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<section id="mapfile-tuning-management">
<span id="mapfile-tuning"></span><span id="index-0"></span><h1><a class="toc-backref" href="#table-of-contents" role="doc-backlink">Mapfile Tuning & Management</a><a class="headerlink" href="#mapfile-tuning-management" title="Link to this heading">¶</a></h1>
<dl class="field-list simple">
<dt class="field-odd">Author<span class="colon">:</span></dt>
<dd class="field-odd"><p>David Fawcett</p>
</dd>
<dt class="field-even">Contact<span class="colon">:</span></dt>
<dd class="field-even"><p>david.fawcett at gmail.com</p>
</dd>
<dt class="field-odd">Author<span class="colon">:</span></dt>
<dd class="field-odd"><p>Jeff McKenna</p>
</dd>
<dt class="field-even">Contact<span class="colon">:</span></dt>
<dd class="field-even"><p>jmckenna at gatewaygeomatics.com</p>
</dd>
<dt class="field-odd">Last Updated<span class="colon">:</span></dt>
<dd class="field-odd"><p>2026-04-09</p>
</dd>
</dl>
<nav class="contents" id="table-of-contents">
<p class="topic-title">Table of Contents</p>
<ul class="simple">
<li><p><a class="reference internal" href="#mapfile-tuning-management" id="id1">Mapfile Tuning & Management</a></p>
<ul>
<li><p><a class="reference internal" href="#introduction" id="id2">Introduction</a></p></li>
<li><p><a class="reference internal" href="#steps-to-possibly-review" id="id3">Steps to Possibly Review</a></p>
<ul>
<li><p><a class="reference internal" href="#use-a-mapserver-syntax-file-for-your-favorite-text-editor" id="id4">1. Use a MapServer Syntax file for your Favorite Text Editor</a></p></li>
<li><p><a class="reference internal" href="#testing-your-mapfile-for-speed" id="id5">2. Testing your Mapfile for Speed</a></p></li>
<li><p><a class="reference internal" href="#use-the-various-config-settings-for-debugging" id="id6">3. Use the various CONFIG settings for debugging</a></p></li>
<li><p><a class="reference internal" href="#test-the-full-map-request-through-the-mapserv-executable" id="id7">4. Test the full Map Request through the mapserv Executable</a></p></li>
<li><p><a class="reference internal" href="#projections" id="id8">5. Projections</a></p></li>
<li><p><a class="reference internal" href="#use-includes" id="id9">6. Use INCLUDEs</a></p></li>
<li><p><a class="reference internal" href="#layers" id="id10">7. Layers</a></p></li>
<li><p><a class="reference internal" href="#yes-data-formats-matter" id="id11">8. Yes Data Formats Matter</a></p></li>
<li><p><a class="reference internal" href="#enable-caching-through-mapcache" id="id12">9. Enable Caching through MapCache</a></p></li>
<li><p><a class="reference internal" href="#symbols" id="id13">10. Symbols</a></p></li>
<li><p><a class="reference internal" href="#fonts" id="id14">11. Fonts</a></p></li>
<li><p><a class="reference internal" href="#use-mapscript" id="id15">12. Use MapScript</a></p></li>
<li><p><a class="reference internal" href="#don-t-expose-your-map-path" id="id16">13. Don’t expose your MAP path</a></p></li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</nav>
<section id="introduction">
<h2><a class="toc-backref" href="#table-of-contents" role="doc-backlink">Introduction</a><a class="headerlink" href="#introduction" title="Link to this heading">¶</a></h2>
<p>The contents of a .map file (‘mapfile’) are used by MapServer for configuration, data
access, projection, and more. Because the mapfile is parsed every time a map
image is requested, it is important to think about what you include in the
file in order to optimize performance. The optimal mapfile is one that
doesn’t include or reference anything that isn’t needed. The following steps will
help you both manage and optimize your mapfiles.</p>
<div class="admonition note" id="index-1">
<p class="admonition-title">Note</p>
<p>As you optimize your setup, it is strongly recommended to review the security steps
for the <em>MAP=</em> call to the MapServer executable, by setting <em>MS_MAP_PATTERN</em> or
<em>MS_MAP_NO_PATH</em> or hiding the <em>MAP=</em> parameter on public servers,
as recommended in the document <a class="reference internal" href="limit_mapfile_access.html#limit-mapfile-access"><span class="std std-ref">Limit Mapfile Access</span></a>. All possible
environment variables to secure your server are listed in <a class="reference internal" href="environment_variables.html#environment-variables"><span class="std std-ref">Environment Variables</span></a>.</p>
</div>
</section>
<section id="steps-to-possibly-review">
<h2><a class="toc-backref" href="#table-of-contents" role="doc-backlink">Steps to Possibly Review</a><a class="headerlink" href="#steps-to-possibly-review" title="Link to this heading">¶</a></h2>
<section id="use-a-mapserver-syntax-file-for-your-favorite-text-editor">
<h3><a class="toc-backref" href="#table-of-contents" role="doc-backlink">1. Use a MapServer Syntax file for your Favorite Text Editor</a><a class="headerlink" href="#use-a-mapserver-syntax-file-for-your-favorite-text-editor" title="Link to this heading">¶</a></h3>
<p>Although it’s maybe not be classed as an ‘optimization’, using a syntax
file to add color-coding to MapServer mapfile parameters in your text editor,
can help save you time and make your MapServer-mapfile-management-life
much easier. You can find a helpful list of these syntax color-coding tools for
MapServer listed on the page at <a class="reference internal" href="../development/editing/index.html#editing"><span class="std std-ref">Mapfile Editing</span></a>.</p>
<img alt="../_images/mapfile-color-syntax.png" class="no-scaled-link" height="294" src="../_images/mapfile-color-syntax.png" width="500" />
</section>
<section id="testing-your-mapfile-for-speed">
<h3><a class="toc-backref" href="#table-of-contents" role="doc-backlink">2. Testing your Mapfile for Speed</a><a class="headerlink" href="#testing-your-mapfile-for-speed" title="Link to this heading">¶</a></h3>
<p>If optimization and performance are important to you, then get to know and love
the MapServer commandline utility <a class="reference internal" href="../utilities/map2img.html#map2img"><span class="std std-ref">map2img</span></a>. <em>map2img</em> will verify that your
mapfile creates a valid map image, but it can also display draw times (length of
time it takes MapServer to process each layer and the final map image) with the
<em>-map_debug 3</em> setting:</p>
<div class="highlight-default notranslate"><div class="highlight"><pre><span></span><span class="n">map2img</span> <span class="o">-</span><span class="n">m</span> <span class="n">osm</span><span class="o">.</span><span class="n">map</span> <span class="o">-</span><span class="n">o</span> <span class="n">ttt</span><span class="o">.</span><span class="n">png</span> <span class="o">-</span><span class="n">map_debug</span> <span class="mi">3</span>
<span class="n">msDrawMap</span><span class="p">():</span> <span class="n">rendering</span> <span class="n">using</span> <span class="n">outputformat</span> <span class="n">named</span> <span class="n">png</span> <span class="p">(</span><span class="n">AGG</span><span class="o">/</span><span class="n">PNG</span><span class="p">)</span><span class="o">.</span>
<span class="n">msDrawMap</span><span class="p">():</span> <span class="n">WMS</span><span class="o">/</span><span class="n">WFS</span> <span class="nb">set</span><span class="o">-</span><span class="n">up</span> <span class="ow">and</span> <span class="n">query</span><span class="p">,</span> <span class="mf">0.000</span><span class="n">s</span>
<span class="n">msDrawMap</span><span class="p">():</span> <span class="n">Layer</span> <span class="mi">95</span> <span class="p">(</span><span class="n">land13</span><span class="p">),</span> <span class="mf">0.001</span><span class="n">s</span>
<span class="n">msDrawMap</span><span class="p">():</span> <span class="n">Layer</span> <span class="mi">96</span> <span class="p">(</span><span class="n">landuse13</span><span class="p">),</span> <span class="mf">0.051</span><span class="n">s</span>
<span class="n">msDrawMap</span><span class="p">():</span> <span class="n">Layer</span> <span class="mi">97</span> <span class="p">(</span><span class="n">transport_areas13</span><span class="p">),</span> <span class="mf">0.002</span><span class="n">s</span>
<span class="n">msDrawMap</span><span class="p">():</span> <span class="n">Layer</span> <span class="mi">98</span> <span class="p">(</span><span class="n">waterarea13</span><span class="p">),</span> <span class="mf">0.003</span><span class="n">s</span>
<span class="n">msDrawMap</span><span class="p">():</span> <span class="n">Layer</span> <span class="mi">99</span> <span class="p">(</span><span class="n">waterways13</span><span class="p">),</span> <span class="mf">0.002</span><span class="n">s</span>
<span class="n">msDrawMap</span><span class="p">():</span> <span class="n">Layer</span> <span class="mi">100</span> <span class="p">(</span><span class="n">railways13</span><span class="p">),</span> <span class="mf">0.003</span><span class="n">s</span>
<span class="n">msDrawMap</span><span class="p">():</span> <span class="n">Layer</span> <span class="mi">101</span> <span class="p">(</span><span class="n">roads13</span><span class="p">),</span> <span class="mf">0.024</span><span class="n">s</span>
<span class="n">msDrawMap</span><span class="p">():</span> <span class="n">Layer</span> <span class="mi">102</span> <span class="p">(</span><span class="n">aeroways13</span><span class="p">),</span> <span class="mf">0.002</span><span class="n">s</span>
<span class="n">msDrawMap</span><span class="p">():</span> <span class="n">Layer</span> <span class="mi">103</span> <span class="p">(</span><span class="n">buildings13</span><span class="p">),</span> <span class="mf">0.245</span><span class="n">s</span>
<span class="n">msDrawMap</span><span class="p">():</span> <span class="n">Layer</span> <span class="mi">104</span> <span class="p">(</span><span class="n">borders13</span><span class="p">),</span> <span class="mf">0.197</span><span class="n">s</span>
<span class="n">msDrawMap</span><span class="p">():</span> <span class="n">Layer</span> <span class="mi">105</span> <span class="p">(</span><span class="n">places13</span><span class="p">),</span> <span class="mf">0.078</span><span class="n">s</span>
<span class="n">msDrawLabelCache</span><span class="p">():</span> <span class="n">labelcache_map_edge_buffer</span> <span class="o">=</span> <span class="mi">10</span>
<span class="n">msDrawMap</span><span class="p">():</span> <span class="n">Drawing</span> <span class="n">Label</span> <span class="n">Cache</span><span class="p">,</span> <span class="mf">0.020</span><span class="n">s</span>
<span class="n">msDrawMap</span><span class="p">()</span> <span class="n">total</span> <span class="n">time</span><span class="p">:</span> <span class="mf">0.772</span><span class="n">s</span>
<span class="n">msSaveImage</span><span class="p">(</span><span class="n">ttt</span><span class="o">.</span><span class="n">png</span><span class="p">)</span> <span class="n">total</span> <span class="n">time</span><span class="p">:</span> <span class="mf">0.056</span><span class="n">s</span>
</pre></div>
</div>
<p>The above example generates a map image in <em>0.772 seconds</em>.</p>
<p>Hint: If you want maximum (verbose) messages, try the <em>-all_debug 5</em> setting
instead.</p>
<p>You can also just get draw times for a single layer with the <em>-l layername</em> switch,
such as:</p>
<div class="highlight-default notranslate"><div class="highlight"><pre><span></span><span class="n">map2img</span> <span class="o">-</span><span class="n">m</span> <span class="n">osm</span><span class="o">.</span><span class="n">map</span> <span class="o">-</span><span class="n">o</span> <span class="n">ttt</span><span class="o">.</span><span class="n">png</span> <span class="o">-</span><span class="n">map_debug</span> <span class="mi">3</span> <span class="o">-</span><span class="n">l</span> <span class="n">buildings13</span>
<span class="n">msDrawMap</span><span class="p">():</span> <span class="n">rendering</span> <span class="n">using</span> <span class="n">outputformat</span> <span class="n">named</span> <span class="n">png</span> <span class="p">(</span><span class="n">AGG</span><span class="o">/</span><span class="n">PNG</span><span class="p">)</span><span class="o">.</span>
<span class="n">msDrawMap</span><span class="p">():</span> <span class="n">WMS</span><span class="o">/</span><span class="n">WFS</span> <span class="nb">set</span><span class="o">-</span><span class="n">up</span> <span class="ow">and</span> <span class="n">query</span><span class="p">,</span> <span class="mf">0.000</span><span class="n">s</span>
<span class="n">msDrawMap</span><span class="p">():</span> <span class="n">Layer</span> <span class="mi">103</span> <span class="p">(</span><span class="n">buildings13</span><span class="p">),</span> <span class="mf">0.119</span><span class="n">s</span>
<span class="n">msDrawLabelCache</span><span class="p">():</span> <span class="n">labelcache_map_edge_buffer</span> <span class="o">=</span> <span class="mi">10</span>
<span class="n">msDrawMap</span><span class="p">():</span> <span class="n">Drawing</span> <span class="n">Label</span> <span class="n">Cache</span><span class="p">,</span> <span class="mf">0.001</span><span class="n">s</span>
<span class="n">msDrawMap</span><span class="p">()</span> <span class="n">total</span> <span class="n">time</span><span class="p">:</span> <span class="mf">0.120</span><span class="n">s</span>
<span class="n">msSaveImage</span><span class="p">(</span><span class="n">ttt</span><span class="o">.</span><span class="n">png</span><span class="p">)</span> <span class="n">total</span> <span class="n">time</span><span class="p">:</span> <span class="mf">0.016</span><span class="n">s</span>
</pre></div>
</div>
<div class="admonition note">
<p class="admonition-title">Note</p>
<p><a class="reference internal" href="../utilities/map2img.html#map2img"><span class="std std-ref">map2img</span></a> should be included in your
MapServer installation (<a class="reference external" href="https://ms4w.com">MS4W</a> users
need to execute <em>setenv.bat</em> before using the utility).</p>
</div>
</section>
<section id="use-the-various-config-settings-for-debugging">
<h3><a class="toc-backref" href="#table-of-contents" role="doc-backlink">3. Use the various CONFIG settings for debugging</a><a class="headerlink" href="#use-the-various-config-settings-for-debugging" title="Link to this heading">¶</a></h3>
<p>Review the <a class="reference internal" href="debugging.html#debugging"><span class="std std-ref">Debugging MapServer</span></a> document and try setting the CONFIG parameter
at the MAP-level in your mapfile, to hopefully get more information
from various sources such as from the PROJ library, GDAL library, etc.</p>
<div class="highlight-mapfile notranslate"><div class="highlight"><pre><span></span><span class="k">MAP</span>
<span class="p">...</span>
<span class="k">CONFIG</span> <span class="s">"CPL_DEBUG"</span> <span class="s">"ON"</span>
<span class="k">CONFIG</span> <span class="s">"PROJ_DEBUG"</span> <span class="s">"ON"</span>
<span class="p">...</span>
<span class="k">LAYER</span>
<span class="p">...</span>
<span class="k">END</span>
<span class="k">END</span>
</pre></div>
</div>
<div class="admonition note">
<p class="admonition-title">Note</p>
<p>You can set <em>“CPL_DEBUG” “PROJ”</em> to restrict the information returned to PROJ
(and not GDAL in general)</p>
</div>
</section>
<section id="test-the-full-map-request-through-the-mapserv-executable">
<h3><a class="toc-backref" href="#table-of-contents" role="doc-backlink">4. Test the full Map Request through the mapserv Executable</a><a class="headerlink" href="#test-the-full-map-request-through-the-mapserv-executable" title="Link to this heading">¶</a></h3>
<p>There are times when your mapfile generates a valid map image with a local
map2img command, but then the same mapfile will cause an error in a map
request through the web server, such as Apache. It is these times when
you should try the same request, that was sent through your web server, at
the commandline with the actual <em>mapserv</em> (or on Windows, the <em>mapserv.exe</em>)
utility.</p>
<p>The following request will take a full <em>MAP=…&MODE=map</em> request, and try to save
the request to an image, or report an error:</p>
<div class="highlight-default notranslate"><div class="highlight"><pre><span></span><span class="n">mapserv</span> <span class="o">-</span><span class="n">nh</span> <span class="s2">"QUERY_STRING=MAP=/ms4w/apps/local-demo/local.map&MODE=map"</span> <span class="o">></span> <span class="n">test</span><span class="o">.</span><span class="n">png</span>
</pre></div>
</div>
<p>You can use this to also test problematic WMS GetMap requests as well:</p>
<div class="highlight-default notranslate"><div class="highlight"><pre><span></span><span class="n">mapserv</span> <span class="o">-</span><span class="n">nh</span> <span class="s2">"QUERY_STRING=SERVICE=WMS&VERSION=1.3.0&REQUEST=GetMap&BBOX=41.42710000000000292,-173.4329999999999927,83.74660000000000082,-13.04809999999999981&CRS=EPSG:4326&WIDTH=369&HEIGHT=98&LAYERS=park&STYLES=&FORMAT=image/png&DPI=96&MAP_RESOLUTION=96&FORMAT_OPTIONS=dpi:96&TRANSPARENT=TRUE"</span> <span class="o">></span> <span class="n">test</span><span class="o">.</span><span class="n">png</span>
</pre></div>
</div>
<div class="admonition note">
<p class="admonition-title">Note</p>
<p>Besides checking your web server logs, you can also use the QGIS network tools
to get the exact request to your OWS (WMS/WFS etc.) service: see steps
<a class="reference external" href="https://github.com/MapServer/MapServer/wiki/Get-the-Raw-WMS-Request-Generated-by-QGIS">here</a></p>
</div>
<img alt="../_images/qgis-network-logger.png" class="no-scaled-link" height="403" src="../_images/qgis-network-logger.png" width="800" />
</section>
<section id="projections">
<h3><a class="toc-backref" href="#table-of-contents" role="doc-backlink">5. Projections</a><a class="headerlink" href="#projections" title="Link to this heading">¶</a></h3>
<p>There are two ways to define projections in a mapfile. You can either use
inline projection parameters or specify an EPSG code for that projection. If
you use the <a class="reference internal" href="../glossary.html#term-EPSG"><span class="xref std std-term">EPSG</span></a> code method, <a class="reference internal" href="../glossary.html#term-PROJ"><span class="xref std std-term">PROJ</span></a> looks up the projection
parameters in the PROJ database using the EPSG code as an ID. This database
lookup takes significantly more resources than when the projection parameters
are defined inline. This lookup takes place for each projection definition
using EPSG codes in a mapfile.</p>
<div class="admonition seealso">
<p class="admonition-title">See also</p>
<p><a class="reference internal" href="../mapfile/projection.html#projection"><span class="std std-ref">PROJECTION</span></a></p>
</div>
<p><strong>Projection defined using inline projection parameters</strong></p>
<div class="highlight-mapfile notranslate"><div class="highlight"><pre><span></span><span class="k">PROJECTION</span>
<span class="s">"proj=utm"</span>
<span class="s">"ellps=GRS80"</span>
<span class="s">"datum=NAD83"</span>
<span class="s">"zone=15"</span>
<span class="s">"units=m"</span>
<span class="s">"north"</span>
<span class="s">"no_defs"</span>
<span class="k">END</span>
</pre></div>
</div>
<p><strong>Projection defined using EPSG Code</strong></p>
<div class="highlight-mapfile notranslate"><div class="highlight"><pre><span></span><span class="k">PROJECTION</span>
<span class="s">"init=epsg:26915"</span>
<span class="k">END</span>
</pre></div>
</div>
<p><strong>Optimization Suggestions</strong></p>
<ul>
<li><p>Use inline projection parameter definitions in place of EPSG codes.</p></li>
<li><p>It should be stated that for optimal performance you could have MapServer
not do any projections on-demand (in other words, have all of your source
data in the same projection, and have MapServer output requests in that
same projection) but obviously this is not always possible for all scenarios.</p></li>
<li><p>If you want to use EPSG codes, remove all unneeded projection definition
records from the PROJ <a class="reference internal" href="../glossary.html#term-EPSG"><span class="xref std std-term">EPSG</span></a> database.</p>
<div class="admonition note">
<p class="admonition-title">Note</p>
<p>This was a common trick for PROJ versions <6 (and its <em>epsg</em> file),
but for PROJ >= 6 a <em>proj.db</em> SQLite database is used to store
these EPSG lookup codes, and optimizations for that will take some
time to be developed and shared).</p>
</div>
</li>
</ul>
</section>
<section id="use-includes">
<span id="index-2"></span><h3><a class="toc-backref" href="#table-of-contents" role="doc-backlink">6. Use INCLUDEs</a><a class="headerlink" href="#use-includes" title="Link to this heading">¶</a></h3>
<p>Implemented back in MapServer 4.10, the mapfile <a class="reference internal" href="../mapfile/include.html#include"><span class="std std-ref">INCLUDE</span></a> parameter is
possibly one of the best ways to help manage your large mapfiles (you might
argue that this is not ‘optimization’ for speed again, but for it is very
important for managing large mapfiles with many layers).</p>
<p>Any part of the mapfile can be referenced through an INCLUDE, besides the
obvious layers.</p>
<div class="admonition note">
<p class="admonition-title">Note</p>
<p>Common file extensions for includes are: <em>.lyr</em>, <em>.include</em>, or even <em>.map</em>
. You can name them any file extension that you wish.</p>
</div>
<p>You could have something like:</p>
<div class="highlight-mapfile notranslate"><div class="highlight"><pre><span></span><span class="k">MAP</span>
<span class="p">...</span>
<span class="k">WEB</span>
<span class="k">INCLUDE</span> <span class="s">"metadata.include"</span>
<span class="k">END</span>
<span class="p">...</span>
<span class="k">INCLUDE</span> <span class="s">"elevation.lyr"</span>
<span class="k">INCLUDE</span> <span class="s">"country.lyr"</span>
<span class="k">INCLUDE</span> <span class="s">"city.lyr"</span>
<span class="p">...</span>
<span class="k">END</span>
</pre></div>
</div>
<p>Where <em>metadata.include</em> could contain:</p>
<div class="highlight-mapfile notranslate"><div class="highlight"><pre><span></span><span class="k">METADATA</span>
<span class="s">"wms_title"</span> <span class="s">"WMS Demo Server"</span> <span class="c1">##required</span>
<span class="s">"wms_onlineresource"</span> <span class="s">"http://yourpath/cgi-bin/mapserv.exe?"</span> <span class="c1">##required</span>
<span class="s">"wms_srs"</span> <span class="s">"EPSG:3857 EPSG:4326 EPSG:4269 EPSG:3978"</span> <span class="c1">##recommended</span>
<span class="s">"wms_enable_request"</span> <span class="s">"*"</span> <span class="c1">##necessary</span>
<span class="k">END</span>
</pre></div>
</div>
</section>
<section id="layers">
<h3><a class="toc-backref" href="#table-of-contents" role="doc-backlink">7. Layers</a><a class="headerlink" href="#layers" title="Link to this heading">¶</a></h3>
<p>For every layer in a mapfile that has a status of ON or DEFAULT, MapServer
will load that layer and prepare it for display, even if that layer never gets
displayed.</p>
<p><strong>Optimization Suggestions</strong></p>
<ul class="simple">
<li><p>Build lean mapfiles, only include layers that you plan to use.</p></li>
<li><p>Turn off unnecessary layers; the more layers MapServer is displaying, the
more time it takes. Have your opening map view show only the minimum
necessary to orient the user, and allow them to turn on additional layers as
needed. This is particularly true of remote WMS or very large rasters.</p></li>
<li><p>Related to turning off layers, is turning them on but using MINSCALEDENOM
and MAXSCALEDENOM to determine at what zoomlevels the layer is available. If
a map’s display is outside of the layer’s MINSCALEDENOM and MAXSCALEDENOM
range, then MapServer can skip processing that layer. It also makes for a
really cool effect, that the national boundaries magically change to state
boundaries.</p></li>
<li><p>If you have a complex application, consider using multiple simple and
specific mapfiles in place of one large ‘do everything’ mapfile.</p></li>
<li><p>In a similar vein, each class also supports MINSCALEDENOM and MAXSCALEDENOM.
If your dataset has data that are relevant at different zoomlevels, then you
may find this a very handy trick. For example, give a MINSCALEDENOM of
1:1000000, county roads a MINSCALEDENOM of 1:100000, and streets a
MAXSCALEDENOM of 1:50000. You get the cool effect of new data magically
appearing, but you don’t have MapServer trying to draw the nation’s roads
when the entire nation is in view!</p></li>
<li><p>Classes are processed in order, and a feature is assigned to the first class
that matches. So try placing the most commonly-used classes at the top of
the class list, so MapServer doesn’t have to try as many classes before
finding a match. For example, if you wanted to highlight the single state of
Wyoming, you would probably do this:</p></li>
</ul>
<div class="highlight-mapfile notranslate"><div class="highlight"><pre><span></span><span class="k">CLASS</span>
<span class="k">EXPRESSION</span> <span class="p">(</span><span class="s">'[NAME]'</span> <span class="ow">eq</span> <span class="s">'WY'</span><span class="p">])</span>
<span class="k">STYLE</span>
<span class="k">COLOR</span> <span class="mi">255</span> <span class="mi">0</span> <span class="mi">0</span>
<span class="k">END</span>
<span class="k">END</span>
<span class="k">CLASS</span>
<span class="k">STYLE</span>
<span class="k">COLOR</span> <span class="mi">128</span> <span class="mi">128</span> <span class="mi">128</span>
<span class="k">END</span>
<span class="k">END</span>
</pre></div>
</div>
<p>But it would be a lot more efficient to do this, since 98% of cases will be
matched on the first try:</p>
<div class="highlight-mapfile notranslate"><div class="highlight"><pre><span></span><span class="k">CLASS</span>
<span class="k">EXPRESSION</span> <span class="p">(</span><span class="s">'[NAME]'</span> <span class="ow">ne</span> <span class="s">'WY'</span><span class="p">])</span>
<span class="k">STYLE</span>
<span class="k">COLOR</span> <span class="mi">128</span> <span class="mi">128</span> <span class="mi">128</span>
<span class="k">END</span>
<span class="k">END</span>
<span class="k">CLASS</span>
<span class="k">STYLE</span>
<span class="k">COLOR</span> <span class="mi">255</span> <span class="mi">0</span> <span class="mi">0</span>
<span class="k">END</span>
<span class="k">END</span>
</pre></div>
</div>
<ul class="simple">
<li><p>Use <a class="reference internal" href="tileindex.html#tileindex"><span class="std std-ref">tile indexes</span></a> instead of multiple layers.</p></li>
</ul>
</section>
<section id="yes-data-formats-matter">
<span id="index-3"></span><h3><a class="toc-backref" href="#table-of-contents" role="doc-backlink">8. Yes Data Formats Matter</a><a class="headerlink" href="#yes-data-formats-matter" title="Link to this heading">¶</a></h3>
<p>This is often not written in documents, yet is often taught in hands-on
workshops (as maybe readers or developers can be reading the document here
and become offended if it differs in their thinking or the purpose of
their software design, as some formats may be deemed ‘uncool’ by some crowds,
but in reality, we don’t care about coolness here, we care about making MapServer
fast). So the following advice is by the authors of this
document (disclaimer), and may offend some readers, therefore ‘viewer discretion
is advised’.</p>
<p>Although MapServer can read any GDAL supported <a class="reference external" href="https://gdal.org/drivers/vector/index.html">vector</a>
or <a class="reference external" href="https://gdal.org/drivers/raster/index.html">raster</a> source (and the
fact that not all users will be setting up tile caching beforehand), the following
is still recommended for MapServer for optimal performance in terms of data formats.</p>
<p><strong>Optimization Suggestions</strong></p>
<ul class="simple">
<li><p>The best/optimal data sources for MapServer in terms of speed-of-display
is <a class="reference external" href="https://gdal.org/drivers/vector/shapefile.html#vector-shapefile">.shp</a>
(for vectors) and <a class="reference external" href="https://gdal.org/drivers/raster/gtiff.html">GeoTIFF</a>
(for rasters).</p></li>
<li><p>For databases, MapServer displays <a class="reference external" href="https://gdal.org/drivers/vector/pg.html">PostGIS</a>
layers very fast, and some custom tricks are included in the MapServer source
specifically for PostGIS + MapServer draw speed. PostGIS is therefore recommended.</p></li>
<li><p><a class="reference external" href="https://gdal.org/drivers/vector/sqlite.html">SpatiaLite</a> is recommended
for those who require a portable format, and works very well with MapServer.</p></li>
<li><p>For whatever formats you choose, definitely review the associated GDAL format
(driver) page for that specific format, and enable indexing (spatial or also attribute
indexing).</p></li>
<li><p>Rasters, and of course GeoTIFFs, should also have overviews included, through the
<a class="reference external" href="https://gdal.org/programs/gdaladdo.html">gdaladdo</a> utility.</p></li>
<li><p>Raster layers can also include various <a class="reference internal" href="../input/raster.html#raster-processing-directives"><span class="std std-ref">PROCESSING directives</span></a>,
specific to raster display in MapServer (such as displaying specific bands, or choosing a
resampling method, but for resampling do experiment with the fastest display option
versus display quality).</p></li>
<li><p>If you do use .shp files (and many still do) you must always enable fast quadtree
index lookups in MapServer through the <a class="reference internal" href="../utilities/shptree.html#shptree"><span class="std std-ref">shptree</span></a> utility.</p></li>
<li><p>Wherever possible, making your source dataset as lightweight as possible, will
assist MapServer in processing your data (for vectors, this could mean removing
unused data fields).</p></li>
<li><p>As mentioned earlier, if you must display various rasters or vectors as a ‘mosaic’
together, implement <a class="reference internal" href="tileindex.html#tileindex"><span class="std std-ref">Tile Indexes</span></a>, to implement the mosaic as a single layer
in MapServer.</p></li>
<li><p>GDAL’s virtual format (VRT) is very
powerful also for mosaicing or transforming data on-demand, and has specific VRT
driver instructions for <a class="reference external" href="https://gdal.org/drivers/vector/vrt.html">vector</a>
and <a class="reference external" href="https://gdal.org/drivers/raster/vrt.html#raster-vrt">raster</a> .</p></li>
<li><p>There are times when splitting .shp files (shapefiles) into smaller files, make it
more efficient to display in MapServer; the <a class="reference external" href="https://github.com/woodbri/imaptools.com">shp2tile</a>
utility is a wonderful commandline tool for this.</p></li>
</ul>
<div class="admonition note">
<p class="admonition-title">Note</p>
<p>For Windows users, <a class="reference external" href="https://ms4w.com">MS4W</a> includes the shp2tile utility, and
all utilities mentioned above.</p>
</div>
</section>
<section id="enable-caching-through-mapcache">
<h3><a class="toc-backref" href="#table-of-contents" role="doc-backlink">9. Enable Caching through MapCache</a><a class="headerlink" href="#enable-caching-through-mapcache" title="Link to this heading">¶</a></h3>
<p>If your mapfile serves any OGC-related service (such as WMS, WFS, etc.) you should
consider enabling <a class="reference internal" href="../mapcache/index.html#mapcache"><span class="std std-ref">MapCache</span></a>, an Apache module, for your services. Caching
common map results (as an image file, or inside a SQLite db for example) for common
map extents, will obviously drastically improve speed, and cancel-out any format
discussions/benefits/arguments mentioned above.</p>
</section>
<section id="symbols">
<h3><a class="toc-backref" href="#table-of-contents" role="doc-backlink">10. Symbols</a><a class="headerlink" href="#symbols" title="Link to this heading">¶</a></h3>
<p>When the mapfile is loaded, each raster symbol listed in the symbols file is
located on the filesystem and loaded.</p>
<p><strong>Optimization Suggestions</strong></p>
<ul class="simple">
<li><p>Only include raster symbols in your symbols file if you know that they will
be used by your application.</p></li>
</ul>
</section>
<section id="fonts">
<span id="index-4"></span><h3><a class="toc-backref" href="#table-of-contents" role="doc-backlink">11. Fonts</a><a class="headerlink" href="#fonts" title="Link to this heading">¶</a></h3>
<p>To load a font, MapServer opens up a lookup file (often named fonts.list or fonts.txt)
<a class="reference internal" href="../mapfile/fontset.html#fontset"><span class="std std-ref">FONTSET</span></a> which contains an alias for the font and the path for that font file. If you have a
fonts.list file with a long list of fonts, it will take more time for
MapServer to locate and load the font that you need.</p>
<p><strong>Optimization Suggestions</strong></p>
<ul class="simple">
<li><p>Limit the entries in fonts.list to fonts that you actually use.</p></li>
</ul>
</section>
<section id="use-mapscript">
<h3><a class="toc-backref" href="#table-of-contents" role="doc-backlink">12. Use MapScript</a><a class="headerlink" href="#use-mapscript" title="Link to this heading">¶</a></h3>
<p>MapScript, in your favorite language such as PHP or Python, can be used to manipulate
mapfiles on-the-fly. Some common use cases are:</p>
<ul class="simple">
<li><p>adding a layer into an existing mapfile</p></li>
<li><p>modifying an existing layer</p></li>
<li><p>generating a new mapfile/service on-demand</p></li>
</ul>
<p>The options here are limitless, for what you can do with MapScript. The full list
of available parameters and functions (methods) are listed in the <a class="reference internal" href="../mapscript/mapscript-api/index.html#swig"><span class="std std-ref">SWIG MapScript API Reference</span></a>.</p>
</section>
<section id="don-t-expose-your-map-path">
<h3><a class="toc-backref" href="#table-of-contents" role="doc-backlink">13. Don’t expose your MAP path</a><a class="headerlink" href="#don-t-expose-your-map-path" title="Link to this heading">¶</a></h3>
<p>This is more obvious if your mapfile serves OGC services, such as set in the
<em>wms_onlineresource</em> metadata parameter in your WEB object, which by default
must contain the <em>MAP=path/to/your/mapfile</em>, but exposing paths on your public
server can open you to possible malicious attacks on your filesystem. You should
take some time to review the possible steps in the document <a class="reference internal" href="limit_mapfile_access.html#limit-mapfile-access"><span class="std std-ref">Limit Mapfile Access</span></a>.</p>
<p>At the minimum, you should enable the <em>MS_MAPFILE</em> <a class="reference internal" href="environment_variables.html#environment-variables"><span class="std std-ref">environment variable</span></a>
so that your CGI mapserv requests, and your onlineresource OGC requests, do not require
a visible MAP= path. The WMS Server document has several <a class="reference internal" href="../ogc/wms_server.html#online-resource-wms"><span class="std std-ref">examples</span></a>
of how to enable these environment variables.</p>
</section>
</section>
</section>
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<h3>Current Table Of Contents</h3>
<ul>
<li><a class="reference internal" href="#">Mapfile Tuning & Management</a><ul>
<li><a class="reference internal" href="#introduction">Introduction</a></li>
<li><a class="reference internal" href="#steps-to-possibly-review">Steps to Possibly Review</a><ul>
<li><a class="reference internal" href="#use-a-mapserver-syntax-file-for-your-favorite-text-editor">1. Use a MapServer Syntax file for your Favorite Text Editor</a></li>
<li><a class="reference internal" href="#testing-your-mapfile-for-speed">2. Testing your Mapfile for Speed</a></li>
<li><a class="reference internal" href="#use-the-various-config-settings-for-debugging">3. Use the various CONFIG settings for debugging</a></li>
<li><a class="reference internal" href="#test-the-full-map-request-through-the-mapserv-executable">4. Test the full Map Request through the mapserv Executable</a></li>
<li><a class="reference internal" href="#projections">5. Projections</a></li>
<li><a class="reference internal" href="#use-includes">6. Use INCLUDEs</a></li>
<li><a class="reference internal" href="#layers">7. Layers</a></li>
<li><a class="reference internal" href="#yes-data-formats-matter">8. Yes Data Formats Matter</a></li>
<li><a class="reference internal" href="#enable-caching-through-mapcache">9. Enable Caching through MapCache</a></li>
<li><a class="reference internal" href="#symbols">10. Symbols</a></li>
<li><a class="reference internal" href="#fonts">11. Fonts</a></li>
<li><a class="reference internal" href="#use-mapscript">12. Use MapScript</a></li>
<li><a class="reference internal" href="#don-t-expose-your-map-path">13. Don’t expose your MAP path</a></li>
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