<p>If you’ve ever needed a static map in an email, a PDF, or an API response, you’ve probably hit the same wall: most mapping tools assume a browser. Leaflet needs JavaScript. Mapbox needs JavaScript. Even generating a simple PNG of a point on a map usually means spinning up a headless browser or calling an external API.</p>
<p>I built a small stack to solve this. Three libraries, all open source, all pure Ruby.</p>
<h2>The stack</h2>
<p><strong>ruby-libgd</strong> is a Ruby binding for libgd, a C library for image creation. It handles the low-level pixel work.</p>
<p><strong>libgd-gis</strong> sits on top of that and adds a GIS layer — it knows about coordinates, projections, and how to draw geographic features.</p>
<p><strong>map_view</strong> is the Rails integration. It takes GeoJSON and produces a cached PNG, with two view helpers:</p>
<ul>
<li><code>map_view</code> — accepts a GeoJSON file path or string</li>
<li><code>map_view_point</code> — accepts a single coordinate pair</li>
</ul>
<p>No JavaScript runtime. No external API calls. No headless browser.</p>
<h2>What it actually does</h2>
<p>You give it GeoJSON. It renders a PNG. The image gets cached automatically.</p>
<p>Basemap options include OSM, CARTO, and ESRI. Styling is handled through a YAML config, so you can customize colors, line weights, and fill without touching Ruby code.</p>
<p>If you’re already using PostGIS for spatial queries, map_view works as a rendering layer on top — run your query, get GeoJSON back, pass it to the helper.</p>
<h2>Where this fits</h2>
<p>This isn’t a replacement for interactive maps. If users need to pan, zoom, or click features, use Leaflet.</p>
<p>But for cases where interactivity doesn’t matter — delivery tracking emails, store locator pages, real estate listing thumbnails, GIS report exports, background job outputs — generating a static PNG server-side is simpler and faster than any browser-based approach.</p>
<h2>Status</h2>
<p>Released as v0.1.0 alpha. MIT license for open source use, commercial license for production. Still early, but functional enough to use.</p>
<p>Happy to answer questions about the implementation or the use cases it’s designed for.</p>


Collections

A pure Ruby GIS stack for server-side static map rendering in Rails, built from three open source libraries: ruby-libgd (image creation via libgd bindings), libgd-gis (GIS layer with coordinate/projection support), and map_view (Rails integration). It accepts GeoJSON and outputs cached PNGs with no JavaScript runtime, headless browser, or external API required. Supports OSM, CARTO, and ESRI basemaps with YAML-based styling. Designed for use cases like emails, PDFs, and API responses where interactive maps aren't needed. Released as v0.1.0 alpha under MIT (open source) and commercial licenses.

A pure Ruby GIS stack for server-side map rendering in Rails