Skip to main content

Map styles

Use the Mapbox Studio style editor to design a map to your exact specifications.

Mapbox Studio topics covered in this section:

with the dataset editor

Upload

with the dataset editor

Dataset

by exporting your dataset

Tileset

as a configurable base map

Standard style

containing your tileset in the style editor

Add data to style

in the style editor

Style data

in the style editor

Publish

What is a style?

A style is a JSON document that conforms to the Mapbox Style Specification. The style specification is designed especially for Mapbox GL JS (browser) and the Mapbox mobile SDKs (mobile) to read and understand so your map can be rendered on the page. The style controls almost everything about the map.

The Mapbox Styles API powers your ability to change the fonts, colors, and icons on a map style through the visual interface of Mapbox Studio. The Mapbox Styles API is an integral part of our cartography software and is used across several Mapbox tools.

The style editor

The Mapbox Studio style editor is a visual interface for creating styles. Each layer you add to the style in the Mapbox Studio style editor is added to this JSON object via the Styles API when you save, and is then passed to the browser or device when the map is requested. Once created, you can keep your style hosted with Mapbox to serve to your map or you can download the JSON object as a document.

Read more about the style editorchevron-right

Mapbox Standard

Mapbox Standard is a full-featured basemap style that can either be used directly in your web or mobile application. This style can be used as a base to create a new style, allowing you to adjust various configurations, like lighting or place label fonts. To create a new style with Mapbox Standard, go to your Styles page, click the New style button and Standard will be selected by default.

TUTORIAL
How to color your map with Mapbox Studio

This tutorial will walk you through creating a new style with Mapbox Standard and customizing the various configurations of the basemap, to change the lighting, colors, etc.

Examples

The Examples page contains a collection of style examples that highlight specific features like adding 3D buildings and hillshades. You can browse examples and add the styles directly to your account to get started.

Was this page helpful?