[mapserver-users] Mapserver vs Geoserver

[mani .,]

Hi everyone,

Well I've been working on Mapserver for a couple of weeks now. Now
I was supposed to checkout Geoserver too.. I was wondering if anyone who
has worked on both of

them could help me figure out with a point or two as of how mapserver is
superior to Geoserver... I've got a few points gathered.

-=- Plz fill me in with any thing that comes to your mind. I really wanna
the differences , be it the basic things, simplicity or complexity
or whatever..............

Thanks,


Mapserver && Geoserver

*1. *MapServer is generally better when dealing with WMS, while
GeoServer deals better with WFS.

*2*. A big difference is that GeoServer supports WFS-T, that it
Transactional WFS (editing of feature services on the client side),
while MapServer don’t.

*3*. Mapserver works with CGI, GeoSever with J2EE. That may entail
some advantage to GeoServer, since some companies don’t want to work
with CGI.

*4*. MapServer is a more mature project (1996), while GeoServer is a
bit more recent (2003).

*5*. GeoServer has a web tool administration that eases configuration.

*6*. MapServer has without any doubt a very powerful cartography
system, providing data under dynamic vectors with high quality

*7*. None of them is better or worse. The development objectives are different.

*8.* PHP Mapscript for Mapserver, which provides a powerful scripting
interface for PHP programmers. For Java programmers, Geoserver might
be a better choice

[Rahkonen Jukka]

Hi,

I agree especially with your 7th point, in real life things are seldomly
just black or white.

1. MapServer is generally better when dealing with WMS, while

GeoServer deals better with WFS.
Well, they have some differences in WMS but I wouldn't say one is better
than another. I agree partly when it comes to WFS, at least it is
easier to set up Geoserver WFS so that ready made WFS clients are
willing to discuss with it. However, I add some conditions

- I have not played a lot with Mapserver WFS so I do not know all the
tricks.
- I have felt that Mapserver WFS works quite nice when I send requests
through a browser or wget ot something, and most problems are due to WFS
clients which do not want to parse the gml. Clients tend to be
over-sensible for my mind.
- Unfortunately that is a common phenomena, clients developed against
deegree WFS do not work properly against Geoserver WFS or Mapserver WFS
and so on.

2. A big difference is that GeoServer supports WFS-T, that it

Transactional WFS (editing of feature services on the client side),
while MapServer don't.
- That's true.

4. MapServer is a more mature project (1996), while GeoServer is a

bit more recent (2003).
They are both mature enough for me.

5. GeoServer has a web tool administration that eases configuration.

That is also true. There used to be a MapLab application alongside
Mapserver and that helped me to take my first steps with Mapserver but
now it is gone. I believe that without MapLab I wouldn't have started
to play with Mapserver ever.

6. MapServer has without any doubt a very powerful cartography

system, providing data under dynamic vectors with high quality
Mapserver may have more advanced cartographical features but Geoserver
can look good also. Creating good looking cartography is an artistic
job. Geoserver is using SLD for styling which is the OGC standard way.

7. None of them is better or worse. The development objectives are

different.

8. PHP Mapscript for Mapserver, which provides a powerful scripting

interface for PHP programmers. For Java programmers, Geoserver might be
a better choice
I believe that Geoserver does not really offer the same kind of
possibilities to build interactive server side application with
scripting. However, quite a lot can be done by making a client to
combine WMS GetMap, WMS GetFeatureInfo and WFS requests.

I add a few other differencies which I have faced myself.

9. Text based mapfile vs xml. For a user whose first sight on a
computer screen was a green DOS:> prompt, reading and writing text based
mapfiles may feel easier than xml stuff in the data_dir of Geoserver.

10. The same text keen users may prefer writing Geoserver CQL filters
(see for example
http://lyceum.massgis.state.ma.us/wiki/doku.php?do=export_xhtml&id=cql)
when testing http GET queries instead of OGC standard filters buried
inside SLD_BODY. On the other hand, Mapserver offers same kind of
possibilities with variable substitution.

11. For mapserver a mapfile means a service. Geoserver is in running
one WMS/WFS/WCS service for all users. Layers can be filtered by using
the security subsystem, but it is not at all as flexible than creating
separate mapfiles for different users or user groups.

12. Geoserver has an installer that installs the server, demo data, demo
applications, and graphical user interface for administrating the
server. What is best is that nightly builds are also available, and
Windows users can achieve and install them with ease. It is about the
same as getting a new MS4W version every day.

-Jukka Rahkonen-

[mani2604]

-=- Thanks a lot for the analysis.. thats really helpful...

[Jeff McKenna]

Hi Jukka,

Post by Rahkonen Jukka
Hi,
I agree especially with your 7th point, in real life things are seldomly
just black or white.

1. MapServer is generally better when dealing with WMS, while

GeoServer deals better with WFS.
Well, they have some differences in WMS but I wouldn't say one is better
than another. I agree partly when it comes to WFS, at least it
is easier to set up Geoserver WFS so that ready made WFS clients are
willing to discuss with it. However, I add some conditions
- I have not played a lot with Mapserver WFS so I do not know all the
tricks.
- I have felt that Mapserver WFS works quite nice when I send requests
through a browser or wget ot something, and most problems are due to WFS
clients which do not want to parse the gml. Clients tend to be
over-sensible for my mind.
- Unfortunately that is a common phenomena, clients developed against
deegree WFS do not work properly against Geoserver WFS or Mapserver WFS
and so on.

I also recommend reviewing the previous FOSS4G WMS benchmarking, between
GeoServer and MapServer:
http://www.slideshare.net/gatewaygeomatics.com/wms-performance-shootout

And also follow this year's exercise, which will involve more mapping
servers (Mapnik is also joining the fun, and hopefully more development
teams will join): http://wiki.osgeo.org/wiki/Benchmarking_2010

Post by Rahkonen Jukka

2. A big difference is that GeoServer supports WFS-T, that it

Transactional WFS (editing of feature services on the client side),
while MapServer don’t.
- That's true.

4. MapServer is a more mature project (1996), while GeoServer is a bit

more recent (2003).
They are both mature enough for me.

5. GeoServer has a web tool administration that eases configuration.

That is also true. There used to be a MapLab
application alongside Mapserver and that helped me to take my first
steps with Mapserver but now it is gone. I believe that without MapLab
I wouldn't have started to play with Mapserver ever.

Well said. There is a hole left by MapLab's departure, that I'd like to
see filled. The QGIS ability to export a mapfile is great, but users
need that mapfile in a ready-to-use application.

Post by Rahkonen Jukka

6. MapServer has without any doubt a very powerful cartography

system, providing data under dynamic vectors with high quality
Mapserver may have more advanced cartographical features but Geoserver
can look good also. Creating good looking cartography is an artistic
job. Geoserver is using SLD for styling which is the OGC standard way.

7. None of them is better or worse. The development objectives are

different.

8. PHP Mapscript for Mapserver, which provides a powerful scripting

interface for PHP programmers. For Java programmers, Geoserver might be
a better choice
I believe that Geoserver does not really offer the same kind of
possibilities to build interactive server side application with
scripting. However, quite a lot can be done by making a client to
combine WMS GetMap, WMS GetFeatureInfo and WFS requests.
I add a few other differencies which I have faced myself.
9. Text based mapfile vs xml. For a user whose first sight on a
computer screen was a green DOS:> prompt, reading and writing text based
mapfiles may feel easier than xml stuff in the data_dir of Geoserver.
10. The same text keen users may prefer writing Geoserver CQL filters
(see for example
http://lyceum.massgis.state.ma.us/wiki/doku.php?do=export_xhtml&id=cql
<http://lyceum.massgis.state.ma.us/wiki/doku.php?do=export_xhtml&id=cql>) when
testing http GET queries instead of OGC standard filters buried inside
SLD_BODY. On the other hand, Mapserver offers same kind of
possibilities with variable substitution.
11. For mapserver a mapfile means a service. Geoserver is in running
one WMS/WFS/WCS service for all users. Layers can be filtered by using
the security subsystem, but it is not at all as flexible than creating
separate mapfiles for different users or user groups.
12. Geoserver has an installer that installs the server, demo data, demo
applications, and graphical user interface for administrating the
server. What is best is that nightly builds are also available, and
Windows users can achieve and install them with ease. It is about the
same as getting a new MS4W version every day.

On point#12, well said again.

The OSGeo4W package also exists for MapServer users, which, if the
update is available, users can upgrade their libraries very easily.

But we have some work to do on all fronts.


-jeff

[Andy Colson]

Post by mani .,
Mapserver && Geoserver
*3*. Mapserver works with CGI, GeoSever with J2EE. That may entail some advantage to GeoServer, since some companies don’t want to work with CGI.

mapserver supports cgi, fastcgi, php, perl, mod_perl, and probably more.
I use mod_perl/mapscript myself.

Post by mani .,
*5*. GeoServer has a web tool administration that eases configuration.

Ick. I'v played with geoServer and hated the web admin tool. Could not
find a damn thing. Hated setting up layers cuz you have to know the
magic click sequence. Not for me. With a .map file I can write code to
generate one, or template it, or any other thousand options. Give me
vim and .map any day of the week. Also, I cant stand xml. Hate it bad.
really bad.

-Andy

ps: your html email really looked bad on my reader, wrapping was screwed
up, etc, etc

[p***@pcreso.com]

Hi,

There are differences, like (as you note below) if you require WFS-T then mapserver will not be of much use. Most differences are due to the java vs cgi underlying approaches. The config gui for geoserver is nice, but a bit of experience scribbling (or cut'n pasting) mapfiles means the gui is not that big a difference (IMHO)

The fundamental difference for me is that every mapserver mapfile effectively instantiates a new OGC service provider with its own set of layers, geoserver, however, is a single monolithic service providing all defined layers in the one URL.

 I want a single server providing lots of custom WMS/WFS services, from mostly PostGIS databases, but also raster tilesets, shapefiles, etc... Mapserver provides this (at present) far more easily than geoserver - so my choice is simple.

Also, last time I looked, Mapserver works more effectively than Geoserver with PostGIS. For example, the mapserver pre-processor with variable substitution allows me to provide a mapfile with a single layer, say querying a table of recorded species locations with 1200 species, in a single query: " ... where species ='%SPP%' ...". The URL querying the service can pass in the value mapserver will use in place of SPP when the query is passed to Postgis.

So a single query (layer) in a mapfile provides access to 1200 available layers. AFAIK, geoserver cannot provide this sort of functionality & flexibility with both embedded SQL queries specifying a layer content & runtime variable substitution.

Those are the differences that in my case make mapserver more appropriate. Future versions of geoserver may tip the balance :-)

HTH,
 
  Brent Wood


--- On Thu, 4/15/10, mani ., <***@gmail.com> wrote:

From: mani ., <***@gmail.com>
Subject: [mapserver-users] Mapserver vs Geoserver
To: mapserver-***@lists.osgeo.org
Date: Thursday, April 15, 2010, 6:07 PM



Hi everyone,       Well  I've been  working on Mapserver for a couple of weeks now. Now  I was supposed to checkout Geoserver too.. I was wondering if anyone who has worked on both of 
them could help me figure out with a point or two as of how mapserver is superior to Geoserver... I've got a few points gathered.
-=- Plz fill me in with any thing that comes to your mind. I really wanna the differences , be it the basic things, simplicity or complexity or whatever..............
Thanks,

Mapserver && Geoserver


1. MapServer is generally better when dealing with WMS, while GeoServer deals better with WFS.
2. A big difference is that GeoServer supports WFS-T, that it Transactional WFS (editing of feature services on the client side), while MapServer don’t.
3. Mapserver works with CGI, GeoSever with J2EE. That may entail some advantage to GeoServer, since some companies don’t want to work with CGI.
4. MapServer is a more mature project (1996), while GeoServer is a bit more recent (2003).
5. GeoServer has a web tool administration that eases configuration.
6. MapServer has without any doubt a very powerful cartography system, providing data under dynamic vectors with high quality
7. None of them is better or worse. The development objectives are different.
8. PHP Mapscript for Mapserver, which provides a powerful scripting interface for PHP programmers. For Java programmers, Geoserver might be a better choice
 

 

 

-----Inline Attachment Follows-----

[Rahkonen Jukka]

Hi,

Post by p***@pcreso.com
So a single query (layer) in a mapfile provides access to 1200

available layers. AFAIK, geoserver cannot provide

Post by p***@pcreso.com
this sort of functionality & flexibility with both embedded SQL

queries specifying a layer content &

Post by p***@pcreso.com
runtime variable substitution.

I believe that with OGC services both servers are supporting this kind
of queries in a similar way through OGC SDL and Filter Encoding system.
In addition Geoserver supports user friendly CQL filters. On the other
hand, Mapserver administrator has better control on what queries are
accepted through variable substitution than Geoserver admin with CQL
filters because Mapserver variables must be specified first and they
must have validation rules. However, I suppose that Mapserver does not
have either a possibility to set rules for filters which are coming
baked in with SLD.



-Jukka Rahkonen-

[Andrea Aime]

Post by p***@pcreso.com
Hi,
There are differences, like (as you note below) if you require WFS-T
then mapserver will not be of much use. Most differences are due to the
java vs cgi underlying approaches. The config gui for geoserver is nice,
but a bit of experience scribbling (or cut'n pasting) mapfiles means the
gui is not that big a difference (IMHO)
The fundamental difference for me is that every mapserver mapfile
effectively instantiates a new OGC service provider with its own set of
layers, geoserver, however, is a single monolithic service providing all
defined layers in the one URL.
I want a single server providing lots of custom WMS/WFS services, from
mostly PostGIS databases, but also raster tilesets, shapefiles, etc...
Mapserver provides this (at present) far more easily than geoserver - so
my choice is simple.

Yup, true. GeoServer is starting to have something like that with
namespace filters:
http://geoserver.org/display/GEOS/GSIP+44+-+Virtual+services+with+workspaces
(available only in trunk builds).

Post by p***@pcreso.com
Also, last time I looked, Mapserver works more effectively than
Geoserver with PostGIS. For example, the mapserver pre-processor with
variable substitution allows me to provide a mapfile with a single
layer, say querying a table of recorded species locations with 1200
species, in a single query: " ... where species ='%SPP%' ...". The URL
querying the service can pass in the value mapserver will use in place
of SPP when the query is passed to Postgis.
So a single query (layer) in a mapfile provides access to 1200 available
layers. AFAIK, geoserver cannot provide this sort of functionality &
flexibility with both embedded SQL queries specifying a layer content &
runtime variable substitution.

I think you're talking about a combination of available functionality:
http://docs.geoserver.org/stable/en/user/styling/sld-extensions/substitution.html
and soon to be available one:
http://jira.codehaus.org/browse/GEOT-2123
http://jira.codehaus.org/browse/GEOS-3922

But yeah, GeoServer has been quite lacking in this respect for a lot
of time.

Cheers
Andrea

[Jan Hartmann]

Hi all,

Am I the only one that doesn't get through to mapserver.org? Pages take
ages to load and then break off with a timeout.

Jan Hartmann
Amsterdam

[Stephen Woodbridge]

Post by Jan Hartmann
Hi all,
Am I the only one that doesn't get through to mapserver.org? Pages take
ages to load and then break off with a timeout.
Jan Hartmann
Amsterdam

Appears to be down to me also.

[Lars Lingner]

Post by Jan Hartmann
Hi all,
Am I the only one that doesn't get through to mapserver.org? Pages take
ages to load and then break off with a timeout.

Same situation here... gdal.org also doesn't respond. Maybe some trouble
with the osgeo infrastructure?

Lars

[Yves Jacolin]

Hi,

Post by Jan Hartmann
Hi all,
Am I the only one that doesn't get through to mapserver.org? Pages take
ages to load and then break off with a timeout.

Same for me :(

Y.
--
Yves Jacolin

Responsable Formation et Support
Camptocamp France SAS
Savoie Technolac, BP 352
73377 Le Bourget du Lac, Cedex

Tel : [phone]
Fax : [phone]
Mail : ***@camptocamp.com
http://www.camptocamp.com

[Frank Warmerdam]

Post by Jan Hartmann
Hi all,
Am I the only one that doesn't get through to mapserver.org? Pages take
ages to load and then break off with a timeout.

Jan,

Unfortunately mapserver.org (and geoserver.org, gdal.org and a few others) are
currently inaccessable due to a network issue with regard to the telascience
blades on which they are hosted.

We (OSGeo System Administration committee) are working to restore service
but it could be quite a few hours.

Best regards,

[Carlos Ruiz]

Hi,

Me neither. Cheers from México


IC Carlos Ruiz



________________________________
From: Jan Hartmann <***@uva.nl>
To: mapserver-***@lists.osgeo.org
Sent: Mon, April 26, 2010 10:38:55 AM
Subject: [mapserver-users] mapserver.org down?

Hi all,

Am I the only one that doesn't get through to mapserver.org? Pages take ages to load and then break off with a timeout.

Jan Hartmann
Amsterdam

[Daniel Morissette]

FYI, since the main www.mapserver.org server is still down (and we are
not sure yet when it will be back up), we have setup a temporary mirror
at the following address:

http://www2.mapserver.org/

Daniel

Post by Jan Hartmann
Hi all,
Am I the only one that doesn't get through to mapserver.org? Pages take
ages to load and then break off with a timeout.
Jan Hartmann
Amsterdam
_______________________________________________
mapserver-users mailing list
http://lists.osgeo.org/mailman/listinfo/mapserver-users

[Jan Hartmann]

Hi all,

Am I the only one that doesn't get through to mapserver.org? Pages take
ages to load and then break off with a timeout.

Jan Hartmann
Amsterdam