# mapbox/mapbox-gl-native

Interactive, thoroughly customizable maps in native Android, iOS, macOS, Node.js, and Qt applications, powered by vector tiles and OpenGL

Repository: https://github.com/mapbox/mapbox-gl-native
Canonical: https://ross.abutalabs.com/products/mapbox-gl-native
Homepage: https://mapbox.com/mobile
Language: C++
License: NOASSERTION
License Family: other
Topics: map, mapbox-gl, opengl, android, ios, macos, nodejs, qt, c-plus-plus, java, objective-c, swift, vector-tiles, objective-c-plus-plus, openstreetmap, monorepo, mapbox, geojson, opengl-es, maps
Archived: true
Last push: 2023-07-27T10:31:03+00:00

## Health v2 (maintenance only)
Score: 10/100 (v2, computed 2026-09-02T17:46:02.011165+00:00)
- activity 0, release rhythm 8, longevity 100
- inputs: {"age_days": 4601, "days_push": 1133, "days_rel": null, "gap_med": null, "n_releases_24m": 0}
- flags: archived, no_license
- formula: round(0.45*activity + 0.35*rhythm + 0.20*longevity); archived -> min(score, 10)

## Adoption (not part of the score)
Stars 4453, forks 1323 (observed 2026-08-28T04:08:50.525511+00:00)

## What it is
A C++ core library that renders interactive, customizable vector maps in native Android, iOS, macOS, Node.js, and Qt applications using OpenGL or Metal. It consumes Mapbox Style Specification stylesheets and Mapbox Vector Tile data, and serves as the engine behind the platform-specific Mapbox Maps SDKs.

## Use cases
- embed interactive maps in a native iOS or Android app
- render vector tile maps offline in a mobile application
- display custom GeoJSON data layers on a native map
- build a cross-platform desktop app with map visualization using Qt
- style maps at runtime with a JSON stylesheet
- show 3D terrain and building maps in a mobile app

## When to choose
- you need a fully customizable, GPU-accelerated vector map engine embedded in a native mobile or desktop application
- you want offline map support and real-time style changes in an iOS or Android app
- you are building on the Mapbox ecosystem and want the core rendering library behind the Maps SDKs

## When to avoid
- you are building a web application - use Mapbox GL JS instead
- you want a fully open-source stack without Mapbox API keys or commercial services
- you need the actively developed platform SDKs - use mapbox-gl-native-android or mapbox-gl-native-ios, as this monorepo is superseded
- you need raster tile maps only with minimal customization

## Facets
- artifact type: library
- maturity: maintenance
- function: graphics, geospatial, data-visualization, gui
- domain: mobile-development, cross-platform, graphics
- platform: cross-platform, cpp
- tags: vector-tiles, opengl, mapbox, maps-sdk, openstreetmap, geo, monorepo, maps, geospatial, android, ios, macos, nodejs, desktop

## Member repositories
- mapbox/mapbox-gl-native (main) score 10

## Provenance
- Observed fields: from GitHub, fetched 2026-08-28T04:08:50.525511+00:00.
- Health v2: computed from the inputs above; adoption is never an input.
- Inferred fields (summary, facets, guidance): AI-extracted, prompt v1, taxonomy v1, on 2026-08-29T18:20:45.881478+00:00, confidence not recorded.
  - readme: https://github.com/mapbox/mapbox-gl-native (fetched 2026-08-28T04:08:50.525511+00:00, sha d6601ca9c13d)
  - homepage: https://mapbox.com/mobile (fetched 2026-08-29T09:10:22.162186+00:00, sha 083582d82693)
  - site_page: https://docs.mapbox.com/ (fetched 2026-08-29T09:10:22.166952+00:00, sha 6b830788a899)
  - site_page: https://www.mapbox.com/about/maps (fetched 2026-08-29T09:10:22.175258+00:00, sha f919a683647b)
  - site_page: https://www.mapbox.com/search-service (fetched 2026-08-29T09:10:22.164955+00:00, sha 2b64deb708ee)
  - site_page: https://www.mapbox.com/developers (fetched 2026-08-29T09:10:22.168672+00:00, sha 74bb301ef7ba)
  - site_page: https://www.mapbox.com/company (fetched 2026-08-29T09:10:22.170159+00:00, sha e6540a8f0611)
  - site_page: https://www.mapbox.com/company/values (fetched 2026-08-29T09:10:22.172712+00:00, sha 839b8721af78)
  - site_page: https://www.mapbox.com/blog (fetched 2026-08-29T09:10:22.177820+00:00, sha 61e7e2e728bd)
  - site_page: https://www.mapbox.com/webinars (fetched 2026-08-29T09:10:22.179713+00:00, sha ab1b1feebe71)
- Data as of 2026-08-30T08:39:29.467469+00:00.