What is tile server in OSM maps

Question

My application completely on maps which show pins and route information and distance between two pins. For this i am trying to do using OSM maps instead of Google Maps because google maps had certain limitations if user are increased.So my client wants other maps instead of Google maps.Then after research i came to know OSM is other approach.But it has some limitations for using tile server.But i do not understand what it is.Can any one please tell me what it is and is it better to go with OSM

Mutinous

Answer 1

As far as I know, a Tile Server is a server that hosts the OSM map. You can create your own Tile Server and replicate data to that server from another Tile Server.

Itin

is it necessary to create own Tile Server – Mutinous

No. You should be able to use a public Tile Server. But if you execpt a lot of load on the server, then I'll recommend that you create your own Tile Server. You can find more info here: blog.osmfoundation.org/2011/11/01/tile-usage-policy – Itin

If i maintain my separate tile server how can i use that server from my application – Mutinous

is it cost effective to maintain separate tile server – Mutinous

To have your own Tile Server is not the cheapest solution, but if your application cecomes a success, you might hit the traffic limit that an external Tile Server accepts. It's possible to install a Tile Server on a Linux based OS. So you just have to pay for hardware, bandwidth and power. – Itin

Answer 2

A tile server is the service that generates rendered images (tiles) from a database. Hence it requires a lot of storage capacity for both the database and the rendered tiles. Bandwidth and CPU are required, too, but depend mostly on the access frequency of your tile server.

There are also several non-official OSM tile servers with a less restrictive usage policy. However, if they don't fit your needs and you want to know more about setting up your own tile server, visit switch2osm.org.

Lasky