# MapLibre GL JS

> WebGL-based interactive vector tile maps in the browser; community fork of Mapbox GL JS.

- Category: [JavaScript map & geospatial visualization libraries](https://awesomedataviz.com/categories/javascript-maps/)
- Website: https://maplibre.org/maplibre-gl-js/docs/
- Repository: https://github.com/maplibre/maplibre-gl-js
- License: BSD-3-Clause
- Language: TypeScript
- Status: Active (commits in the last 90 days)
- GitHub stars: 11,801
- Commits in the last 12 months: 1,416
- Contributors: 385
- Last commit: Oct 4, 2026
- Latest release: v6.12.0 (Oct 3, 2026)
- Install (npm): `npm install maplibre-gl`, 6.8M downloads per week
- Topics: Maps & geospatial visualization, GPU-accelerated & WebGL visualization

## Overview

MapLibre GL JS is an open-source JavaScript mapping library released under the BSD-3-Clause license. Its GitHub repository has 11,801 stars, 1,268 forks, and 385 contributors. It is actively developed with 1,416 commits in the last 12 months. The latest release, v6.12.0, was published on Oct 3, 2026. On npm it is downloaded about 6.8M times per week.

## Alternatives

- [Leaflet](https://awesomedataviz.com/tools/leaflet/): JavaScript library for mobile-friendly interactive maps. (45.7K stars)
- [Cesium](https://awesomedataviz.com/tools/cesium/): WebGL 3D globes and maps. (15.8K stars)
- [Deck.gl](https://awesomedataviz.com/tools/deck-gl/): WebGL framework for visual exploratory data analysis of large datasets. (14.6K stars)
- [OpenLayers](https://awesomedataviz.com/tools/openlayers/): Library for interactive web maps with support for many data sources, formats and projections. (12.6K stars)
- [react-map-gl](https://awesomedataviz.com/tools/react-map-gl/): React components for MapLibre GL JS and Mapbox GL JS, maintained by vis.gl. (8.5K stars)
- [Potree](https://awesomedataviz.com/tools/potree/): WebGL point cloud viewer for large datasets such as LiDAR scans. (5.6K stars)

## Comparisons

- [Leaflet vs MapLibre GL JS](https://awesomedataviz.com/compare/leaflet-vs-maplibre-gl-js/)
- [Cesium vs MapLibre GL JS](https://awesomedataviz.com/compare/cesium-vs-maplibre-gl-js/)
- [Deck.gl vs MapLibre GL JS](https://awesomedataviz.com/compare/deck-gl-vs-maplibre-gl-js/)
- [MapLibre GL JS vs OpenLayers](https://awesomedataviz.com/compare/maplibre-gl-js-vs-openlayers/)

Source: https://awesomedataviz.com/tools/maplibre-gl-js/ · Data updated 2026-10-04 · Content: CC BY 4.0, Awesome Dataviz (https://awesomedataviz.com).