Mapbox Integration Patterns

Mapbox Integration Patterns Skill

This skill provides official patterns for integrating Mapbox GL JS into web applications across different frameworks. These patterns are based on Mapbox's create-web-app scaffolding tool and represent production-ready best practices.

Version Requirements

Mapbox GL JS

Recommended: v3.x (latest)

• Minimum: v3.0.0
• Why v3.x: Modern API, improved performance, active development
• v2.x: Still supported but deprecated patterns (see migration notes below)

Installing via npm (recommended for production):

npm install mapbox-gl@^3.0.0    # Installs latest v3.x

CDN (for prototyping only):

<!-- Replace VERSION with latest v3.x from https://docs.mapbox.com/mapbox-gl-js/ -->
<script src="https://api.mapbox.com/mapbox-gl-js/vVERSION/mapbox-gl.js"></script>
<link
  href="https://api.mapbox.com/mapbox-gl-js/vVERSION/mapbox-gl.css"
  rel="stylesheet"
/>

⚠️ Production apps should use npm, not CDN - ensures consistent versions and offline builds.

Framework Requirements

React:

• Minimum: 19+ (current implementation in create-web-app)
• Recommended: Latest 19.x

Vue:

• Minimum: 3.x (Composition API recommended)
• Vue 2.x: Use Options API pattern (mounted/unmounted hooks)

Svelte:

• Minimum: 5+ (current implementation in create-web-app)
• Recommended: Latest 5.x

Angular:

• Minimum: 19+ (current implementation in create-web-app)
• Recommended: Latest 19.x

Next.js:

• Minimum: 13.x (App Router)
• Pages Router: 12.x+

Mapbox Search JS

Required for search integration:

npm install @mapbox/search-js-react@^1.0.0      # React
npm install @mapbox/search-js-web@^1.0.0        # Other frameworks

Version Migration Notes

Migrating from v2.x to v3.x:

• accessToken can now be passed to Map constructor (preferred)
• Improved TypeScript types
• Better tree-shaking support
• No breaking changes to core initialization patterns

Example:

const token = import.meta.env.VITE_MAPBOX_ACCESS_TOKEN; // Use env vars in production

// v2.x pattern (still works in v3.x)
mapboxgl.accessToken = token;
const map = new mapboxgl.Map({ container: '...' });

// v3.x pattern (preferred)
const map = new mapboxgl.Map({
  accessToken: token,
  container: '...'
});

Core Principles

Every Mapbox GL JS integration must:

1. Initialize the map in the correct lifecycle hook
2. Store map instance in component state (not recreate on every render)
3. Always call map.remove() on cleanup to prevent memory leaks
4. Handle token management securely (environment variables)
5. Import CSS: import 'mapbox-gl/dist/mapbox-gl.css'

Framework-Specific Patterns

React Integration

Pattern: useRef + useEffect with cleanup

Note: These examples use Vite (the bundler used in create-web-app). If using Create React App, replace import.meta.env.VITE_MAPBOX_ACCESS_TOKEN with process.env.REACT_APP_MAPBOX_TOKEN. See the Token Management Patterns section for other bundlers.

import { useRef, useEffect } from 'react';
import mapboxgl from 'mapbox-gl';
import 'mapbox-gl/dist/mapbox-gl.css';

function MapComponent() {
  const mapRef = useRef(null); // Store map instance
  const mapContainerRef = useRef(null); // Store DOM reference

  useEffect(() => {
    mapboxgl.accessToken = import.meta.env.VITE_MAPBOX_ACCESS_TOKEN;

    mapRef.current = new mapboxgl.Map({
      container: mapContainerRef.current,
      center: [-71.05953, 42.3629],
      zoom: 13
    });

    // CRITICAL: Cleanup to prevent memory leaks
    return () => {
      mapRef.current.remove();
    };
  }, []); // Empty dependency array = run once on mount

  return <div ref={mapContainerRef} style={{ height: '100vh' }} />;
}

Key points:

• Use useRef for both map instance and container
• Initialize in useEffect with empty deps []
• Always return cleanup function that calls map.remove()
• Never initialize map in render (causes infinite loops)

React + Search JS:

import { useRef, useEffect, useState } from 'react';
import mapboxgl from 'mapbox-gl';
import { SearchBox } from '@mapbox/search-js-react';
import 'mapbox-gl/dist/mapbox-gl.css';

const accessToken = import.meta.env.VITE_MAPBOX_ACCESS_TOKEN;
const center = [-71.05953, 42.3629];

function MapWithSearch() {
  const mapRef = useRef(null);
  const mapContainerRef = useRef(null);
  const [inputValue, setInputValue] = useState('');

  useEffect(() => {
    mapboxgl.accessToken = accessToken;

    mapRef.current = new mapboxgl.Map({
      container: mapContainerRef.current,
      center: center,
      zoom: 13
    });

    return () => {
      mapRef.current.remove();
    };
  }, []);

  return (
    <>
      <div
        style={{
          margin: '10px 10px 0 0',
          width: 300,
          right: 0,
          top: 0,
          position: 'absolute',
          zIndex: 10
        }}
      >
        <SearchBox
          accessToken={accessToken}
          map={mapRef.current}
          mapboxgl={mapboxgl}
          value={inputValue}
          proximity={center}
          => setInputValue(d)}
          marker
        />
      </div>
      <div ref={mapContainerRef} style={{ height: '100vh' }} />
    </>
  );
}

Vue Integration

Pattern: mounted + unmounted lifecycle hooks

<template>
  <div ref="mapContainer" class="map-container"></div>
</template>

<script>
import mapboxgl from 'mapbox-gl';
import 'mapbox-gl/dist/mapbox-gl.css';

mapboxgl.accessToken = import.meta.env.VITE_MAPBOX_ACCESS_TOKEN;

export default {
  mounted() {
    const map = new mapboxgl.Map({
      container: this.$refs.mapContainer,
      style: 'mapbox://styles/mapbox/standard',
      center: [-71.05953, 42.3629],
      zoom: 13
    });

    // Assign map instance to component property
    this.map = map;
  },

  // CRITICAL: Clean up when component is unmounted
  unmounted() {
    this.map.remove();
    this.map = null;
  }
};
</script>

<style>
.map-container {
  width: 100%;
  height: 100%;
}
</style>

Key points:

• Initialize in mounted() hook
• Access container via this.$refs.mapContainer
• Store map as this.map
• Always implement unmounted() hook to call map.remove()

Svelte Integration

Pattern: onMount + onDestroy

<script>
  import { Map } from 'mapbox-gl'
  import 'mapbox-gl/dist/mapbox-gl.css'
  import { onMount, onDestroy } from 'svelte'

  let map
  let mapContainer

  onMount(() => {
    map = new Map({
      container: mapContainer,
      accessToken: import.meta.env.VITE_MAPBOX_ACCESS_TOKEN,
      center: [-71.05953, 42.36290],
      zoom: 13
    })
  })

  // CRITICAL: Clean up on component destroy
  onDestroy(() => {
    map.remove()
  })
</script>

<div class="map" bind:this={mapContainer}></div>

<style>
  .map {
    position: absolute;
    width: 100%;
    height: 100%;
  }
</style>

Key points:

• Use onMount for initialization
• Bind container with bind:this={mapContainer}
• Always implement onDestroy to call map.remove()
• Can pass accessToken directly to Map constructor in Svelte

Angular Integration

Pattern: ngOnInit + ngOnDestroy with SSR handling

import {
  Component,
  ElementRef,
  OnDestroy,
  OnInit,
  ViewChild,
  inject
} from '@angular/core';
import { isPlatformBrowser, CommonModule } from '@angular/common';
import { PLATFORM_ID } from '@angular/core';
import { environment } from '../../environments/environment';

@Component({
  selector: 'app-map',
  standalone: true,
  imports: [CommonModule],
  templateUrl: './map.component.html',
  styleUrls: ['./map.component.scss']
})
export class MapComponent implements OnInit, OnDestroy {
  @ViewChild('mapContainer', { static: false })
  mapContainer!: ElementRef<HTMLDivElement>;

  private map: any;
  private readonly platformId = inject(PLATFORM_ID);

  async ngOnInit(): Promise<void> {
    // IMPORTANT: Check if running in browser (not SSR)
    if (!isPlatformBrowser(this.platformId)) {
      return;
    }

    try {
      await this.initializeMap();
    } catch (error) {
      console.error('Failed to initialize map:', error);
    }
  }

  private async initializeMap(): Promise<void> {
    // Dynamically import to avoid SSR issues
    const mapboxgl = (await import('mapbox-gl')).default;

    this.map = new mapboxgl.Map({
      accessToken: environment.mapboxAccessToken,
      container: this.mapContainer.nativeElement,
      center: [-71.05953, 42.3629],
      zoom: 13
    });

    // Handle map errors
    this.map.on('error', (e: any) => console.error('Map error:', e.error));
  }

  // CRITICAL: Clean up on component destroy
  ngOnDestroy(): void {
    if (this.map) {
      this.map.remove();
    }
  }
}

Template (map.component.html):

<div #mapContainer style="height: 100vh; width: 100%"></div>

Key points:

• Use @ViewChild to reference map container
• Check isPlatformBrowser before initializing (SSR support)
• Dynamically import mapbox-gl to avoid SSR issues
• Initialize in ngOnInit() lifecycle hook
• Always implement ngOnDestroy() to call map.remove()
• Handle errors with map.on('error', ...)

Vanilla JavaScript (with Vite)

Pattern: Module imports with initialization function

import mapboxgl from 'mapbox-gl';
import 'mapbox-gl/dist/mapbox-gl.css';
import './main.css';

// Set access token
mapboxgl.accessToken = import.meta.env.VITE_MAPBOX_ACCESS_TOKEN;

let map;

/**
 * Initialize the map
 */
function initMap() {
  map = new mapboxgl.Map({
    container: 'map-container',
    center: [-71.05953, 42.3629],
    zoom: 13
  });

  map.on('load', () => {
    console.log('Map is loaded');
  });
}

// Initialize when script runs
initMap();

HTML:

<div id="map-container" style="height: 100vh;"></div>

Key points:

• Store map in module-scoped variable
• Initialize immediately or on DOMContentLoaded
• Listen for 'load' event for post-initialization actions

Vanilla JavaScript (No Bundler - CDN)

Pattern: Script tag with inline initialization

⚠️ Note: This pattern is for prototyping only. Production apps should use npm/bundler for version control and offline builds.

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html lang="en">
  <head>
    <meta charset="UTF-8" />
    <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0" />
    <title>Mapbox GL JS - No Bundler</title>

    <!-- Mapbox GL JS CSS -->
    <!-- Replace 3.x.x with latest version from https://docs.mapbox.com/mapbox-gl-js/ -->
    <link
      href="https://api.mapbox.com/mapbox-gl-js/v3.x.x/mapbox-gl.css"
      rel="stylesheet"
    />

    <style>
      body {
        position: absolute;
        top: 0;
        right: 0;
        bottom: 0;
        left: 0;
        margin: 0;
        padding: 0;
      }
      #map-container {
        height: 100%;
        width: 100%;
      }
    </style>
  </head>
  <body>
    <div id="map-container"></div>

    <!-- Mapbox GL JS -->
    <!-- Replace 3.x.x with latest version from https://docs.mapbox.com/mapbox-gl-js/ -->
    <script src="https://api.mapbox.com/mapbox-gl-js/v3.x.x/mapbox-gl.js"></script>

    <script>
      // Set access token
      mapboxgl.accessToken = 'YOUR_MAPBOX_ACCESS_TOKEN_HERE';

      let map;

      function initMap() {
        map = new mapboxgl.Map({
          container: 'map-container',
          center: [-71.05953, 42.3629],
          zoom: 13
        });

        map.on('load', () => {
          console.log('Map is loaded');
        });
      }

      // Initialize when page loads
      initMap();
    </script>
  </body>
</html>

Key points:

• ⚠️ Prototyping only - not recommended for production
• Replace 3.x.x with specific version (e.g., 3.7.0) from Mapbox docs
• Don't use /latest/ - always pin to specific version for consistency
• Initialize after script loads (bottom of body)
• For production: Use npm + bundler instead

Why not CDN for production?

• ❌ Network dependency (breaks offline)
• ❌ No version locking (CDN could change)
• ❌ Slower (no bundler optimization)
• ❌ No tree-shaking
• ✅ Use npm for production: npm install mapbox-gl@^3.0.0

Token Management Patterns

Environment Variables (Recommended)

Different frameworks use different prefixes for client-side environment variables:

Vite .env file:

VITE_MAPBOX_ACCESS_TOKEN=pk.eyJ1...

Next.js .env.local file:

NEXT_PUBLIC_MAPBOX_TOKEN=pk.eyJ1...

Important:

• ✅ Always use environment variables for tokens
• ✅ Never commit .env files to version control
• ✅ Use public tokens (pk.*) for client-side apps
• ✅ Add .env to .gitignore
• ✅ Provide .env.example template for team

.gitignore:

.env
.env.local
.env.*.local

.env.example:

VITE_MAPBOX_ACCESS_TOKEN=your_token_here

Mapbox Search JS Integration

Search Box Component Pattern

Install dependency:

npm install @mapbox/search-js-react      # React
npm install @mapbox/search-js-web        # Vanilla/Vue/Svelte

Note: Both packages include @mapbox/search-js-core as a dependency. You only need to install -core directly if building a custom search UI.

React Search Pattern:

import { SearchBox } from '@mapbox/search-js-react';

// Inside component:
<SearchBox
  accessToken={accessToken}
  map={mapRef.current} // Pass map instance
  mapboxgl={mapboxgl} // Pass mapboxgl library
  value={inputValue}
  => setInputValue(value)}
  proximity={centerCoordinates} // Bias results near center
  marker // Show marker for selected result
/>;

Key configuration options:

• accessToken: Your Mapbox public token
• map: Map instance (must be initialized first)
• mapboxgl: The mapboxgl library reference
• proximity: [lng, lat] to bias results geographically
• marker: Boolean to show/hide result marker
• placeholder: Search box placeholder text

Positioning Search Box

Absolute positioning (overlay):

<div
  style={{
    position: 'absolute',
    top: 10,
    right: 10,
    zIndex: 10,
    width: 300
  }}
>
  <SearchBox {...props} />
</div>

Common positions:

• Top-right: top: 10px, right: 10px
• Top-left: top: 10px, left: 10px
• Bottom-left: bottom: 10px, left: 10px

Common Mistakes to Avoid

❌ Mistake 1: Forgetting to call map.remove()

// BAD - Memory leak!
useEffect(() => {
  const map = new mapboxgl.Map({ ... })
  // No cleanup function
}, [])

// GOOD - Proper cleanup
useEffect(() => {
  const map = new mapboxgl.Map({ ... })
  return () => map.remove()  // ✅ Cleanup
}, [])

Why: Every Map instance creates WebGL contexts, event listeners, and DOM nodes. Without cleanup, these accumulate and cause memory leaks.

❌ Mistake 2: Initializing map in render

// BAD - Infinite loop in React!
function MapComponent() {
  const map = new mapboxgl.Map({ ... })  // Runs on every render
  return <div />
}

// GOOD - Initialize in effect
function MapComponent() {
  useEffect(() => {
    const map = new mapboxgl.Map({ ... })
  }, [])
  return <div />
}

Why: React components re-render frequently. Creating a new map on every render causes infinite loops and crashes.

❌ Mistake 3: Not storing map instance properly

// BAD - map variable lost between renders
function MapComponent() {
  useEffect(() => {
    let map = new mapboxgl.Map({ ... })
    // map variable is not accessible later
  }, [])
}

// GOOD - Store in useRef
function MapComponent() {
  const mapRef = useRef()
  useEffect(() => {
    mapRef.current = new mapboxgl.Map({ ... })
    // mapRef.current accessible throughout component
  }, [])
}

Why: You need to access the map instance for operations like adding layers, markers, or calling remove().

❌ Mistake 4: Wrong dependency array in useEffect

// BAD - Re-creates map on every render
useEffect(() => {
  const map = new mapboxgl.Map({ ... })
  return () => map.remove()
})  // No dependency array

// BAD - Re-creates map when props change
useEffect(() => {
  const map = new mapboxgl.Map({ center: props.center, ... })
  return () => map.remove()
}, [props.center])

// GOOD - Initialize once
useEffect(() => {
  const map = new mapboxgl.Map({ ... })
  return () => map.remove()
}, [])  // Empty array = run once

// GOOD - Update map property instead
useEffect(() => {
  if (mapRef.current) {
    mapRef.current.setCenter(props.center)
  }
}, [props.center])

Why: Map initialization is expensive. Initialize once, then use map methods to update properties.

❌ Mistake 5: Hardcoding token in source code

// BAD - Token exposed in source code
mapboxgl.accessToken = 'pk.eyJ1IjoiZXhhbXBsZSIsImEiOiJjbGV4YW1wbGUifQ.example';

// GOOD - Use environment variable
mapboxgl.accessToken = import.meta.env.VITE_MAPBOX_ACCESS_TOKEN;

Why: Tokens in source code get committed to version control and exposed publicly. Always use environment variables.

❌ Mistake 6: Not handling Angular SSR

// BAD - Crashes during server-side rendering
ngOnInit() {
  import('mapbox-gl').then(mapboxgl => {
    this.map = new mapboxgl.Map({ ... })
  })
}

// GOOD - Check platform first
ngOnInit() {
  if (!isPlatformBrowser(this.platformId)) {
    return  // Skip map init during SSR
  }

  import('mapbox-gl').then(mapboxgl => {
    this.map = new mapboxgl.Map({ ... })
  })
}

Why: Mapbox GL JS requires browser APIs (WebGL, Canvas). Angular Universal (SSR) will crash without platform check.

❌ Mistake 7: Missing CSS import

// BAD - Map renders but looks broken
import mapboxgl from 'mapbox-gl';
// Missing CSS import

// GOOD - Import CSS for proper styling
import mapboxgl from 'mapbox-gl';
import 'mapbox-gl/dist/mapbox-gl.css';

Why: The CSS file contains critical styles for map controls, popups, and markers. Without it, the map appears broken.

Next.js Specific Patterns

App Router (Recommended)

'use client'  // Mark as client component

import { useRef, useEffect } from 'react'
import mapboxgl from 'mapbox-gl'
import 'mapbox-gl/dist/mapbox-gl.css'

export default function Map() {
  const mapRef = useRef<mapboxgl.Map>()
  const mapContainerRef = useRef<HTMLDivElement>(null)

  useEffect(() => {
    if (!mapContainerRef.current) return

    mapboxgl.accessToken = process.env.NEXT_PUBLIC_MAPBOX_TOKEN!

    mapRef.current = new mapboxgl.Map({
      container: mapContainerRef.current,
      center: [-71.05953, 42.36290],
      zoom: 13
    })

    return () => mapRef.current?.remove()
  }, [])

  return <div ref={mapContainerRef} style={{ height: '100vh' }} />
}

Key points:

• Must use 'use client' directive (maps require browser APIs)
• Use process.env.NEXT_PUBLIC_* for environment variables
• Type mapRef properly with TypeScript

Pages Router (Legacy)

import dynamic from 'next/dynamic'

// Dynamically import to disable SSR for map component
const Map = dynamic(() => import('../components/Map'), {
  ssr: false,
  loading: () => <p>Loading map...</p>
})

export default function HomePage() {
  return <Map />
}

Key points:

• Use dynamic import with ssr: false
• Provide loading state
• Map component itself follows standard React pattern

Style Configuration

Default Center and Zoom Guidelines

Recommended defaults:

• Center: [-71.05953, 42.36290] (Boston, MA) - Mapbox HQ
• Zoom: 13 for city-level view

Zoom level guide:

• 0-2: World view
• 3-5: Continent/country
• 6-9: Region/state
• 10-12: City view
• 13-15: Neighborhood
• 16-18: Street level
• 19-22: Building level

Customizing for user location:

// Use browser geolocation
if (navigator.geolocation) {
  navigator.geolocation.getCurrentPosition((position) => {
    map.setCenter([position.coords.longitude, position.coords.latitude]);
    map.setZoom(13);
  });
}

Testing Patterns

Unit Testing Maps

Mock mapbox-gl:

// vitest.config.js or jest.config.js
export default {
  setupFiles: ['./test/setup.js']
};

// test/setup.js
vi.mock('mapbox-gl', () => ({
  default: {
    Map: vi.fn(() => ({
      on: vi.fn(),
      remove: vi.fn(),
      setCenter: vi.fn(),
      setZoom: vi.fn()
    })),
    accessToken: ''
  }
}));

Why: Mapbox GL JS requires WebGL and browser APIs that don't exist in test environments. Mock the library to test component logic.

When to Use This Skill

Invoke this skill when:

• Setting up Mapbox GL JS in a new project
• Integrating Mapbox into a specific framework
• Debugging map initialization issues
• Adding Mapbox Search functionality
• Implementing proper cleanup and lifecycle management
• Converting between frameworks (e.g., React to Vue)
• Reviewing code for Mapbox integration best practices

Related Skills

• mapbox-cartography: Map design principles and styling
• mapbox-token-security: Token management and security
• mapbox-style-patterns: Common map style patterns

Resources

• Mapbox GL JS Documentation
• Mapbox Search JS Documentation
• create-web-app GitHub