Introduction to data services

What are data services?

Data services, also referred to as hosted 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.Learn more, are servicesA service, also known as an ArcGIS service, is software that supports an ArcGIS REST API and provides geospatial functionality or data. A service can be hosted by Esri or in ArcGIS Enterprise.Learn more you can create in ArcGIS to securely store, manage, and access your geographic data for your applications. 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.Learn more are different from ready-to-use 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 because you create and publish them dynamically with data management toolsData management tools are ArcGIS software applications and functionality in portal and ArcGIS Pro that can be used by developers to create, manage, and edit content and data such as web maps, hosted layers, and data services for their applications.Learn more or scripting APIs.

When you use ArcGIS to host your data as services, each service is assigned a unique URL by the system, and each service supports a well-defined ArcGIS REST APIArcGIS REST APIs are the API specifications for all ArcGIS location services and ArcGIS Enterprise services. They define the operations, parameters, and structures required to make HTTPS requests.Learn more endpoint. As a developer, you can access the service's REST API and build applications by using ArcGIS Maps SDKsArcGIS Maps SDKs are developer products for building mapping and spatial analysis applications for web browsers, native devices, and game engines.Learn more, open source libraries, and scripting languages.

The main types of data services covered in this section are feature services, vector tile services, map tile services, and image services. These are all supported by ArcGIS Location PlatformArcGIS Location Platform, formerly known as ArcGIS Platform, is a Platform as a Service (PaaS) product that gives developers access to location services, APIs, and tools to build mapping and spatial analysis applications. It is subscription-based and requires an ArcGIS Location Platform account.Learn more, ArcGIS OnlineArcGIS Online is a GIS mapping, analytics, data hosting, and content management software as a service (SaaS) product. It includes applications, tools, APIs, and location services for users and developers. It is subscription-based and requires an ArcGIS Online account.Learn more, and ArcGIS EnterpriseArcGIS Enterprise is a GIS mapping, analytics, data hosting, and content management product that can be hosted on-premise or in a cloud infrastructure. It includes software, applications, tools, APIs, and services for users and developers.Learn more.

Why use data services?

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.Learn more allow you to store, manage, and access all of the geographic data you need for applications in one location - ArcGIS. You can publish your data as different types of services such as feature servicesA feature service is a data service that provides access to spatial and non-spatial data in feature layers, feature layer views, and tables.Learn more, vector tile servicesA vector tile service is a data service that provides access to vector tile data and a style definition.Learn more, map tile servicesA map tile service, formerly known as image tile service, is a data service that provides access to static, pre-rendered mao tiles. The tiles are typical in PNG format. Map tiles are typically retrieved by specifying a specific level, row, and column value.Learn more, and image servicesA map tile service, formerly known as image tile service, is a data service that provides access to static, pre-rendered mao tiles. The tiles are typical in PNG format. Map tiles are typically retrieved by specifying a specific level, row, and column value.Learn more. The services have well-defined REST APIsArcGIS REST APIs are the API specifications for all ArcGIS location services and ArcGIS Enterprise services. They define the operations, parameters, and structures required to make HTTPS requests.Learn more that you can access with many different types of ArcGIS Maps SDKsArcGIS Maps SDKs are developer products for building mapping and spatial analysis applications for web browsers, native devices, and game engines.Learn more, open source libraries, and applications. ArcGIS Maps SDKs and ArcGIS applications are designed to work optimally to provide high-performance geographic data access. All data storage and usage can be easily managed and monitored with different data management toolsData management tools are ArcGIS software applications and functionality in portal and ArcGIS Pro that can be used by developers to create, manage, and edit content and data such as web maps, hosted layers, and data services for their applications.Learn more.

Below is a list of the key features that 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.Learn more offer:

ArcGIS storage

• Store large spatial and non-spatial datasets using ArcGIS Location PlatformArcGIS Location Platform, formerly known as ArcGIS Platform, is a Platform as a Service (PaaS) product that gives developers access to location services, APIs, and tools to build mapping and spatial analysis applications. It is subscription-based and requires an ArcGIS Location Platform account.Learn more, ArcGIS OnlineArcGIS Online is a GIS mapping, analytics, data hosting, and content management software as a service (SaaS) product. It includes applications, tools, APIs, and location services for users and developers. It is subscription-based and requires an ArcGIS Online account.Learn more, or ArcGIS EnterpriseArcGIS Enterprise is a GIS mapping, analytics, data hosting, and content management product that can be hosted on-premise or in a cloud infrastructure. It includes software, applications, tools, APIs, and services for users and developers.Learn more
• Secure data with ArcGIS security and authentication
• Leverage spatial indexes and caching
• Scale storage services if required
• Premium and local storage options are also available to achieve maximum performance

Data management tools

• Use web browser and desktop data management toolsData management tools are ArcGIS software applications and functionality in portal and ArcGIS Pro that can be used by developers to create, manage, and edit content and data such as web maps, hosted layers, and data services for their applications.Learn more to manage data in a portalArcGIS 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.Learn more
• Import your data and create services dynamically
• Create new types of data services from existing services
• Update or replace your data
• Set sharing and security properties
• Control service capabilities available to clients
• Create and update spatial indexes
• Create and update tile caches
• Monitor all service usage
• Use ArcGIS API for PythonArcGIS API for Python is a pythonic library for performing GIS visualization, analysis, data management, and GIS system administration tasks.Learn more or ArcGIS REST JSArcGIS REST JS is a collection of JavaScript modules that can access ArcGIS location services and ArcGIS Enterprise services.Learn more to automate management tasks

Data services

• Store your data securely as a feature service, vector tile service, map tile service, or image service.
• All services provide well-defined ArcGIS REST APIs
• Use built-in security, authentication, and sharing
• Optimize access with caching and indexing
• Perform SQL and spatial queries
• Edit, update, and append feature data dynamically
• Create and manage versions of data
• Support advanced data visualization
• Calculate statistics
• Export data
• Provide offline data support

API access

• Build applications with ArcGIS Maps SDKs (optimized to interact with data services)
• Access with open source libraries such as Leaflet, MapLibre GL JS, OpenLayers, and CesiumJS
• Use scripting languages such as ArcGIS API for Python and ArcGIS REST JS
• Interact with services through well-defined ArcGIS REST APIs

What kind of data can you host?

You can import and host many different types of geographic data as 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.Learn more. The main requirement is that the incoming data has geometryA geometry is a geometric shape, such as a point, polyline, or polygon, that contains one or more coordinates and a spatial reference.Learn more coordinates and/or attributesAttributes are fields and values for a single feature or non-spatial record. They are typically stored in a database or service such as a feature service.Learn more (fields). The main storage formats are featuresA feature is a single record, also known as a row, that represents a real-world entity. It typically contains a geometry (point, multipoint, polyline, or polygon) and attributes but it can also contain just attributes.Learn more, vector tiles, and map tiles.

Some examples of data you can host include the following:

• Points of interest, addresses, and attributes
• Trails, contours, lakes, and natural features
• Stores and business locations and attributes
• City, county, state, and country boundaries
• Land parcels and agriculture information
• Transportation and road networks
• Telecommunication infrastructure
• Gas, electric, water, and other utilities
• Health data
• Energy utilities

How to get started

The steps to create data services for your applications include the following:

1. Create services with data management tools
2. Manage and configure services
3. Access services with an API

Tutorials

Import data to create a feature layer

Use data management tools to import files and create a feature layer in a feature service.

ArcGIS portal

Define a new feature layer

Use data management tools to define and create a new empty feature layer in a feature service.

ArcGIS portalPython APIREST JS

Manage a feature layer

Use a hosted feature layer item to set the properties and settings of a feature layer in a feature service.

ArcGIS portal

Create a vector tile service

Use data management tools to create a new vector tile service from a feature service.

ArcGIS portalPython APIREST JS

Create a map tile service

Use ArcGIS Online or scripting APIs to publish a map tile service.

ArcGIS portalPython APIREST JS

Add a feature layer

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

JavaScript Maps SDKKotlin Maps SDKSwift Maps SDK.NET Maps SDKJava Maps SDKQt Maps SDKLeafletMapLibre GL JSOpenLayersCesiumJSPython APIREST JS

Add a vector tile layer

Access and display a vector tile layer in a map.

JavaScript Maps SDKLeafletMapLibre GL JSOpenLayers

Add a map tile layer

Access and display a map tile layer in a map.

LeafletMapLibre GL JSOpenLayersCesiumJS

Style a feature layer

Use symbols and renderers to style feature layers.

JavaScript Maps SDKKotlin Maps SDKSwift Maps SDK.NET Maps SDKJava Maps SDKQt Maps SDKLeafletMapLibre GL JSOpenLayersCesiumJS

Query a feature layer (spatial)

Execute a spatial query to get features from a feature layer.

JavaScript Maps SDKLeafletMapLibre GL JSOpenLayersCesiumJSPython APIREST JSREST API

Query a feature layer (SQL)

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

JavaScript Maps SDKKotlin Maps SDKSwift Maps SDK.NET Maps SDKJava Maps SDKQt Maps SDKLeafletMapLibre GL JSOpenLayersCesiumJSPython APIREST JSREST API

Edit feature data

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

JavaScript Maps SDKPython APIREST JSREST API

Display a popup

Format a popup to show attributes in a feature layer.

JavaScript Maps SDKLeafletMapLibre GL JSOpenLayersCesiumJS

Workflows

Create a feature service for an app

Learn how to import parcel data, create and style a feature layer, and then access the features in an app.

Create a feature layer view for an editor app

Learn how to import parcel data, create and style a feature layer view, and then access the features in an editing app.

Create a vector tile service for an app

Learn how to import parcel data, style a feature layer, and then create a vector tile service for an app.

Create a map tile service for an app

Learn how to import contour data, style a feature layer, and create a map tile service for an app.

Services

API support

Use data management toolsData management tools are ArcGIS software applications and functionality in portal and ArcGIS Pro that can be used by developers to create, manage, and edit content and data such as web maps, hosted layers, and data services for their applications.Learn more or Client APIsA Client API is a web, native, or scripting Application Programming Interface (including all ArcGIS, open source, and third-party APIs) that has mapping capabilities and can be used to access ArcGIS location services.Learn more to create, manage, and access 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.Learn more. The table below outlines the level of support for each API.

Tools