How to use Leaflet with Next.js and Vector Tiles.

In this tutorial, you’ll learn how to use Leaflet with Next.js and MapTiler Vector Tiles: this tutorial shows how to install Leaflet from NPM and create a map and display it on a Next.js application.

By the end of this tutorial, you will be able to create a full-screen map.

Getting started

Minimal requirements for completing this tutorial.

• Basic Next.js knowledge. You don’t need a lot of experience using Next.js for this tutorial, but you should be familiar with basic concepts and workflow.

• MapTiler API key. Your MapTiler account access key is on your MapTiler Cloud account page or Get API key for FREE.

• Leaflet. JavaScript library for building web maps. In this tutorial, you will learn how to install it.

• Maptiler SDK layer. The L.maptilerLayer() plugin is how you display vector tiles in Leaflet JS..

• Node.js and npm. Necessary to run your Next.js app locally. Node.js

Create an app

In this step, we are going to learn how to create a Next.js app.

To create a new Next.js project, run in your command-line:

npx create-next-app@latest

On installation, you’ll see the following prompts (Here we show the answers that you must select):

What is your project named? my-next-map
Would you like to use TypeScript? No 
Would you like to use ESLint? No
Would you like to use Tailwind CSS? No
Would you like to use `src/` directory? Yes
Would you like to use App Router? (recommended) Yes
Would you like to customize the default import alias (@/*)? No

Navigate to the newly created project folder my-next-map

cd my-next-map

To start your local environment, run npm run dev. You will find your app running on address http://localhost:3000/.

Now you should see the app in your browser.

Installation and setting up

To install Leaflet and Maptiler SDK layer, navigate to your project folder and run the command:

npm i leaflet @maptiler/leaflet-maptilersdk

Navigate to the src folder and replace all the contents of the globals.css file with the following lines:

html,
body {
  margin: 0;
}

Navigate to the src/app folder

Replace all the contents of the page.module.css file with the following lines:

.main {
  width: 100vw;
  height: 100vh;
}

Replace all the contents of the page.js file with the following lines:

import styles from './page.module.css'

export default function Home() {
  return (
    <main className={styles.main}>
      This is my map App
    </main>
  )
}

Now you should see “This is my map App“ in your browser.

Create a map component

In this step, we will create a simple client map component.

Create a new folder called components inside the src folder.

Create a new file called map.js inside the components folder.

First, we’ll import Leaflet, MapTiler SDK JS and the required React functions. We use a client component because Leaflet uses the window object. Add these lines on top of map.js file.

Now we will create a function as our map component.

And set up your map’s default state.

The state stores the map object, its container, longitude, latitude, and zoom for the map.

In the next step, we will initialize the map in the Map() function.

Here you will need to replace YOUR_MAPTILER_API_KEY_HERE with your actual MapTiler API key.

This code will be right after the component is inserted into the DOM tree. We initialize the map using React effect hook and we also set up some basic options of the map:

1. The mapContainer option sets the DOM element in which will the map be rendered. We will assign the ref our component expects to an HTML element, which will act as a container, later in this tutorial.

2. The center and zoom options set the starting position of the map.

Now, we will add the return statement to your Map() function. Add the following code to your component above the closing curly brace of Map():

The ref={mapContainer} specifies that App should be drawn to the HTML page in the <div> element.

We are finished with our basic map component, your map.js file should look like this:

Now we will need simple styling to render the map correctly. Create a file named map.module.css in components folder for the map component style and write the following code to your map.module.css file:

.mapWrap {
  position: relative;
  width: 100%;
  height: 100vh;
}

.map {
  position: absolute;
  width: 100%;
  height: 100%;
}

We use position: absolute on the map itself and position: relative on the wrap around the map for more possibilities in future styling.

Render a map

Now we will import the map component into your app, add the following line to the top of the page.js.

import dynamic from 'next/dynamic';

const Map = dynamic(() => import('@/components/map'), {
  ssr: false,
});

And then, replace the text This is my map App with <Map /> component in your Home() function. Your page.js file should then look like this:

With everything done up until now, you should be able see your beautiful map in your browser.

Related examples

Leaflet with React

Example

How to use Leaflet with React and MapTiler Vector Tiles: this tutorial shows how to install Leaflet from NPM and create a map and display it on a React application.

Leaflet with TypeScript

Example

How to use Leaflet with TypeScript: this tutorial shows how to install Leaflet from NPM and create a map and display it on a TypeScript application.

Leaflet with NPM

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How to use Leaflet with NPM: this tutorial shows how to install Leaflet from NPM and create a map and display it on a web page.