SHSelfHostIndex

OpenStreetMap Website 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 Website The Rails application powering openstreetmap.org VS PR Protomaps Serverless maps from a single PMTiles archive
FeatureOpenStreetMap WebsiteProtomaps
Deploy effortUnder-an-hour setupRead-the-docs project
Health score84 · Excellent84 · Excellent
CategoryMaps & GISMaps & GIS
LicenseGPL-2.0BSD-3-Clause
LanguageRubyTypeScript
Setup difficultyHardMedium
Min. RAM4,096 MB256 MB
Deploymentdocker, bare-metalbinary, bare-metal, source
GitHub stars★ 2,834★ 3,056
First released20062021
ReplacesGoogle MapsMapbox, Google Maps

What are OpenStreetMap Website and Protomaps?

OpenStreetMap Website

The OpenStreetMap website is the open-source Rails application that runs openstreetmap.org. It provides the map browsing interface, data editing tools, and user accounts for the collaborative world map.

  • Collaborative map editing
  • User accounts and diaries
  • Map data API
  • Open map data

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 Website vs Protomaps: key differences

OpenStreetMap Website is written in Ruby, while Protomaps is built with TypeScript. Licensing differs — GPL-2.0 for OpenStreetMap Website versus BSD-3-Clause for Protomaps. Protomaps is the lighter option, starting around 256 MB of RAM against 4,096 MB for OpenStreetMap Website. OpenStreetMap Website is the more established project (first released 2006), while Protomaps arrived in 2021. OpenStreetMap Website lists first-class Docker deployment; Protomaps does not.

Why pick each one

Choose OpenStreetMap Website if…

  • Released under the GPL-2.0 license
  • First-class Docker support for quick deployment
  • Active community (2.8k GitHub stars)
  • Written in Ruby
OpenStreetMap Website 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 Website or Protomaps better?

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

Are OpenStreetMap Website and Protomaps free and open-source?

Yes. OpenStreetMap Website is licensed under GPL-2.0 and Protomaps under BSD-3-Clause. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.

Can I run OpenStreetMap Website and Protomaps with Docker?

OpenStreetMap Website: yes. Protomaps: check the project docs for container support.

Which is lighter on resources, OpenStreetMap Website or Protomaps?

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

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