Maps SDK Lite
Magic Lane Maps SDK Lite is a lightweight variant of the Maps SDK for TypeScript. It implements a subset of the @magiclane/maps-sdk API — the same class names, method signatures, and imports for the features it covers — but renders through a vector-tile engine instead of the WebAssembly engine: a single self-contained JavaScript bundle with no WASM download, backed by Magic Lane's hosted map tiles with global OpenStreetMap coverage.
Lite is installed as an npm alias for @magiclane/maps-sdk, so apps that stay within the supported subset switch between the two backends with a one-line dependency change — the guides, examples, and API reference on this site apply to Lite too, within the limits described on the compatibility page.
When to choose Lite
Use Lite when you want the Magic Lane API with the smallest possible footprint and startup time:
- Interactive maps — pan, zoom, rotate, tilt, 3D building extrusions
- Free-text and category search, around-position / in-area filtering
- Route planning with alternatives, elevation profiles, and reachable range (isochrones)
- Markers with native clustering for tens of thousands of points, popups, GPX/GeoJSON
- Weather — current conditions, forecasts, nowcast along routes
- Runtime basemap restyling
Use the full @magiclane/maps-sdk when you need the WASM engine's heavier capabilities:
- Live turn-by-turn navigation, navigation simulation, and voice guidance
- Offline maps and the content store (map downloads, voice packs)
- 3D terrain rendering
- Real-time traffic display
- Sensor recording / activity tracking
Importing a symbol outside the subset fails at compile time — that is your signal the app needs the official SDK.
What is different
- Rendering: MapLibre-based vector-tile engine instead of the WebAssembly engine; any modern browser with WebGL works, with no WASM requirement.
- Some services exist as typed stubs, so a shared codebase compiles against either backend; calling a stub throws a descriptive error at runtime.
- A few Lite extensions (popups, cluster expand/spiderfy, marker selection state) are documented in the compatibility matrix.