mapbox-maplibre-migration

What this skill does

# MapLibre to Mapbox Migration Skill

Expert guidance for migrating from MapLibre GL JS to Mapbox GL JS. Covers the shared history, API compatibility, migration steps, and the advantages of Mapbox's platform.

## Understanding the Fork

### History

**MapLibre GL JS** is an open-source fork of **Mapbox GL JS v1.13.0**, created in December 2020 when Mapbox changed their license starting with v2.0.

**Timeline:**

- **Pre-2020:** Mapbox GL JS was open source (BSD license)
- **Dec 2020:** Mapbox GL JS v2.0 introduced proprietary license
- **Dec 2020:** Community forked v1.13 as MapLibre GL JS
- **Present:** Both libraries continue active development

**Key Insight:** The APIs are ~95% identical because MapLibre started as a Mapbox fork. Most code works in both with minimal changes, making migration straightforward.

## Why Migrate to Mapbox?

**Compelling reasons to choose Mapbox GL JS:**

- **Official Support & SLAs**: Enterprise-grade support with guaranteed response times
- **Superior Tile Quality**: Best-in-class vector tiles with global coverage and frequent updates
- **Better Satellite Imagery**: High-resolution, up-to-date satellite and aerial imagery
- **Rich Ecosystem**: Seamless integration with Mapbox Studio, APIs, and services
- **Advanced Features**: Traffic-aware routing, turn-by-turn directions, premium datasets
- **Geocoding & Search**: World-class address search and place lookup
- **Navigation SDK**: Mobile navigation with real-time traffic
- **No Tile Infrastructure**: No need to host or maintain your own tile servers
- **Regular Updates**: Continuous improvements and new features
- **Professional Services**: Access to Mapbox solutions team for complex projects

**Mapbox offers a generous free tier:** 50,000 map loads/month, making it suitable for many applications without cost.

## Quick Comparison

| Aspect                | Mapbox GL JS                  | MapLibre GL JS                    |
| --------------------- | ----------------------------- | --------------------------------- |
| **License**           | Proprietary (v2+)             | BSD 3-Clause (Open Source)        |
| **Support**           | Official commercial support   | Community support                 |
| **Tiles**             | Premium Mapbox vector tiles   | OSM or custom tile sources        |
| **Satellite**         | High-quality global imagery   | Requires custom source            |
| **Token**             | Required (access token)       | Optional (depends on tile source) |
| **APIs**              | Full Mapbox ecosystem         | Requires third-party services     |
| **Studio**            | Full integration              | No native integration             |
| **3D Terrain**        | Built-in with premium data    | Available (requires data source)  |
| **Globe View**        | v2.9+                         | v3.0+                             |
| **API Compatibility** | ~95% compatible with MapLibre | ~95% compatible with Mapbox       |
| **Bundle Size**       | ~500KB                        | ~450KB                            |
| **Setup Complexity**  | Easy (just add token)         | Requires tile source setup        |

## Step-by-Step Migration

### 1. Create Mapbox Account

1. Sign up at [mapbox.com](https://mapbox.com)
2. Get your access token from the account dashboard
3. Review pricing: Free tier includes 50,000 map loads/month
4. Note your token (starts with `pk.` for public tokens)

### 2. Update Package

```bash
# Remove MapLibre
npm uninstall maplibre-gl

# Install Mapbox
npm install mapbox-gl
```

### 3. Update Imports

```javascript
// Before (MapLibre)
import maplibregl from 'maplibre-gl';
import 'maplibre-gl/dist/maplibre-gl.css';

// After (Mapbox)
import mapboxgl from 'mapbox-gl';
import 'mapbox-gl/dist/mapbox-gl.css';
```

Or with CDN:

```html
<!-- Before (MapLibre) -->
<script src="https://unpkg.com/[email protected]/dist/maplibre-gl.js"></script>
<link href="https://unpkg.com/[email protected]/dist/maplibre-gl.css" rel="stylesheet" />

<!-- After (Mapbox) -->
<script src="https://api.mapbox.com/mapbox-gl-js/v3.0.0/mapbox-gl.js"></script>
<link href="https://api.mapbox.com/mapbox-gl-js/v3.0.0/mapbox-gl.css" rel="stylesheet" />
```

### 4. Add Access Token

```javascript
// Add this before map initialization
mapboxgl.accessToken = 'pk.your_mapbox_access_token';
```

**Token best practices:**

- Use environment variables: `process.env.VITE_MAPBOX_TOKEN` or `process.env.NEXT_PUBLIC_MAPBOX_TOKEN`
- Add URL restrictions in Mapbox dashboard for security
- Use public tokens (`pk.*`) for client-side code
- Never commit tokens to git (add to `.env` and `.gitignore`)
- Rotate tokens if compromised

See `mapbox-token-security` skill for comprehensive token security guidance.

### 5. Update Map Initialization

```javascript
// Before (MapLibre)
const map = new maplibregl.Map({
  container: 'map',
  style: 'https://demotiles.maplibre.org/style.json', // or your custom style
  center: [-122.4194, 37.7749],
  zoom: 12
});

// After (Mapbox)
mapboxgl.accessToken = 'pk.your_mapbox_access_token';

const map = new mapboxgl.Map({
  container: 'map',
  style: 'mapbox://styles/mapbox/standard', // Mapbox style
  center: [-122.4194, 37.7749],
  zoom: 12
});
```

### 6. Update Style URL

Mapbox provides professionally designed, maintained styles:

```javascript
// Mapbox built-in styles
style: 'mapbox://styles/mapbox/standard'; // Mapbox Standard (default)
style: 'mapbox://styles/mapbox/standard-satellite'; // Mapbox Standard Satellite
style: 'mapbox://styles/mapbox/streets-v12'; // Streets v12
style: 'mapbox://styles/mapbox/satellite-v9'; // Satellite imagery
style: 'mapbox://styles/mapbox/satellite-streets-v12'; // Hybrid
style: 'mapbox://styles/mapbox/outdoors-v12'; // Outdoor/recreation
style: 'mapbox://styles/mapbox/light-v11'; // Light theme
style: 'mapbox://styles/mapbox/dark-v11'; // Dark theme
style: 'mapbox://styles/mapbox/navigation-day-v1'; // Navigation (day)
style: 'mapbox://styles/mapbox/navigation-night-v1'; // Navigation (night)
```

**Custom styles:**
You can also create and use custom styles from Mapbox Studio:

```javascript
style: 'mapbox://styles/your-username/your-style-id';
```

### 7. Update All References

Replace all `maplibregl` references with `mapboxgl`:

```javascript
// Markers
const marker = new mapboxgl.Marker() // was: maplibregl.Marker()
  .setLngLat([-122.4194, 37.7749])
  .setPopup(new mapboxgl.Popup().setText('San Francisco'))
  .addTo(map);

// Controls
map.addControl(new mapboxgl.NavigationControl(), 'top-right');
map.addControl(new mapboxgl.GeolocateControl());
map.addControl(new mapboxgl.FullscreenControl());
map.addControl(new mapboxgl.ScaleControl());
```

### 8. Update Plugins (If Used)

Some MapLibre plugins should be replaced with Mapbox versions:

| MapLibre Plugin                  | Mapbox Alternative           |
| -------------------------------- | ---------------------------- |
| `@maplibre/maplibre-gl-geocoder` | `@mapbox/mapbox-gl-geocoder` |
| `@maplibre/maplibre-gl-draw`     | `@mapbox/mapbox-gl-draw`     |
| `maplibre-gl-compare`            | `mapbox-gl-compare`          |

Example:

```javascript
// Before (MapLibre)
import MaplibreGeocoder from '@maplibre/maplibre-gl-geocoder';

// After (Mapbox)
import MapboxGeocoder from '@mapbox/mapbox-gl-geocoder';

map.addControl(
  new MapboxGeocoder({
    accessToken: mapboxgl.accessToken,
    mapboxgl: mapboxgl
  })
);
```

### 9. Everything Else Stays the Same

All your map code, events, layers, and sources work identically:

```javascript
// This code works EXACTLY THE SAME in both libraries
map.on('load', () => {
  map.addSource('points', {
    type: 'geojson',
    data: geojsonData
  });

  map.addLayer({
    id: 'points-layer',
    type: 'circle',
    source: 'points',
    paint: {
      'circle-radius': 8,
      'circle-color': '#ff0000'
    }
  });
});

// Events work identically
map.on('click', 'points-layer', (e) => {
  console.log(e.features[0].properties);