MapLibreOverlay

@deck.gl/maplibre is the recommended deck.gl integration for MapLibre GL JS v4.5.1, v5, and v6. Its MapLibreOverlay renders deck.gl layers using MapLibre's public APIs.

The module supports both overlaid and interleaved rendering. Interleaved mode inserts deck.gl layers into the MapLibre style and shares its WebGL2 context.

Installation

@deck.gl/maplibre is distributed as ES modules only.

npm install @deck.gl/maplibre maplibre-gl

Bundled applications must configure the MapLibre worker. The example below uses Vite. See the MapLibre installation guide for other bundlers. Direct browser ES module imports configure the worker automatically.

Example

import {MapLibreOverlay} from '@deck.gl/maplibre';
import {ScatterplotLayer} from '@deck.gl/layers';
import {Map, setWorkerUrl} from 'maplibre-gl';
import maplibreWorkerUrl from 'maplibre-gl/dist/maplibre-gl-worker.mjs?worker&url';
import 'maplibre-gl/dist/maplibre-gl.css';

setWorkerUrl(maplibreWorkerUrl);

const map = new Map({
  container: 'map',
  style: 'https://basemaps.cartocdn.com/gl/positron-gl-style/style.json',
  center: [0.45, 51.47],
  zoom: 11
});

await map.once('load');

map.addControl(new MapLibreOverlay({
  interleaved: true,
  layers: [
    new ScatterplotLayer({
      id: 'points',
      data: [{position: [0.45, 51.47]}],
      getPosition: d => d.position,
      getFillColor: [255, 0, 0],
      getRadius: 1000
    })
  ]
}));

See Using with MapLibre for React usage and integration modes.

Constructor

MapLibreOverlay implements MapLibre's IControl interface. It accepts the same properties as Deck, except that MapLibre manages the camera, canvas size, and interaction controller.

width, height, parent, canvas, gl, viewState, initialViewState, and controller cannot be supplied. useDevicePixels and device are ignored in interleaved mode because MapLibre owns the shared canvas and rendering context.

interleaved

If false, deck.gl renders to a separate canvas over the map. If true, deck.gl layers share MapLibre's WebGL2 context and may be inserted into its style layer stack. The default is false.

This property is fixed when the overlay is constructed. To change rendering modes, remove the overlay and create another one.

Layer ordering

In interleaved mode, add a beforeId property to a deck.gl layer to render it before a MapLibre style layer. Layers with the same beforeId are rendered together in their array order.

new ScatterplotLayer({
  id: 'points-under-labels',
  beforeId: 'waterway-label',
  data,
  getPosition: d => d.position
});

Methods

• setProps(props) updates the underlying Deck properties. It cannot change interleaved.
• pickObject, pickObjects, and pickMultipleObjects forward to Deck's picking methods.
• getCanvas() returns MapLibre's canvas in interleaved mode and Deck's canvas otherwise.
• finalize() removes the control and releases its resources.

Compatibility

• MapLibre GL JS v4.5.1, v5, and v6 are supported.
• Interleaved mode only works when WebGL2 is available.
• Camera target elevation is synchronized. deck.gl layers are not draped over MapLibre terrain.
• Mercator is supported. Globe integration uses deck.gl's experimental GlobeView. With default back-face culling, TextLayer and non-billboard IconLayer do not render. Disabling culling makes them visible, but non-billboard icons render rotated 180°.
• Non-default vertical field of view and camera roll are not synchronized.
• One interleaved overlay may be attached to a map.

Antialiasing

MapLibre creates its WebGL context with antialias: false by default. In interleaved mode, deck.gl shares that context, so layers whose edges depend on MSAA — including PathLayer, LineLayer, ArcLayer, and PointCloudLayer — render with hard, aliased edges.

Set antialiasing: true on those layers to have them compute edge coverage in the shader instead. On composite layers the prop is named lineAntialiasing (GeoJsonLayer, PolygonLayer). Alternatively, set antialias: true when creating the MapLibre map to enable MSAA for the shared context.