A vector tile layer references a set of web-accessible vector tiles and the corresponding style for how those tiles should be drawn. When you publish a hosted vector tile layer, the source data is copied to the portal's hosting server and tiles are built on that server. Similarly, when you publish a hosted vector tile layer from a vector tile package, the vector tile content is uploaded to the portal's hosting server. To save time when publishing and avoid using the resources on the hosting server to build and store tile caches, you can publish a vector tile layer that references a cache dataset that you create and place in a user-maintained folder or cloud data store before publishing.
When you delete a vector tile layer that references an existing cache, the vector cache dataset remains in the data store.
Prepare the vector cache dataset
Before you can publish the vector tile layer, the cache dataset must exist in a folder or cloud data store.
Follow these steps to create a cache dataset and make it available in a file or cloud data store registered with an ArcGIS GIS Server site:
- Use the Extract Package geoprocessing tool in ArcGIS Pro with the required vector tile package as an input to create a ready-to-serve vector cache dataset (.vtiles file) in the desired file share or object store in the cloud.
- If you need to take the hosted vector tile layer offline, you must alter settings in the root.json file of the tile package before you publish by doing the following:
- Open the .vtiles folder.
- Open the root.json file in a text editor.
- Set the "exportTilesAllowed" parameter to true.
- If the "maxExportTilesCount" parameter is not present in the file, you must add it and set it to the number of required tiles.
The "maxExportTilesCount" parameter must exist at the root level of the file.
See Offline caches for more information.
- Add the file share or cloud storage location as a user-managed data store in ArcGIS Enterprise.
Alternatively, you can register the data source in ArcGIS Pro. The minimum release to register a folder to create a data store item is ArcGIS Pro 2.5; for cloud storage locations, it's ArcGIS Pro 3.0.
- If you are preparing the data for others to use, share the data store item with the appropriate group or the organization.
Publish a vector tile layer
You must have access to the data store item created in the previous section and privileges to publish server-based layers and create, update, and delete content.
You can publish in the portal, as described below, or publish from ArcGIS Pro, as described in the ArcGIS Pro help.
Follow these steps to publish from the portal a vector tile layer that references a cache dataset in a file or cloud data store:
- Sign in to the portal.
You must be a member of the default publisher or administrator role or a member of a custom role with privileges to publish server-based layers and create, update, and delete content.
- On the My content tab of the Content page, click New item.
- Choose Tile layer and click Next.
- Choose Vector tiles, choose Select a dataset in a data store, and click Next.
- Choose the data store item created in the previous section.
- Browse to and select the vector cache dataset in the data store.
Only vector cache datasets (.vtiles file) are supported to publish a vector tile layer.
- Choose the server to which the layer will be published.
The list includes only the servers with which the selected data store is registered.
- Click Next.
- Provide a title.
- Choose a folder in My content where you want to save the layer.
Alternatively, you can choose Create new folder from the menu and provide a folder name to save the item in a new folder.
- Optionally, provide tags that describe the item.
Separate the terms with commas (for example, Federal land is considered one tag, and Federal, land is considered two tags).
As you type, you can choose any of the suggested tags that appear; suggestions are generated from tags you previously added.
- Optionally, provide a summary that describes the item.
- Click Save.
A vector tile layer is created in My content.
By default, only you have access to the vector tile layer. You can share it with others.