Types of basemap services | Documentation

An overview of basemap services, capabilities, and best practices for developing mapping applications.

Map showing data and styles from different ArcGIS Basemap services

ArcGIS Basemap services

ArcGIS Basemap servicesArcGIS Basemap services, also referred to as Basemap services, are location services hosted by Esri that provide data sources for building mapping applications. It includes the ArcGIS Basemap Styles service and ArcGIS Static Basemap Tiles service. Each service provides a specific type of basemap data and set of styles.Learn more are location servicesArcGIS Location Services, also referred to as Location Services, are services hosted by Esri that provide geospatial functionality for developing mapping applications. They include the ArcGIS Basemap Styles service, ArcGIS Static Basemap Tiles service, ArcGIS Places service, ArcGIS Geocoding service, ArcGIS Routing service, ArcGIS GeoEnrichment service, and ArcGIS Elevation service. An ArcGIS Location Platform or ArcGIS Online account is required to use the services.Learn more hosted by Esri that provide basemap data sources for building mapping applications. There are two different types of services: the ArcGIS Basemap Styles service and ArcGIS Static Basemap Tiles service.

ArcGIS Basemap Styles service

The ArcGIS Basemap Styles serviceThe ArcGIS Basemap Styles service, also referred to as the Basemap Styles service, is a location service that provides basemap styles and data for the world. It returns styles as Mapbox styles and web maps, and data as vector tiles and/or map tiles. It supports all of the styles in the ArcGIS Basemap style and Open Basemap style family. An ArcGIS Location Platform or ArcGIS Online account is required to use the service.Learn more is a data source that provides basemap stylesA basemap style is a definition that controls the visual appearance of how geographic data in a basemap are displayed. It includes colors, backgrounds, outlines, labels, and other visual elements. Each basemap style emphasizes a specific type of cartographic theme and data.Learn more and data for the world. The style format is a Mapbox style or ArcGIS web map and the data are served as vector tiles and/or map tiles depending on the style used. The service supports all of the styles in the ArcGIS Basemap stylesArcGIS Basemap styles are the family of basemap styles that use authoritative data from Esri and partners such as TomTom, Garmin, FAO, NOAA, USGS, OpenStreetMap contributors, and the GIS User Community.Learn more and Open Basemap stylesOpen Basemap styles are the family of basemap styles that use open source data from Overture Maps, which includes data from OpenStreetMap (OSM), Microsoft, Esri Community Maps, and other open data sources.Learn more family. This includes popular styles such as arcgis/streets, arcgis/navigation, arcgis/outdoor, arcgis/light-gray, arcgis/imagery (satellite), and open/osm-style. You can use the default styles or you can create your own custom styles with the ArcGIS Vector Tile Style EditorThe ArcGIS Vector Tile Style Editor is a web-based application used to create, edit, and save a custom style for vector tile basemap layer.Learn more. The service also supports displaying styles with a preferred language, worldview, or with places.

Key features

Styles are available as Mapbox styles and ArcGIS web maps
Basemap data are vector tiles and/or map tiles
Style support for all ArcGIS Basemap stylesArcGIS Basemap styles are the family of basemap styles that use authoritative data from Esri and partners such as TomTom, Garmin, FAO, NOAA, USGS, OpenStreetMap contributors, and the GIS User Community.Learn more and Open Basemap stylesOpen Basemap styles are the family of basemap styles that use open source data from Overture Maps, which includes data from OpenStreetMap (OSM), Microsoft, Esri Community Maps, and other open data sources.Learn more
Full support for satellite imagery
Support for accessing and displaying custom styles
Server-side style preference support for language, worldview, and places
Requires ArcGIS Location Platform or ArcGIS Online

To learn more about the service, go to Introduction to the Basemap Styles service.

ArcGIS Static Basemap Tiles service

The ArcGIS Static Basemap Tiles serviceThe ArcGIS Static Basemap Tiles service, also known as the Static Basemap Tiles service, is a location service that provides basemap data as pre-rendered and pre-styled map tiles for the world. It supports key styles in the ArcGIS Basemap style family. An ArcGIS Location Platform account is required to use the services.Learn more is a data source that provides basemap data as pre-rendered and pre-styled map tilesA map tile, also known as a raster tile, is an image file typically in PNG format returned from a map tile service. It is part of a set of tiles that, conceptually, are pieces of a bigger map. A map tile is typically retrieved for a specific level, row, and column.Learn more for the world. Map tiles are also known as raster tiles. The service supports key ArcGIS Basemap stylesArcGIS Basemap styles are the family of basemap styles that use authoritative data from Esri and partners such as TomTom, Garmin, FAO, NOAA, USGS, OpenStreetMap contributors, and the GIS User Community.Learn more and Open Basemap stylesOpen Basemap styles are the family of basemap styles that use open source data from Overture Maps, which includes data from OpenStreetMap (OSM), Microsoft, Esri Community Maps, and other open data sources.Learn more. This includes styles such as arcgis/navigation, arcgis/outdoor, arcgis/imagery (satellite), and open/osm-style, open/light-gray, and open/navigation-dark. The service also supports displaying some styles with a preferred language and worldview.

Key features

Basemap data are pre-rendered map tiles
Map tiles are available for different styles
Style support for key ArcGIS Basemap stylesArcGIS Basemap styles are the family of basemap styles that use authoritative data from Esri and partners such as TomTom, Garmin, FAO, NOAA, USGS, OpenStreetMap contributors, and the GIS User Community.Learn more and Open Basemap stylesOpen Basemap styles are the family of basemap styles that use open source data from Overture Maps, which includes data from OpenStreetMap (OSM), Microsoft, Esri Community Maps, and other open data sources.Learn more
Server-side style preference support such as language and worldview (ArcGIS Basemap styles only)
Requires for ArcGIS Location Platform

To learn more about the service, go to Introduction to the Static Basemap Styles service.

Compare basemap services

The table below shows the key differences between the services.

Product support
	Basemap Styles service	Static Basemap Tiles service
ArcGIS Location Platform
ArcGIS Online
ArcGIS Enterprise
Style families
ArcGIS Basemap styles		¹
Open Basemap styles
Style groups
Streets		¹
Topography		¹
Satellite		²
Reference		¹
Creative		¹
Style response
Mapbox styles
ArcGIS web maps
Pre-rendered map tiles
Data type
Vector tiles
Map tiles	³
Data providers
Esri and partners
Open source
Data updates
Monthly
Server styling preferences
Languages		⁴
Worldviews		⁵
Basemap places
Developer options
Client-side style customization
Display custom styles
Display satellite imagery		²
Dynamic feature rendering at all scales
Web and native clients		⁶
WebGL clients
Retina/HiDPI screens		⁷
Older and classic clients
Low bandwidth usage
Header and token parameter authentication
API support
ArcGIS Maps SDK for JavaScript
ArcGIS Maps SDKs for .NET
ArcGIS Maps SDKs for Kotlin
ArcGIS Maps SDKs for Swift
ArcGIS Maps SDKs for Flutter
ArcGIS Maps SDKs for Java
ArcGIS Maps SDKs for Qt
Leaflet
MapLibre GL JS
OpenLayers
CesiumJS

Full supportPartial supportNo support

1. Only select styles
2. Only satellite labels
3. Only if data sources are map tile services
4. Limited language options available
5. United States of America worldview only for select styles.
6. Requires ArcGISTiledLayer for ArcGIS SDKs for Native Apps clients
7. Not optimized for retina/HiDPI display

Select a service and style

The basemap service you use largely depends on the ArcGIS product and client API you are using, the display capabilities of the client, the functionality required, and the design requirements of the mapping application.

Service and style	Selection criteria
Choose the correct basemap service	The Basemap Styles service is best for modern WebGL clients and APIs that support dynamic rendering at all zoom levels. It also provides the greatest number of styling options such as setting server-side style preferences, client-side styling, and creating custom styles. The Static Basemap Tiles service is best for non-WebGL clients and APIs, clients that prefer a single map tile data source, or clients that function in low bandwidth environments. To compare service capabilities, go to Compare basemap services.
Choose the best basemap style	To help choose a style, follow these suggested steps: 1. Select a style family based on data provider: * ArcGIS Basemap stylesArcGIS Basemap styles are the family of basemap styles that use authoritative data from Esri and partners such as TomTom, Garmin, FAO, NOAA, USGS, OpenStreetMap contributors, and the GIS User Community.Learn more * Open Basemap stylesOpen Basemap styles are the family of basemap styles that use open source data from Overture Maps, which includes data from OpenStreetMap (OSM), Microsoft, Esri Community Maps, and other open data sources.Learn more 2. Select a style group: Streets, Topography, Satellite, Reference, or Creative. 3. Select the style with the most suitable cartographic design and data. For help, go to ArcGIS Basemap styles, Open Basemap styles or ArcGIS Basemap styles (map tiles). NOTE: If you need a more specific style, you can create your own custom basemap style.

Service and style

Selection criteria

Choose the correct basemap service

The Basemap Styles service is best for modern WebGL clients and APIs that support dynamic rendering at all zoom levels. It also provides the greatest number of styling options such as setting server-side style preferences, client-side styling, and creating custom styles.

The Static Basemap Tiles service is best for non-WebGL clients and APIs, clients that prefer a single map tile data source, or clients that function in low bandwidth environments.

To compare service capabilities, go to Compare basemap services.

Choose the best basemap style

To help choose a style, follow these suggested steps:

1. Select a style family based on data provider:
* ArcGIS Basemap styles
* Open Basemap styles
2. Select a style group: Streets, Topography, Satellite, Reference, or Creative.
3. Select the style with the most suitable cartographic design and data.

For help, go to ArcGIS Basemap styles, Open Basemap styles or ArcGIS Basemap styles (map tiles).

NOTE: If you need a more specific style, you can create your own custom basemap style.

Best practices

When building mapping applications, consider the following to help provide the best user experience possible. These tips will also help reduce unnecessary tile requests, and ultimately, help reduce service usage costs.

Type	Description
Reduce basemap selection	Display the best basemap style when the application starts to prevent users from switching basemaps unnecessarily. Avoid large, multi-basemap selection options.
Fetch basemap styles and data with JSON	Always access the Basemap Styles service to get the latest styles and data. Do not access the underlying data sources directly.
Set a reasonable start location and zoom level	Initialize the map extent to prevent users from having to zoom to the appropriate area.
Constrain geographic extents	Prevent users from accidentally panning or zooming unnecessarily.
Limit map zoom levels	Prevent users from zooming to unnecessary scales.
Use repeatable map queries	Provide reusable and repeatable map zoom and extent queries that take advantage of client and CDN caches.

What's next?

Learn more about each basemap service.

ArcGIS Basemap Styles service

Build mapping applications that display Mapbox styles or ArcGIS web maps.

ArcGIS Static Basemap Tiles service

Build mapping applications that display pre-rendered map tiles.