Tool tip: Tippecanoe Command Generator

If you create, or are curious about, #VectorTiles, you may have come across the command line utility #Tippecanoe (TIP-ə-kə-NOO). It’s probably no secret that its usage is not entirely trivial, but there is a helpful tool for this now.
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April 4, 2025

If you create, or are curious about, vector tiles, you may have come across the command line utility Tippecanoe1 (TIP-ə-kə-NOO). It’s probably no secret that its usage is not entirely trivial.

In a similar vein to the best practice guide for Cloud-Optimized GeoTIFFs by GeoStandards.ch, Cameron Kruse has built the Tippecanoe Command Generator. It’s a Streamlit app that takes you through Basic Options, Zoom & Detail, Feature Handling, Attributes and Advanced Options and creates a Tippecanoe command custom-tailored to your requirements. The tool is open-source and free of AI / LLMs.

The Tippecanoe Command Generator

The Tippecanoe Command Generator

Cameron Kruse has also published an article titled “The Dark Art of Vector Map Tiling” where he goes into detail about the Tippecanoe Command Generator, gives additional tips and also points to valuable resources such as map tile viewers.

Footnotes

  1. This post marks the first instance where I researched the name: It’s a joking reference to a “tiler” (or “Tyler”) and more basically a river, county and a battleground.↩︎