Introducing WMS-VT¶
Interactive vector maps are designed for exploration. Many production workflows need something simpler at the boundary: a finished image at an exact extent and size.
WMS-VT connects those two worlds. It accepts a MapLibre-compatible style URL together with a bounding box, width, height, and DPI, then renders the map on the server.
Why render vector tiles on the server?¶
A style made for an interactive map already describes cartographic decisions: sources, layers, colours, line widths, icons, and label hierarchy. Reusing that style for image exports can keep application maps and generated documents visually aligned.
The image response also gives PDF generators, report services, email pipelines, and thin clients a format they can consume without coordinating a browser renderer themselves.
What it is—and what it is not¶
WMS-VT is an image-rendering service around MapLibre-compatible styles. It is not a substitute for vector tiles when a user needs feature interaction, nor for source geospatial data when a process needs exact geometry or measurement.
The useful contract is deliberately concrete:
- Choose a style.
- Define the geographic frame.
- Define the output dimensions and DPI.
- Receive the rendered image.
The next steps are to make that contract easier to evaluate: a credential-safe demo, precise API documentation, and reproducible performance results.