ArcGIS location services include ready-to-use, data hosting, and content management services hosted in the cloud. Ready-to-use includes the basemap layer, geocoding, routing, and GeoEnrichment services. Data hosting includes feature services, image tile services, and vector tile services. Content management includes the portal service. Some location services can be accessed through both standard and enhanced endpoints.

Yes, both standard and enhanced endpoints require authentication with an API keys or OAuth 2.0. If you are implementing a new application or upgrading an existing application, you will be required to authenticate with these services using an access token. Refer to the Security and authentication section for more information.

See also 2022 endpoint migration timelines that might impact your application based on the API or SDK version you use.

To access location services, you can use either an ArcGIS Developer account or an ArcGIS Online account if you are a member of an organization.

An ArcGIS Developer account provides a free tier of access to the basemap layer, geocoding, and routing service for basemap layers, geocodes (not stored), and simple routes. You must enable pay-as-you-go to access the full capabilities of the geocoding and routing services, as well as to access the GeoEnrichment and spatial analysis services.

With an ArcGIS Online account, you have access to location services defined by the role and permissions of your account.

To learn more about access to services, go to the accounts page in the Mapping APIs and location services guide.

To access location services, you need to make an authenticated request. There are two methods of authentication you can use:

• API keys: A permanent access token that grants your public-facing application access to specific, ready-to-use services and, with an ArcGIS Developer account, private content.

• Token based authentication with OAuth 2.0: Temporary tokens using application or user credentials through an ArcGIS Platform sign-on that grant your application access to the services and content authorized to that user or application. This is the recommended method, most commonly used with ArcGIS Online and ArcGIS Enterprise.

Refer to the Security and Authentication chapter in the Mapping Apis and location services guide for more information.

An API key is a permanent access token that defines the scope and referring clients permission for granting your application access to ArcGIS location services and specific service operations. To use API keys you need an ArcGIS Developer account or an ArcGIS Online account.

There is a 100 key limit for ArcGIS Developer accounts and a 100 key limit for all accounts combined in an ArcGIS Online organization. This limit can be adjusted if you need more than 100 API keys. Contact Esri Technical Support or your local distributor.

API keys are only available to ArcGIS Developer accounts or ArcGIS Online accounts of user type Creator (or higher). API keys are not available with ArcGIS Enterprise. API keys are not available with any other ArcGIS account type such as Public, Education, Personal Use, etc.

To learn more about API keys, go to the Security and authentication chapter in the Mapping APIs and location services guide.

You can create a new API key by signing in to the developer dashboard with an ArcGIS Developer account or ArcGIS Online account. For more information, refer to API Keys in Security and authentication.

Yes, you can create an API key and scope it to a particular service. Refer to Available services for a list of services and scopes. If you have an ArcGIS Developer account, you can also scope the API key to an item that belongs to your account.

You can restrict access to your API key to specific clients by setting its Allowed Referrers to only the origins you specify. Review your API key settings by signing in to your dashboard. For more information, refer to API Keys.

Yes. API keys can be "scoped" to specific services and you can view how much that key has been used to access services by going to your dashboard and selecting the API keys tab. From there, identify the API key and select View Usage.

Yes, your data can be stored as a feature service, image tile service, or vector tile service. An ArcGIS Developer account includes up to 5GB of free tile & data storage and 100MB of free feature storage in the cloud. An ArcGIS Online account can also be used to store data and the space available is defined by the subscription and any restrictions on the account imposed by the organization administrator.

You cannot share data with groups using your ArcGIS developer account. However, if you purchase a Builder or higher plan you can share data with groups using your ArcGIS Online Development and Testing Organization. Developers with an ArcGIS Online account can also share data with groups.

You can view the status of ArcGIS location services on status.arcgis.com.

Standard endpoints are URLs for services that are hosted in a global cloud infrastructure. They are limited to ArcGIS location services including the basemap layer service, and some geocoding service and routing service operations. Enhanced endpoints are URLs available for a number of location services that are hosted in the US cloud infrastructure. Many of these services support a higher-level of security compliance such as Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program (FedRAMP) and Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). These service URLs also support all of the service functionality and some support job requests (long transactions).

It is recommended to use standard endpoints whenever possible, and then use enhanced endpoints for all additional functionality or for additional security compliance. Go to Service endpoints to learn more.

Geocoding has different associated costs depending on whether or not you store the results. If you discard geocode results immediately after viewing them on the map or using them in your app, they are not considered stored results.

However, if you store the results, for example, persist the data in a database, file, or any other way, these operations are considered stored, as described in the Terms of Use.

See the Pricing page for more details and to estimate costs.

The GeoEnrichment service finds demographic information and other location facts for places around the world. The service is billed at a rate of $1 per 1,000 total returned values. These values are computed by taking the number of requested GeoEnrichment variables (dataCollections) and multiplying by the number of areas analyzed (studyAreas). Therefore, the cost is dependent on the total number of returned values in the query response.

If you have an ArcGIS Developer account, service transactions are charged in US dollars. A free tier of service access is provided for some services and operations. See the ArcGIS developer account pricing page for individual transaction fees and a calculator.

If you have an ArcGIS Online account, service transactions are charged in credits. See the ArcGIS Online pricing page for individual transaction fees.

All developer subscription plans include the following monthly free access to location services and storage:

• 2,000,000 map tiles
• 100mb Feature Service hosting
• 5gb Tile and Data storage
• 5,000 Service Areas
• 20,000 Simple Routes
• 20,000 Geocode searches (not stored)

Note: if you exceed usage beyond the free tiers and do not have pay-as-you-go enabled, the service will be disabled until the start of your next monthly term. To ensure uninterrupted access, please enable pay-as-you-go on your ArcGIS Developer account. For more information on the free tier, refer to the pricing page.

If your ArcGIS Developer subscription does not have pay-as-you-go enabled or a prepaid balance, the service that exceeds the free tier will be disabled until the start of your next monthly term.

To restore access to the service, enable pay-as-you-go to immediately receive access to the services. To do so, sign in to the developer dashboard and enable pay-as-you-go.

If you have an ArcGIS Developer account, pay-as-you-go is a billing option that allows you to pay only for the location services you use. Pay-as-you-go is managed from the developer dashboard and is turned off by default for new accounts.

Enabling pay-as-you-go allows you to use services beyond the free tier of transactions and it also gives you access to service functionality that do not have a free tier. This includes:

• Geocoding service
  • Stored geocodes
• Routing service
  • Optimized routes
  • Multi-vehicle/Fleet routing
  • Closest facility routing
  • Location allocation
  • Travel cost matrix
• GeoEnrichment service
  • Enrich
  • Reports

Learn more about free vs pay-as-you-go functionality in Pricing.

You can enable pay-as-you-go by signing in to your developer dashboard and navigating to the account section. From there, you can enable pay-as-you-go after providing a payment method.

Pay-as-you-go is only available if you have an ArcGIS Developer account and you will be invoiced in US Dollars.

Yes, when you enable pay-as-you-go, you can access all ArcGIS location services and functionality. If you have exceeded your free tier limits and a free service has been disabled, access will be restored upon enabling pay-as-you-go.

To gain access to services without a free tier, such as Spatial Analysis and GeoEnrichment, you will need to enable pay-as-you-go in the account section of the developer dashboard.

Your ArcGIS Developer account will be invoiced on the same day every month. Invoice day is based on the date that you originally signed up.

If you have an ArcGIS Online account, you will be billed annually. See the ArcGIS Online pricing page for more information.

Esri released ArcGIS Platform on January 27, 2021 which includes new pricing for Esri's ready to use location services. Users who signed up for a developer subscription prior to January 27, 2021 will receive a $5 voucher each month until April 20, 2022. This $5 voucher is equivalent to the 50 credits previously received each month and is part of the transition from service credit pricing to the new ArcGIS Platform pricing model.

ArcGIS Developer account: To get technical support, upgrade to a monthly Builder subscription plan or purchase an annual subscription plan. Refer to the pricing page for price details.

ArcGIS Online account: Technical support is included with your account.

Otherwise, you can also use the Esri Community or Stack Overflow forums.

Yes, you can purchase a Monthly Builder plan by signing in to your developer dashboard and navigating to the account section. From there, you can purchase a Monthly Builder plan with a payment card. Refer to the pricing page for price details.

To pay with an alternative method, please contact Esri Customer Service or your local distributor.

You can purchase an annual ArcGIS Developer subscription plan by navigating to the Esri store and signing in with your ArcGIS Developer account credentials, or you can contact Esri Customer Service or your local distributor.

You can estimate your monthly basemap tile usage with our tile estimator.

Use the tile estimator to select the basemap service you expect to use in your app, the API you are developing with, and the expected number of users. The tile estimator will estimate the number of tiles consumed and the expected monthly cost.

Service credits are the currency used by ArcGIS Online accounts to pay for specific transactions and storage types, such as storing features, performing analytics, and using premium content. When using an ArcGIS Online account, credits are metered through two mechanisms:

• Transactions are metered about every 10 minutes. This includes requests to:
  • Ready-to-use services like basemap layers, geocoding, routing, demographics, spatial analysis, etc.
  • Premium content from the ArcGIS Living Atlas of the World.
• Storage is metered about every hour and averaged over the billing month. This depends on the type of data, the amount, and the duration it is stored. There are two types of storage:
  • Feature service storage: data hosted as a hosted feature layer.
  • Tile and data storage: hosted imagery layers, items, attachments, packages for offline maps, and other published tiles and data files stored as content that you own.

See go.esri.com/credits to learn more.

You can contact Esri Customer Service or your local distributor. Use the contact us link: https://www.esri.com/en-us/contact

You can find Terms of Use, Master Agreements, and all other legal documents pertaining to licensing on the Esri Legal website: https://www.esri.com/en-us/legal/overview.

You will find license information in Esri Legal's Master Agreement, Products Only and product-specific Terms of Use, as well as some related information in the Mapping APIs and location services guide, in client APIs, and specific answers to common questions here in this FAQ.

You can use ArcGIS to host your data as either private or public data services. Depending on the type of account you have, you may be able to access private data services with an API key.

This feature is currently in beta and has both account and deployment limitations.

ArcGIS Developer accounts

If you have an ArcGIS Developer account, you can build test applications that use API keys to access private data services, but you cannot deploy or commercially release this type of application during the beta period. You can however, develop and deploy applications that use API keys to access your own public data services.

ArcGIS Online accounts

If you have an ArcGIS Online account, you cannot use API keys to access private data services. You need to use OAuth 2.0. You can however, develop and deploy applications that use API keys to access your own public data services.

You can build and deploy as many revenue-generating apps as you want with an ArcGIS Developer subscription. Please note that you must pass an access token authentication with all ArcGIS location services used by your application, including basemaps and geocoding, and that you must adhere to the Terms of Use. Refer to the Mapping APIs and location services guide for more information.

Yes, Esri requires that whenever you build and deploy applications that use a basemap layer or data layer, or use the Basemap layer service or any other Esri data service, you must include appropriate Powered by Esri and/or data source attribution. Refer to Esri Legal Master Agreements for products, services, and data attribution or the Basemap attribution page in the Mapping APIs and location services guide for details.

Not if you are using resources from Esri. Whenever you build and deploy applications that use a basemap layer or data layer, or use the Basemap layer service or any other Esri data service, you must include appropriate Powered by Esri and/or data source attribution.

Refer to Esri Legal Master Agreements for products, services, and data attribution and the Mapping APIs and location services guide for details.

Yes, as long as your solution uses ArcGIS location services.

Please note that you are required to pass access token authentication with all ArcGIS location services used by your application, including basemaps and geocoding. Refer to security and authentication in the Mapping APIs and location services guide for more information.

To learn more, visit the Product specific terms of use.

Yes, you can integrate ArcGIS location services with any open source client as long as you follow the Terms of Use and Attribution guidelines. Esri provides documentation for the following open source client APIs:

• Esri Leaflet
• MapLibre GL JS
• ArcGIS REST JS
• OpenLayers

Refer to the documentation to learn more.

Before you deploy an application built with ArcGIS Maps SDKs for Native Apps in a service into production, you must license your app with one of the four ArcGIS Runtime license string levels: Lite, Basic, Standard, or Advanced, or use an ArcGIS identity (formerly named user.)

Lite

Users with this level can:

• View maps, scenes, layers and packages from ArcGIS Platform.
• View layers from services in open formats such as WMS or KML.
• Download, edit, and sync features in a public ArcGIS feature service.
• Generate a mobile geodatabase with features from a sync-enabled feature service and download updates.
• Perform place finding, optimized routing, service area calculation, and closest facility analysis using a street network.

Basic

In addition to Lite functions, users with this level can:

• Download, edit, and sync features in a private ArcGIS feature service.
• Navigate a route using the route tracker.

Standard

In addition to Basic functions, users with this level can:

• View local data that is not part of ArcGIS Platform, including KML accessed as a file resource, shapefiles, GeoPackages, ENC layers (S-57), local raster layers, use raster functions, and local raster elevation sources.
• Edit local data that is not part of the ArcGIS Platform, including tables, shapefiles, and GeoPackages.
• Perform visual analyses, including line of sight and viewshed.

Advanced

In addition to Standard functions, users with this level can:

• Edit enterprise geodatabases with attachments.
• Use a subset of standard and advanced ArcGIS Pro tools to include in a geoprocessing package.

ArcGIS Maps SDKs for Native Apps documentation contains details about license strings, including the free Lite license string included with an ArcGIS Developer subscription, and information about how to obtain a higher license level if required by your app.

• ArcGIS Maps SDK for .NET
• ArcGIS Maps SDK for Kotlin
• ArcGIS Maps SDK for Swift
• ArcGIS Maps SDK for Java
• ArcGIS Maps SDK for Qt

Refer to the Native Maps SDKs product-specific Terms of Use for more information.

No. Esri’s product-specific Terms of Use (a supplement to the Master Agreement: Products) states that use of ArcGIS Maps SDKs for Native Appsin a service is not permitted. A general reference to the ArcGIS Maps SDKs for Native Apps in note 19 states "License may not be used to develop Internet or server-based Value-Added Applications".

Not by itself; API keys grant access to ArcGIS Platform services. If you are using an API key with one of the ArcGIS Maps SDKs for Native Apps, you must also include a license string to license your app for deployment. Refer to the Mapping APIs and location services guide for basic requirements.

License strings are available at the free Lite level with your ArcGIS Developer subscription, or contact your Esri account representative for paid license strings levels (Basic, Standard, and Advanced), license string extensions from Esri, and distributed deployment packs.

Yes, each ArcGIS Developer subscription can generate one unique ArcGIS Runtime Lite license string. This string can be shared across all applications associated with the ArcGIS Developer subscription from which it was created.

Note: Protect your license string: it is unique to your ArcGIS Developer subscription.

Yes, you can compile applications built with ArcGIS Maps SDKs for Native Apps with a Lite license string to provide access to Lite functionality, and also offer the ability to log in with an ArcGIS identity (formerly named user) type Editor, Field Worker, Creator, GIS Professional, or a level 2 Named User.

ArcGIS Runtime license strings for paid levels (Basic, Standard, and Advanced) or extensions are purchased from Esri and distributed via deployment packs. Upon purchase of a deployment pack, you are provided with a unique license string for the level or extension you purchased. Additional deployment packs for a level or extension you purchased previously do not include another license string, however, additional unique license strings can be provided upon request. Contact your Esri account representative.

Note: Protect your license strings: they are unique to your organization.

The ArcGIS Runtime license level enabled for ArcGIS identity (formerly named user) is dependent upon the user type.

• Viewer and Lite include a Lite license.
• Editor, Field Worker, and Basic include a Runtime Basic license.
• Creator, GIS Pro Basic, and Standard user types include a Runtime Standard license.
• GIS Pro Standard, GIS Pro Advanced, and Advanced user types include a Runtime Advanced license.

Some types do not include an ArcGIS Runtime license, such as Storyteller and Insights.

License strings are often used by customers who do not have access to an ArcGIS Online or on-premises ArcGIS Enterprise account or who are using an application that will remain offline for greater than 30 days. You are required to track the number of ArcGIS Runtime license string deployments used at each level (Basic, Standard, and Advanced), as each app installation available (including multiple apps used by a single user) counts as a deployment.

ArcGIS identity (formerly named user), is typically used to log in users with an ArcGIS Online or an on-premises ArcGIS Enterprise account, and whose devices or applications will be online at least once every 30 days (the default timeout using ArcGIS identity). A notable benefit of this model is that the license is attached to the user, not the application, so that one authorized user can license more than one ArcGIS Maps SDKs for Native Apps application.

Applications built with ArcGIS Maps SDKs for Native Apps are licensed per deployment.

If you use a license string, you are required to track the number of ArcGIS Runtime license string deployments used at each level (Basic, Standard, and Advanced), as each app installation available (including multiple apps used by a single user) counts as a deployment.

If you use ArcGIS identity, the license is attached to the user, not the application, so that one authorized user can license more than one application.

Local data files are geo-enabled data available in a file residing on your users' device(s), regardless of how it got there. ArcGIS Maps SDKs for Native Apps support a variety of different local file data formats. Depending upon the type of data, a specific license level may be required to use that data in an application built with Native Maps SDKs.

Lite:

• View layers and packages from ArcGIS Platform. If ArcGIS packages contain local data that are not originally part of the ArcGIS Platform, viewing that data may require a higher license level. For example, to read raster files in a mobile map package or mobile scene package you need a Standard license. Refer to ArcGIS sources in the Layers page for a list of layers and packages from ArcGIS Platform.
• View layers from services in open formats such as WMS or KML accessed as a web resource or other providers such as Bing or OpenStreetMap. Access to services that are not part of ArcGIS Platform could require additional licensing not managed by Esri.
• Download, edit, and sync features in a public ArcGIS feature service. These services are available on the Internet and are not secured.

Basic:

• Download, edit, and sync features in a private ArcGIS feature service. These services are only accessible on a local network and/or are secured.

Standard:

• View local data that is not part of ArcGIS Platform, including KML accessed as a file resource, shapefiles, GeoPackages, ENC layers (S-57), local raster layers, use raster functions, and local raster elevation sources. Although this data may be generated by ArcGIS products, the data format is not owned or managed by Esri.
• Edit local data that is not part of the ArcGIS Platform, including shapefiles and GeoPackages.

No, there is no limit.

If your app has a Basic, Standard, or Advanced Runtime license string and you would like to deploy it via an app store or the ArcGIS Marketplace, let us know, contact your Esri account representative, or sign up for ArcGIS Marketplace.

ArcGIS Runtime Local Server is a component that enhances the functionality of desktop-focused ArcGIS Maps SDKs for Native Apps applications:

• ArcGIS Maps SDK for .NET
• ArcGIS Maps SDK for Java
• ArcGIS Maps SDK for Qt

It is available as a separate installation to supplement the functionality of the Native Maps SDKs supported on Windows and Linux desktops. It is powered by packages created in ArcGIS Pro, which can be hosted by Local Server as local map, feature, and geoprocessing services. Desktop-focused Native Maps SDKs also provide a client API to access Local Server services.

Access to a utility network requires the ArcGIS Runtime Utility Network extension, which can be enabled using a license string or ArcGIS identity (formerly named user) with a Utility Network user type extension. The Utility Network user type extension is a cross-product add-on license (ArcGIS Enterprise only) for any user type that enables access to utility network services from clients such as ArcGIS Pro, applications built with ArcGIS Maps SDKs for Native Apps, and web apps built with the ArcGIS API for JavaScript.

Refer to the .NET extension licenses documentation for more information.

No, contact your Esri account representative for more details on transitioning license strings from 10.2.x to 100.x.

All accounts that access ArcGIS products have different access levels based on their type of account, (optional) subscription, license assigned, and services available:

• An ArcGIS Developer account is a free account included with all ArcGIS Developer subscription plans and includes access to services with a free tier and the ability to sign into the developer dashboard and other Esri sites. Developer accounts must enable pay-as-you-go to access services beyond the free tier and cannot use credits.

• An ArcGIS Online account is a member of an ArcGIS Online organization. Members of an ArcGIS Online organization have a user type license assigned to their organization and have access to services established by their assigned role within the organization. Online accounts use credits and cannot enable pay-as-you-go.

• A Public account is a free account available for individuals to create and share content with limitations on usage. Public accounts cannot be used to develop applications.

To learn more about the capabilities of each type of account, see accounts in the Mapping APIs and locations services guide.

Yes, you can use an ArcGIS Online account to build and deploy applications with ArcGIS location services.

No, this is not permitted. Each ArcGIS Developer account is for one individual and cannot be shared.

Esri determines inactive ArcGIS Developer subscriptions by reviewing your log-in history to any Esri site and all service transactions over the past 24 months. If you have not signed in to an Esri site within the previous 24 months and have not consumed any service transactions, your subscription is considered inactive from that date.

Developer subscription administrators are notified by email using the email address registered to their account if their subscription has been determined to be inactive based on account activity and transaction history.

To prevent deletion of an inactive ArcGIS Developer subscription, sign in to any Esri site with your ArcGIS account, which reestablishes activity and resets the clock for 24 months from the most recent site activity / transaction history.

If your inactive ArcGIS Developer subscription is deleted, all of your content is permanently deleted from the ArcGIS Platform and cannot be restored.

Esri deletes inactive ArcGIS Developer subscriptions for security reasons. This is a standard industry best practice for risk management and protects both Esri's site and your identity.

Sign in to your developer dashboard and navigate to the account > Billing section. From there, you can add or update the payment method.

Service credits are the currency used by ArcGIS Online subscriptions to pay for specific transactions and storage types, such as storing features, performing analytics, and using premium content.

Pay-as-you-go is offered only for ArcGIS Developer subscriptions to pay for transactions and services that exceed their free tier.

To learn more, visit ArcGIS Online accounts.

If you have pay-as-you-go enabled and have either used a service without a free tier or have exceeded the free tier, your invoice will reflect your total usage of the cost per service that you have incurred.

If you signed up for an ArcGIS Developers subscription prior to January 27th, 2021, you received 50 credits per month to cover the cost of development and testing with our location services. This $5 voucher is equivalent to the 50 credits you previously received and is part of the transition from service credit pricing to the new ArcGIS Platform pricing model. The voucher represents the free tier each account received prior to January 27, 2021 and will be issued monthly until April 30, 2022.

ArcGIS developers

If you have an ArcGIS Developer account and have developed applications or solutions that use ArcGIS Online services other than ArcGIS location services, you must update the applications to the ArcGIS location services within the timeline below. In most cases, this is before April 30, 2022.

However, if you have built applications or solutions that require users to sign in with their ArcGIS Identity as the authentication mechanism to access location services, those applications are not subject to the timelines below, and no changes are required.

ArcGIS Online developers

If you have an ArcGIS Online account or ArcGIS Enterprise account and have developed applications or solutions that use ArcGIS Online services other than ArcGIS location services, the timeline below does not apply.

Migration timeline to ArcGIS location services

ArcGIS API for JavaScript/ArcGIS Maps SDK for JavaScript

• Version 4.x: April 30th, 2022.
• Version 3.x: December 31st, 2022.

ArcGIS Runtime SDK/ArcGIS Maps SDKs for Native Apps

• All versions: April 30th, 2022.

REST and open source APIs, etc.

The following must migrate by April 30th, 2022:

• Esri Leaflet
• ArcGIS REST JS
• Supported 3rd party open-source mapping libraries
• Applications that utilize REST endpoints directly

More information

For more information, please visit Required update to ArcGIS location services.

Yes, Esri requires a valid email address in order to communicate with you about important information related to your account. If the identity provider you use to sign up for your ArcGIS Developer subscription does not provide us with your email, you will be required to provide it.

The ArcGIS Developer Subscription Essentials Plan is a free subscription provided to users who sign up for a new developer account on the developers.arcgis.com site. The Essentials Plan includes:

• ArcGIS Developer account
• Access all ArcGIS mapping APIs
• Access all location services
• Securely access and store content and data
• Free monthly tier of service transactions
• Free with pay-as-you-go options