD-3-Clause for Protomaps. Protomaps is the lighter option, starting around 256 MB of RAM against 4,096 MB for OpenStreetMap Carto. OpenStreetMap Carto is the more established project (first released 2012), while Protomaps arrived in 2021.

Why pick each one

Choose OpenStreetMap Carto if…

  • Released under the CC0-1.0 license
  • Active community (1.7k GitHub stars)
  • Written in CartoCSS
OpenStreetMap Carto details

Choose Protomaps if…

  • Released under the BSD-3-Clause license
  • Active community (3.1k GitHub stars)
  • Written in TypeScript
  • Tiny footprint — runs in 256 MB RAM
Protomaps details

Frequently asked questions

Is OpenStreetMap Carto or Protomaps better?

Protomaps is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler medium setup. Consider OpenStreetMap Carto if its specific feature set fits your needs better.

Are OpenStreetMap Carto and Protomaps free and open-source?

Yes. OpenStreetMap Carto is licensed under CC0-1.0 and Protomaps under BSD-3-Clause. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.

Can I run OpenStreetMap Carto and Protomaps with Docker?

OpenStreetMap Carto: check the project docs for container support. Protomaps: check the project docs for container support.

Which is lighter on resources, OpenStreetMap Carto or Protomaps?

Protomaps has the smaller minimum footprint at 256 MB of RAM, compared to about 4,096 MB for OpenStreetMap Carto. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.

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