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):
< 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: Initialize the map in the correct lifecycle hook Store map instance in component state (not recreate on every render) Always call map.remove() on cleanup to prevent memory leaks Handle token management securely (environment variables) 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 } onChange = { ( d ) => setInputValue ( d ) } marker /> </ div
< div ref = { mapContainerRef } style = { { height : '100vh' } } /> </
) ; } Vue Integration Pattern: mounted + unmounted lifecycle hooks
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
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 : 100 vh ; 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 : 100 vh ; "
</ 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
< 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
< 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: Framework/Bundler Environment Variable Access Pattern Vite VITE_MAPBOX_ACCESS_TOKEN import.meta.env.VITE_MAPBOX_ACCESS_TOKEN Next.js NEXT_PUBLIC_MAPBOX_TOKEN process.env.NEXT_PUBLIC_MAPBOX_TOKEN Create React App REACT_APP_MAPBOX_TOKEN process.env.REACT_APP_MAPBOX_TOKEN Angular environment.mapboxAccessToken Environment files ( environment.ts ) Vite .env file: VITE_MAPBOX_ACCESS_TOKEN = pk.YOUR_MAPBOX_TOKEN_HERE Next.js .env.local file: NEXT_PUBLIC_MAPBOX_TOKEN = pk.YOUR_MAPBOX_TOKEN_HERE 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
- }
- onChange
- =
- {
- (
- value
- )
- =>
- 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.YOUR_MAPBOX_TOKEN_HERE'
- ;
- // 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