openstreetmap-tile-server 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? Compare openstreetmap-tile-server with Compare Protomaps with

OP openstreetmap-tile-server Dockerized OpenStreetMap raster tile server VS PR Protomaps Serverless maps from a single PMTiles archive

Feature	openstreetmap-tile-server	Protomaps
Deploy effort	Under-an-hour setup	Read-the-docs project
Health score	15 · At risk	84 · Excellent
Category	Maps & GIS	Maps & GIS
License	MIT	BSD-3-Clause
Language	Shell	TypeScript
Setup difficulty	Medium	Medium
Min. RAM	4,096 MB	256 MB
Deployment	docker	binary, bare-metal, source
GitHub stars	★ 1,449	★ 3,051
First released	2017	2021
Replaces	Google Maps	Mapbox, Google Maps

What are openstreetmap-tile-server and Protomaps?

openstreetmap-tile-server

openstreetmap-tile-server is a Docker image that bundles everything needed to run an OpenStreetMap raster tile server. It imports OSM data and renders standard map tiles with a single container.

All-in-one tile server
OSM data import
Standard map rendering
Single Docker container

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-tile-server vs Protomaps: key differences

Openstreetmap-tile-server is written in Shell, while Protomaps is built with TypeScript. Licensing differs — MIT for openstreetmap-tile-server versus BSD-3-Clause for Protomaps. Protomaps is the lighter option, starting around 256 MB of RAM against 4,096 MB for openstreetmap-tile-server. Openstreetmap-tile-server is the more established project (first released 2017), while Protomaps arrived in 2021. Protomaps has the considerably larger community, at 3,051 GitHub stars versus 1,449. Openstreetmap-tile-server lists first-class Docker deployment; Protomaps does not.

Why pick each one

Choose openstreetmap-tile-server if…

Released under the MIT license
First-class Docker support for quick deployment
Active community (1.4k GitHub stars)
Written in Shell

openstreetmap-tile-server 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-tile-server or Protomaps better?

Neither is universally better. Protomaps has the larger community; both share a medium setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.

Are openstreetmap-tile-server and Protomaps free and open-source?

Yes. openstreetmap-tile-server is licensed under MIT and Protomaps under BSD-3-Clause. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.

Can I run openstreetmap-tile-server and Protomaps with Docker?

openstreetmap-tile-server: yes. Protomaps: check the project docs for container support.

Which is lighter on resources, openstreetmap-tile-server or Protomaps?

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