Felt supports custom map backgrounds via any web-based map service supporting the popular XYZ map tile format. Compatible map tiles can be created via Mapbox Studio, found on ArcGIS servers, purchased from Planet, or found freely online via providers like Stamen.

Where are some places to get a custom map background?

ArcGIS MapTiler Mapbox Planet Stamen Other Sources

How to add a custom map background in Felt

To use custom map backgrounds, provide Felt with a tile URL template that includes the {z}, {x}, and {y} parts as-is with other parts like layer names or API tokens filled-in. Felt will automatically swap in the {z}=zoom, {x}=column, and {y}=row values as you pan and zoom around your map.

Look for the “Background +” button in the bottom-right corner of a Felt map:

Select “From URL” in the popup window, and enter a tile URL template like this example, https://tile.openstreetmap.org/{z}/{x}/{y}.png. Some providers, like OSM in this example, require user-visible attribution which you can add in the “Attribution” section:

Your tile URL template must include space for {z}=zoom, {x}=column, and {y}=row values like the example above. Many popular online map services make URLs available in this format.

ArcGIS

Cached image services can be hosted via ArcGIS Online or on your own organization’s server. Access individual background image tiles via the Image Tile REST API:

https://{imageservice-url}/tile/{z}/{y}/{x}

Note that the order of {x} and {y} are switched in ArcGIS compared to other services here.

Image Tile-ArcGIS REST APIs | ArcGIS Developers

URL: https:// /tile/ / / Required Capability: Image Version Introduced: 10.1 For cached image services, the tile resource represents a single cached tile for the image. The image bytes for the tile at the specified level, row, and column are directly streamed to the client.

https://developers.arcgis.com/rest/services-reference/enterprise/image-tile.htm

Image Tile-ArcGIS REST APIs | ArcGIS Developers

Sample tile URL templates

Use these directly in Felt:

https://services.arcgisonline.com/arcgis/rest/services/World_Imagery/MapServer/tile/{z}/{y}/{x}

https://services.arcgisonline.com/arcgis/rest/services/Canvas/World_Dark_Gray_Base/MapServer/tile/{z}/{y}/{x}

MapTiler

Tiles hosted by MapTiler can be used in Felt via Raster Tiles for Leaflet JS:

https://api.maptiler.com/maps/{layer}/{z}/{x}/{y}.png?key={key}

Raster tiles in Leaflet JS | Leaflet | MapTiler

Raster map tiles are actually nothing else than raster images. Zoomable raster maps consist of many raster map tiles (in the .png or .jpg format) placed next to each other, ordered in a pyramid scheme. This clever trick allows you to browse just a small part of the map without loading it whole while maintaining a feeling of exploring a single large document.

https://docs.maptiler.com/leaflet/raster-tiles-in-leaflet-js/

Raster tiles in Leaflet JS | Leaflet | MapTiler

Sample tile URL template

Use this in Felt with your MapTiler API key:

https://api.maptiler.com/maps/streets-v2/{z}/{x}/{y}.png?key={YOUR_MAPTILER_KEY}

⚠️ Users with whom you share a Felt map with a custom MapTiler background will be able to view the API key.

Where To Find Custom Map Backgrounds

ArcGIS

MapTiler