mbtiles
What is a .mbtiles file?
application/vnd.sqlite3
MBTiles is a specification for storing map tiles in a SQLite database. A metadata table records the tile set's name, format, bounds, and zoom range, and a tiles table holds one row per tile keyed by zoom_level, tile_column, and tile_row with the tile image or vector payload as a blob. Crucially, tile_row uses the TMS convention, which is flipped vertically relative to the XYZ scheme most web maps use.
How to use a .mbtiles file
Use an example .mbtiles file to test tile servers, offline map readers, and tile-set converters, verifying the TMS-versus-XYZ row flip, that the metadata bounds agree with the tiles actually present, and that a request outside the zoom range fails cleanly.
Download example .mbtiles files
- MBTiles — Raster Tile Pyramid, Zoom 4 to 8A small raster tile pyramid covering the invented territory, one flat colour per zoom level so a wrongly addressed tile is obvious on sight. The row axis follows the TMS convention, which is flipped relative to the XYZ scheme web maps use — the single most common reason an MBTiles layer renders upside down.
- MBTiles — Structurally Valid Tileset With No TilesEvery required MBTiles table and metadata key, and not one tile row. This is what a failed or interrupted tile build actually produces, and it is the fixture that finds code which reports success because the file opened and the schema validated.