How to host and manage data
Steps
The general steps to host and manage your data are:
1. Create a hosted layer
You can use tools and APIs, such as ArcGIS Online, the developer dashboard, and the portal service REST API to create and publish a hosted layer.
Explore the three ways to create a new hosted layer:
- Import: Upload file(s) with your existing data to create a hosted feature layer.
- Create: Define a new empty hosted feature layer.
- Convert: Create a new type of hosted layer (data) from an existing hosted feature layer.
2. Manage layer settings
After you create a hosted layer, you can use ArcGIS Online and the developer dashboard to manage both the hosted layer and data service with an item page. You use item pages to set hosted layer properties, data service capabilities, and perform other maintenance operations such as caching, data uploading, exporting, and publishing.
3. Access layer data
Once you set a hosted layer's properties, you can access hosted layer and the data service with client APIs, the REST API, and tools such as Map Viewer. In most cases, you access a layer to display the data on a map.
To get data, you need the service URL for your hosted layer and you can access the layer directly or with a query to the service. The easiest way to find the URL is to go to the item page.
To access feature layer data, you execute a query to request a subset of the features from the feature layer. To learn more, go to Hosted feature layers.
Public
Private
Example
To access vector tile data, use a URL with the host, unique service ID, and path to tiles in {z}/{y}/{x}
format. To learn more, go to Hosted vector tile layers.
Public
Private
Example
To access image tile data, use a URL with the host, service name, and path to tiles in {z}/{y}/{x}
format. To learn more, go to Hosted image tile layers.
Public
Private
Example
Tutorials

Import data as a feature layer
Use data management tools to import and create hosted feature layers.

Create a new feature layer
Use data management tools to create a new hosted feature layer.

Manage a feature layer
Set the properties and capabilities of a hosted feature layer.

Access feature layer data
Use ArcGIS Online tools to access and display feature layer data.

Publish a vector tile layer
Use ArcGIS Online to publish a vector tile layer.

Add a feature layer
Access and display point, line, and polygon features from a feature service

Add a vector tile layer
Access and display a vector tile layer in a map.

Add an image tile layer
Access and display an image tile layer in a map.

Style a feature layer
Use symbols and renderers to style feature layers.

Query a feature layer (spatial)
Execute a spatial query to get features from a feature layer.

Query a feature layer (SQL)
Execute a SQL query to access polygon features from a feature layer.

Edit feature data
Add, update, and delete features in a feature service.

Display a popup
Format a popup to show attributes in a feature layer.
Services
Feature service
Add, update, delete, and query feature data.
Vector tile service
Store and access vector tile data.
Image tile service
Store and access image tile data.
API support
- 1. Access portal via HTTP request and authentication.
- 2. Access via ArcGIS REST JS.
- 3. Requires manual application of renderers