Follow this quickstart to create your first offline mapping application.
1. Sign up for an account
To build offline applications, you need access to an ArcGIS portal, developer credentials, and location services.
ArcGIS Online
- Get an ArcGIS Online account
An ArcGIS Online account, also known as an ArcGIS Organization account, is an identity associated with an ArcGIS Online subscription. It can be used to access ArcGIS tools and develop applications with ArcGIS location services for an organization. with access to a multi-user organizationAn organization a list of members from the same business, association, or entity who can sign in, access tools and applications, and collaborate with other members in a portal. All members have an ArcGIS account and are approved by an administrator to access the same portal. . - Get access to a portal
ArcGIS portal, also known as a portal, is a website with applications and tools that can be used to create, manage, access, and share geospatial content and data. It supports security and authentication, developer credentials, content and data service management, user and group management, and site administration. A portal can be hosted in Esri's infrastructure or your own infrastructure. with tools to create developer credentialsDeveloper credentials are a type of item in a portal that contains parameters for authentication. There are two types of developer credentials: API key credentials and OAuth credentials. , contentContent is a collection of items in a portal that belong to a user, group, or organization. , and data servicesData services, also known as hosted data services, are services created dynamically to store and provide access to your data in ArcGIS. Examples are feature services, vector tile services, map tile services, image services, and scene services. . - Use location services
ArcGIS 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 Static Maps 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. , spatial analysis servicesSpatial analysis services are services that perform geometry and statistical analyses on feature and raster data. , and additional ArcGIS services. - Common use cases:
- Build low-code/no-code applications with app builders
App builder is an ArcGIS product that is used to create, configure, and deploy web applications using user interfaces, templates, and predefined software components. . - Build private applications
A private application is an application that requires users to sign in with an ArcGIS account. It supports user authentication. for your organization that requires users to sign in with an ArcGIS accountAn ArcGIS account is an identity with a user type and set of privileges that can access specific ArcGIS products, tools, APIs, services, and resources. The main account types that can be used for development are an ArcGIS Location Platform account, ArcGIS Online account, and ArcGIS Enterprise account. ArcGIS Location Platform and ArcGIS Online accounts are also associated with a subscription. . - Build public applications
A public application is an application that allows anonymous access without requiring users to sign in with an ArcGIS account. It supports API key or app authentication. that don't require users to sign in.
- Build low-code/no-code applications with app builders
ArcGIS Enterprise
- Get an ArcGIS Online account
An ArcGIS Online account, also known as an ArcGIS Organization account, is an identity associated with an ArcGIS Online subscription. It can be used to access ArcGIS tools and develop applications with ArcGIS location services for an organization. with access to a multi-user organizationAn organization a list of members from the same business, association, or entity who can sign in, access tools and applications, and collaborate with other members in a portal. All members have an ArcGIS account and are approved by an administrator to access the same portal. . - Get access to a portal
ArcGIS portal, also known as a portal, is a website with applications and tools that can be used to create, manage, access, and share geospatial content and data. It supports security and authentication, developer credentials, content and data service management, user and group management, and site administration. A portal can be hosted in Esri's infrastructure or your own infrastructure. hosted in your infrastructure with tools to create developer credentialsDeveloper credentials are a type of item in a portal that contains parameters for authentication. There are two types of developer credentials: API key credentials and OAuth credentials. , contentContent is a collection of items in a portal that belong to a user, group, or organization. , and data servicesData services, also known as hosted data services, are services created dynamically to store and provide access to your data in ArcGIS. Examples are feature services, vector tile services, map tile services, image services, and scene services. . - Use ArcGIS Enterprise services.
- Common use cases:
- Build low-code/no-code applications with app builders
App builder is an ArcGIS product that is used to create, configure, and deploy web applications using user interfaces, templates, and predefined software components. . - Build private applications
A private application is an application that requires users to sign in with an ArcGIS account. It supports user authentication. for your organization that requires users to sign in with an ArcGIS accountAn ArcGIS account is an identity with a user type and set of privileges that can access specific ArcGIS products, tools, APIs, services, and resources. The main account types that can be used for development are an ArcGIS Location Platform account, ArcGIS Online account, and ArcGIS Enterprise account. ArcGIS Location Platform and ArcGIS Online accounts are also associated with a subscription. . - Build public applications
A public application is an application that allows anonymous access without requiring users to sign in with an ArcGIS account. It supports API key or app authentication. that don't require users to sign in.
- Build low-code/no-code applications with app builders
ArcGIS Location Platform
If you have an ArcGIS Location Platform account
2. Learn about authentication
Offline applications require authentication to access secure maps and data services. For most public applications, API key authentication is the simplest option and is used in most examples in this guide.
Learn more about the different types of authentication in Security and authentication > Types of authentication.
3. Create an offline app
After creating an account, follow the how-to below to build your first partially offline app. Review the remaining topics in this guide to learn more about the concepts used in the tutorial.
