How to Install TileServer GL on Arch Linux

TileServer GL is an open-source and lightweight tile server that allows you to serve vector and raster tiles with minimal setup. In this tutorial, we will show you how to install TileServer GL on Arch Linux.

Prerequisites

Before we start, you will need:

• A system running on Arch Linux
• Basic knowledge of the command-line interface.

Step 1: Install Node.js

To install TileServer GL, you must first install Node.js.

sudo pacman -S nodejs

Verify if Node.js and npm are installed correctly.

node -v
npm -v

Step 2: Install TileServer GL

You can install TileServer GL with npm.

sudo npm install -g tileserver-gl-light

Step 3: Prepare the TileServer GL config

Next, you need to create a configuration file for TileServer GL. You can create a new directory where you want to serve the tiles from.

mkdir ~/tiles
cd ~/tiles

Create a config file in the new directory.

nano config.json

Add the following code to the file and edit as desired.

{
	"options": {
		"paths": {
			"root": "path_to_your_tiles_directory"
		},
		"minZoom": 0,
		"maxZoom": 16,
		"tilePath": "{z}/{x}/{y}.pbf",
		"metadata": {
			"name": "TileServer GL",
			"description": "A sample TileServer GL with OSM data",
			"version": "0.0.1",
			"attribution": "© OpenStreetMap contributors"
		},
		"serveStatic": ["public"]
	}
}

Save and exit the file.

Note: This configuration file serves tiles from a local directory.

Step 4: Serve tiles with TileServer GL

To serve tiles, start TileServer GL with the command below

tileserver-gl-light config.json

You should see something like below in the terminal.

---------------------------------------
Listening at http://localhost:8080/
---------------------------------------

You can now view the tiles by visiting http://localhost:8080/ in your browser or by using a compatible client.

Congratulations! You have successfully installed and set up TileServer GL on Arch Linux. You can now use it to serve vector and raster tiles.