maptiler-sdk-js

MapTiler SDK JS — Agent Skill

@maptiler/sdk · GitHub · Docs

MapTiler SDK JS extends MapLibre GL JS with opinionated defaults for MapTiler Cloud. It is 100 % compatible with vanilla MapLibre sources and layers.

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1. Why MapTiler SDK (not raw MapLibre)

Always import from @maptiler/sdk, never from maplibre-gl directly. The SDK re-exports everything from MapLibre and adds:

• config.apiKey — single place for the API key; enables session-based billing (lower cost than per-request)
• MapStyle enum — always up-to-date map styles without hardcoded URLs
• helpers.* — one-liner polyline, polygon, point, heatmap, screenshot (with clustering, color ramps, GPX/KML)
• Built-in geocoding, geolocation, elevation, static maps — no extra packages needed
• terrain: true — 3D terrain in one constructor flag
• projection: 'globe' — globe view with halo and space atmosphere
• Constructor-level controls — navigationControl: true, geolocateControl: true, etc.
• Full TypeScript types — extended beyond MapLibre with SDK-specific options

MapLibre plugins remain fully compatible — the SDK's Map inherits from MapLibre's Map.

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2. Setup

Install

npm install @maptiler/sdk

CSS — must be imported separately:

import '@maptiler/sdk/dist/maptiler-sdk.css';

CDN (quick demos)

<script src="https://cdn.maptiler.com/maptiler-sdk-js/latest/maptiler-sdk.umd.min.js"></script>
<link href="https://cdn.maptiler.com/maptiler-sdk-js/latest/maptiler-sdk.css" rel="stylesheet" />

API Key

Do NOT hardcode a fake API key. Ask the user for theirs, or instruct them to get one at https://cloud.maptiler.com/account/keys/

Framework-specific env variable names:

• Vite: VITE_MAPTILER_API_KEY
• Next.js: NEXT_PUBLIC_MAPTILER_API_KEY
• CRA: REACT_APP_MAPTILER_API_KEY

import * as maptilersdk from '@maptiler/sdk';
maptilersdk.config.apiKey = import.meta.env.VITE_MAPTILER_API_KEY;

Minimal Map

const map = new maptilersdk.Map({
  container: 'map',                       // DOM element or ID
  style: maptilersdk.MapStyle.STREETS,    // enum — always latest
  center: [14.4178, 50.1167],             // [lng, lat] — NOT [lat, lng]!
  zoom: 12,
});

Critical: The container element must have explicit dimensions (e.g., height: 100vh), otherwise the map is invisible.

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3. Core Concepts

Map Constructor Options

const map = new maptilersdk.Map({
  container: 'map',
  style: maptilersdk.MapStyle.STREETS,
  center: [lng, lat],
  zoom: 12,
  pitch: 0,                    // 0-85 degrees
  bearing: 0,                  // rotation
  projection: 'mercator',     // or 'globe'
  terrain: false,              // true = 3D terrain
  terrainExaggeration: 1,
  hash: true,                  // sync viewport with URL hash
  language: maptilersdk.Language.AUTO,
  cooperativeGestures: true,   // Cmd+scroll to zoom
  geolocate: maptilersdk.GeolocationType.POINT, // auto-center on visitor IP
  // Controls (boolean or position string):
  navigationControl: true,
  geolocateControl: true,
  scaleControl: true,
  terrainControl: false,
  fullscreenControl: false,
  projectionControl: false,
});

Map Styles

Style	Variants
MapStyle.STREETS	.DARK, .LIGHT, .PASTEL
MapStyle.SATELLITE	—
MapStyle.HYBRID	—
MapStyle.OUTDOOR	.DARK
MapStyle.TOPO	.SHINY, .PASTEL, .TOPOGRAPHIQUE
MapStyle.DATAVIZ	.DARK, .LIGHT
MapStyle.BASIC	.DARK, .LIGHT
MapStyle.OCEAN	—

Full list with all 16 styles and variants: references/map-styles.md

Language

maptilersdk.config.primaryLanguage = maptilersdk.Language.ENGLISH;
map.setLanguage(maptilersdk.Language.FRENCH); // runtime change

Special: Language.AUTO (browser), Language.LOCAL, Language.VISITOR

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4. Common Recipes

Markers and Popups

new maptilersdk.Marker({ color: '#FF0000' })
  .setLngLat([14.4178, 50.1167])
  .setPopup(new maptilersdk.Popup().setHTML('<h3>Prague</h3>'))
  .addTo(map);

Forward Geocoding (search places)

const result = await maptilersdk.geocoding.forward('Prague', {
  language: [maptilersdk.Language.ENGLISH],
  limit: 5,
  proximity: [14.4178, 50.1167],
});
const coords = result.features[0].geometry.coordinates; // [lng, lat]

Reverse Geocoding (coordinates to address)

const result = await maptilersdk.geocoding.reverse([14.4178, 50.1167]);
console.log(result.features[0].place_name);

Display GeoJSON with Helpers

// Polyline (also accepts GPX/KML URLs or MapTiler dataset UUIDs)
maptilersdk.helpers.addPolyline(map, {
  data: routeGeoJSON,
  lineColor: '#0066FF',
  lineWidth: 4,
  outline: true,
  beforeId: 'waterway-label',
});

// Polygon
maptilersdk.helpers.addPolygon(map, {
  data: zonesGeoJSON,
  fillColor: '#FF0000',
  fillOpacity: 0.5,
  beforeId: 'waterway-label',
});

Clustered Points

maptilersdk.helpers.addPoint(map, {
  data: pointsGeoJSON,
  pointColor: '#FF0000',
  pointRadius: 8,
  cluster: true,
  showLabel: true,
  beforeId: 'waterway-label',
});

Heatmap

maptilersdk.helpers.addHeatmap(map, {
  data: pointsGeoJSON,
  colorRamp: maptilersdk.ColorRamp.TURBO,
  property: 'magnitude',
  radius: 25,
  opacity: 0.8,
});

3D Terrain

const map = new maptilersdk.Map({
  container: 'map',
  style: maptilersdk.MapStyle.OUTDOOR,
  terrain: true,
  terrainExaggeration: 1.5,
  terrainControl: true,
  pitch: 60,
});

Globe Projection

const map = new maptilersdk.Map({
  container: 'map',
  style: maptilersdk.MapStyle.SATELLITE,
  projection: 'globe',
  halo: true,
  space: true,
  center: [0, 20],
  zoom: 1.5,
});

Camera Animation

map.flyTo({
  center: [14.4178, 50.1167],
  zoom: 15,
  pitch: 60,
  bearing: 30,
  duration: 3000,
  essential: true,
});

Static Map Image URL

const url = maptilersdk.staticMaps.centered(
  [14.4178, 50.1167], 12,
  { hiDPI: true, width: 800, height: 600, style: maptilersdk.MapStyle.OUTDOOR }
);

Full helpers API with all options: references/helpers-api.md

Working HTML examples (complete, copy-paste ready): scripts/basic-map.html, scripts/geocoding-search.html, scripts/3d-terrain.html, scripts/globe-projection.html, scripts/clustering.html, scripts/heatmap.html, scripts/interactive-layers.html, scripts/helpers-dataviz.html

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5. Framework Integration

React / Next.js

import { useEffect, useRef } from 'react';
import * as maptilersdk from '@maptiler/sdk';
import '@maptiler/sdk/dist/maptiler-sdk.css';

maptilersdk.config.apiKey = import.meta.env.VITE_MAPTILER_API_KEY;

function MapComponent() {
  const containerRef = useRef(null);
  const mapRef = useRef(null);

  useEffect(() => {
    if (mapRef.current) return; // Strict Mode guard
    mapRef.current = new maptilersdk.Map({
      container: containerRef.current,
      style: maptilersdk.MapStyle.STREETS,
      center: [14.4178, 50.1167],
      zoom: 12,
    });
    return () => { mapRef.current?.remove(); mapRef.current = null; };
  }, []);

  return <div ref={containerRef} style={{ width: '100%', height: '400px' }} />;
}

Next.js App Router: Add "use client"; at the top. Use NEXT_PUBLIC_MAPTILER_API_KEY. For SSR: dynamic(() => import('./Map'), { ssr: false }).

Vue 3

<script setup>
import { ref, onMounted, onUnmounted } from 'vue';
import * as maptilersdk from '@maptiler/sdk';
import '@maptiler/sdk/dist/maptiler-sdk.css';

maptilersdk.config.apiKey = import.meta.env.VITE_MAPTILER_API_KEY;
const container = ref(null);
let map = null;

onMounted(() => {
  map = new maptilersdk.Map({
    container: container.value,
    style: maptilersdk.MapStyle.STREETS,
    center: [14.4178, 50.1167], zoom: 12,
  });
});
onUnmounted(() => { map?.remove(); map = null; });
</script>
<template><div ref="container" style="width:100%;height:400px" /></template>

Svelte, Angular, and advanced patterns: references/frameworks.md

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6. Cloud APIs

All APIs use config.apiKey automatically. No extra packages needed.

Module	Purpose	Key Methods
geocoding	Place search	forward(), reverse(), batch()
geolocation	IP-based visitor location	info() → city, country, coords
elevation	Altitude lookup	at(), batch(), fromLineString()
staticMaps	Map image URLs	centered(), bounded(), automatic()
coordinates	CRS transform (10k+ EPSG)	search(), transform()
data	MapTiler Cloud datasets	get(uuid)
math	Geo calculations (local)	haversineDistanceWgs84()

// IP geolocation
const loc = await maptilersdk.geolocation.info();

// Elevation
const point = await maptilersdk.elevation.at([14.4178, 50.1167]);
// Returns [lng, lat, elevationMeters]

SDK wrappers for all APIs: references/cloud-apis.md · REST API docs: docs.maptiler.com/cloud/api

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7. Critical Gotchas

Problem	Fix
Map invisible	Container needs explicit height (height: 100vh or position: absolute; inset: 0)
Wrong location	Coordinates are [lng, lat] not [lat, lng]
Layers vanish after setStyle()	Re-add in map.once('styledata', ...)
Data covers labels	Use beforeId: 'waterway-label'
Slow with many points	Enable cluster: true in source or helpers
Memory leaks in SPA	Always call map.remove() on unmount
Importing maplibre-gl separately	Use @maptiler/sdk — it includes and extends MapLibre

All 13 gotchas + reusable patterns: references/patterns-gotchas.md

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8. Ecosystem Packages

Package	Purpose
@maptiler/geocoding-control	Search bar UI for address lookup
@maptiler/weather	Wind, temperature, pressure, radar layers (60fps animation)
@maptiler/3d	glTF/GLB 3D model placement on map
@maptiler/elevation-profile	Elevation profile chart for routes
@maptiler/marker-layout	Non-colliding DOM marker overlays
@maptiler/ar	Augmented reality 3D terrain view
@maptiler/client	Headless API client (Node.js / browser, no map needed)

Detailed usage for each module: references/ecosystem.md

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9. Resources

• SDK Documentation
• SDK Examples
• MapTiler Cloud Console
• GitHub — SDK JS
• NPM — @maptiler/sdk
• Framework starters: React · Vue · Svelte · Angular · Next.js

Reference Files

• references/helpers-api.md — Complete helpers API with option tables and types
• references/patterns-gotchas.md — 13 gotchas + 13 reusable code patterns
• references/map-styles.md — All MapStyle variants and Language enum values
• references/events.md — Lifecycle, camera, interaction, data events
• references/cloud-apis.md — MapTiler Cloud REST API endpoints
• references/frameworks.md — React, Vue, Svelte, Angular, Next.js patterns
• references/ecosystem.md — Weather, 3D, AR, elevation-profile, geocoding-control modules