Migrate from Mapbox to ArcGIS | MapLibre GL JS

Migration

The steps required to migrate to ArcGIS depend on the type of application you have, how the map and data are styled, and what additional mapping functionality is supported. In most cases, the map style can be replaced with styles from 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, data can be hosted with 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, and mapping functionality such as geocoding and routing can be replaced with 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.

Learn more about the steps to migrate below.

Steps

Library migration: Update apps to use the MapLibre GL JS library.
Map migration: Display basemap styles with the MapLibre ArcGIS plugin.
Data migration: Manage your map data with hosted data services and display data with the MapLibre ArcGIS plugin.
Location services migration: Add additional mapping functionality with ArcGIS REST JS and location services.

1. Library migration

The first step to migrate Mapbox GL JS applications is to update your code to use the MapLibre GL JS library. MapLibre GL JS is officially supported for building applications with ArcGIS services. Updating will also allow you to use the MapLibre ArcGIS plugin to easily access basemap styles and display data in your maps.

Mapbox to MapLibre

In most cases, you can simply replace Mapbox libraries with MapLibre library references. MapLibre GL JS is backwards compatible with Mapbox GL JS (version 1). For more information, go to the MapLibre GL JS > Mapbox migration guide.

How to update libraries

Use dark colors for code blocks
<script src="https://api.tiles.mapbox.com/mapbox-gl-js/vx.x.x/mapbox-gl.js"></script>
<link href="https://api.tiles.mapbox.com/mapbox-gl-js/vx.x.x/mapbox-gl.css" rel="stylesheet" />

<script src=https://unpkg.com/maplibre-gl@5.23.0/dist/maplibre-gl.js></script>
<link href=https://unpkg.com/maplibre-gl@5.23.0/dist/maplibre-gl.css rel="stylesheet" />

2. Map migration

In Mapbox, you display a map by referencing a style. A style defines the visual appearance of a map and includes the required data sources and styling rules. In ArcGIS, you display a map by referencing a basemap style. You can use default basemap styles or create your own custom style.

Steps

Select a basemap style with the Style Explorer or create a custom style.
Use the MapLibre ArcGIS plugin to display the basemap style.

Mapbox and ArcGIS styles

Use the table below to match styles and view the styles in the Style Explorer.

Mapbox styles	ArcGIS Basemap styles	ArcGIS Open Basemap styles
Standard Day	`arcgis/navigation` (with POIs enabled) `arcgis/streets` (with POIs enabled)	`open/streets`
Standard Monochrome	`arcgis/light-gray`	`open/light-gray`
Standard Dark	`arcgis/navigation-night` (with POIs enabled) `arcgis/streets-night` (with POIs enabled)	`open/streets-night` `open/navigation-dark`
Standard Satellite	`arcgis/imagery` (with POIs enabled)	`open/hybrid`
Street*	`arcgis/streets`	`open/streets` `open/osm-style`
Navigation Day*	`arcgis/navigation`	`open/navigation`
Navigation Night*	`arcgis/navigation-night`	`open/navigation-dark` `open/streets-night`
Satellite*	`arcgis/imagery` `arcgis/imagery-standard`	`open/hybrid`
Light*	`arcgis/light-gray`	`open/light-gray`
Dark*	`arcgis/dark-gray`	`open/dark-gray`
Outdoors*	`arcgis/outdoor` `arcgis/topographic` `arcgis/terrain`	`open/osm-style-relief`

* Legacy Mapbox classic styles

Style Explorer

Basemap styles

To update an application to use an ArcGIS basemap style, you need to select a style from the Basemap Styles service. The service supports both ArcGIS styles and Open styles.

How to display a basemap style

Learn how to display a basemap style with the MapLibre ArcGIS plugin. This example displays the arcgis/streets style with style preferences set to show places.

A diagram showing the workflow of displaying a basemap style in a web application.

How to display a map with a basemap session

Learn how to display a map with a basemap session using the MapLibre ArcGIS plugin. This example displays the arcgis/community style with a basemap selector and a geocoding control.

A diagram showing the workflow of creating a basemap session and using it to display a map.

Custom basemap styles

To create a custom basemap style for your map, you can use 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 ArcGIS Vector Tile Style Editor allows you to select an existing style, edit, and save it as a new style. The new style is saved in your portal as new as vector tile layer itemAn item, also known as a content item, is a resource stored in a portal such as a web map, hosted layer, style, script tool, file, or notebook.Learn more. The item has a unique item IDAn item ID is a unique identifier representing a single item stored, managed, and accessed in a portal, such as a web map, hosted layer, or file.Learn more that you can use to display the new style in your application.

How to display a custom basemap style

Learn how to use the ArcGIS Vector Tile Style Editor to create a custom basemap style and display it with the MapLibre ArcGIS plugin.

A diagram showing the workflow of custom basemap style creation, configuration, and rendering on a map.

3. Data migration

In Mapbox, you display data by adding additional data sources and layers to a map. A data source provides data in a supported format such as GeoJSON features or vector tiles. In ArcGIS, you can create data sources for mapping applications by hosting your data with data services. To do so, you use ArcGIS 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 to import your data and create 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, or 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. After creating services, you can display the data by adding new data sources to your map.

Steps

Use ArcGIS portal to import and host your data as feature data or vector tile data.
Style the data on the client or server.
Use the MapLibre ArcGIS plugin to access and display the hosted data.

Feature data

To host your feature data, use the ArcGIS 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 to import your data to create a feature serviceA 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. You can import different file formats such as CSV, GeoJSON, and Shapefiles. Feature services support SQL and spatial queries, which means you don’t have to load the entire dataset and only display a set of GeoJSON features in an application. The features are typically styled in the client application.

How to create and style features

Learn how to use the ArcGIS portal to create a feature service and display it with the MapLibre ArcGIS plugin.

A diagram showing the workflow of feature layer creation, configuration, and rendering on a map.

Vector tile data

To host your data as vector tiles, use the ArcGIS 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 to import feature data and then publish it as a vector tile serviceA vector tile service is a data service that provides access to vector tile data and a style definition.Learn more. This is typically used for applications that need to display large or complex geographic datasets. You can pre-style the features beforehand and/or post-style the vector tiles afterwards 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 vector tiles can be styled and displayed in the client application.

How to create and style vector tiles

Learn how to use the ArcGIS portal to create a vector tile service and display the vector tiles with the MapLibre ArcGIS plugin.

A diagram showing the workflow of vector tile layer creation, configuration, styling, and rendering on a map.

4. Location services migration

To migrate or add additional mapping functionality to a MapLibre GL JS application, use the ArcGIS REST JS library to access ArcGIS services. The library can access ArcGIS 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, 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, or the spatial analysis serviceA spatial analysis service, also known as a feature analysis service, is a service used to perform spatial analysis operations on feature data such as finding, comparing, summarizing, analyzing patterns, and calculating geometries.Learn more.

Steps

Select a service to perform geocoding, routing, place finding, elevation finding, data enrichment, or spatial analysis.
Access the service with ArcGIS REST JS.
Display the map and data with the MapLibre ArcGIS plugin.

Geocoding

Use ArcGIS REST JS and the ArcGIS Geocoding serviceA geocoding service is a service that can search for addresses, place addresses, businesses, reverse geocode coordinates to addresses, provide suggestions for places, and perform bulk geocoding. It is hosted by Esri as the ArcGIS Geocoding service and can also be hosted in ArcGIS Enterprise.Learn more to perform address matching, reverse geocoding, and address suggestions.

Map showing address autosuggest results and a selected location in Vancouver.

Search with autosuggest

Search for addresses with partial text using autosuggest.

Reverse geocode

Find the closest address to a clicked location on a map.

A map of San Francisco with multiple blue location markers representing nearby places.

Find place addresses

Search for places by category near a location.

Routing

Use ArcGIS REST JS and the ArcGIS Routing serviceA routing service is a service that uses network analysis and streets data to calculate the most effective path and turn-by-turn directions on a street network, optimize fleet routing and deliveries, find the closest facilities, calculate service areas, and more. It is hosted by Esri as the ArcGIS Routing service and can also be hosted in ArcGIS Enterprise.Learn more to find routes and directions and get service areas.

Map showing a calculated driving route through downtown Toronto with turn‑by‑turn directions.

Find a route and directions

Find a route and directions from a start and finish location.

Map showing service area polygons representing travel coverage from Bangkok, Thailand.

Find service areas

Calculate the area that can be reached in a given driving time from a location.

Places

Use ArcGIS REST JS and the ArcGIS Places serviceThe places service, also known as ArcGIS Places service, is a location service hosted by Esri that can search for businesses and geographic locations around the world and return detailed information about each place.Learn more to find places by categories and get place details.

A map of Santa Monica, California, with multiple nearby place markers inside a circular search radius. A details panel displays full place information.

Find nearby places and details

Find places near a location and get detailed place information.

Map of Seattle, Washington, showing places filtered within a defined bounding box search area.

Find places in a bounding box

Perform a text-based search to find places within a bounding box.

Elevation

Use ArcGIS REST JS and the ArcGIS Elevation serviceThe elevation service, also known as ArcGIS Elevation service, is a location service hosted by Esri that returns TopoBathy elevation values for a single location or multiple locations.Learn more to find topobathy elevation values for locations.

Find the elevation of a point

Find the elevation value of a single location on land or water.

Terrain map showing elevation values measured at multiple locations.

Find the elevations of multiple points

Find elevation values of multiple locations on land and water.

GeoEnrichment

Use ArcGIS REST JS and the ArcGIS GeoEnrichment serviceA GeoEnrichment service is a service that aggregates demographic data and local facts for locations around the world. It is used to provide insight about the people and places near a location. It is hosted by Esri as the ArcGIS GeoEnrichment service and can also be hosted in ArcGIS Enterprise.Learn more to find demographic information and local facts for areas.

Get global data

Query demographic information for locations around the world.

Map of New York City showing a local data summary for a defined search area.

Get local data

Query regional facts and spending trends for a study area in the United States.

Spatial analysis

Use ArcGIS REST JS and the ArcGIS Spatial Analysis serviceA spatial analysis service, also known as a feature analysis service, is a service used to perform spatial analysis operations on feature data such as finding, comparing, summarizing, analyzing patterns, and calculating geometries.Learn more to find patterns in feature data.

Map showing hotspot analysis results identifying parking violations in San Francisco, California.

Perform a feature analysis

Perform a hot spot analysis on feature data.