tile38
Tile38 is an open-source, in-memory geospatial database that stores and indexes location data (points, polygons, GeoJSON) and provides real-time geofencing through webhooks and pub/sub. It's written in Go, supports multiple protocols (Redis RESP, HTTP, WebSocket, Telnet), and persists data to disk.
Key facts
Objective fields from the source. Values we can't verify are shown as “Unknown” rather than guessed.
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Repository | tidwall/tile38 |
| Owner | tidwall |
| Primary language | Go |
| License | MIT — OSI-approved |
| Stars | 9.7k |
| Forks | 618 |
| Open issues | 165 |
| Latest release | 1.38.0 (2026-06-09) |
| Last updated | 2026-07-03 |
| Source | https://github.com/tidwall/tile38 |
What tile38 is
Tile38 is a spatial index server offering Nearby, Within, and Intersects search operations with field-based filtering (WHERE/MATCH), leader-follower replication, and Prometheus metrics export. It uses the Redis Serialization Protocol (RESP) for client communication and supports objects including lat/lon points, bounding boxes, Geohashes, XYZ tiles, and GeoJSON geometries.
Get the tile38 source
Clone the repository and explore it locally.
git clone https://github.com/tidwall/tile38.gitcd tile38# follow the project's README for install & configurationNeed it deployed, integrated, or customized instead? DEV.co ships production installs.
Best use cases
Implementation considerations
- In-memory storage means data loss on uncontrolled shutdown; design backup and recovery procedures around RDB/AOF-style persistence.
- Field values are floating-point only; no native string or complex type support for object metadata beyond basic numeric fields.
- Replication is leader-follower; plan for read scaling via followers, but write scaling is limited to the single leader.
- Docker image and pre-built binaries available for Linux, macOS, FreeBSD, Windows; Go codebase supports 32/64-bit systems.
- Command-line interface and client library ecosystem exist, but third-party library maturity and maintenance status varies by language.
When to avoid it — and what to weigh
- Persistent, Transactional Workloads — Tile38 is in-memory; while it persists to disk, it is not designed as a primary transactional database with ACID guarantees across complex multi-object operations.
- Very Large Datasets Exceeding RAM — As an in-memory store, performance degrades severely if data exceeds available memory; not suitable for petabyte-scale geospatial warehouses.
- Strict Consistency Requirements — Leader-follower replication is asynchronous; eventual consistency only. Not suitable for applications requiring immediate, guaranteed consistency across replicas.
- Complex SQL Queries or Analytics — Tile38 provides spatial queries but lacks SQL, joins, aggregations, or analytic functions; use PostGIS or similar for complex analytics.
License & commercial use
Tile38 is licensed under the MIT License, which is a permissive OSI-approved license allowing free use, modification, and distribution with minimal restrictions (attribution required).
MIT License permits commercial use without explicit permission. However, no vendor support, SLA, or indemnification is provided by the project; commercial users should evaluate their own risk tolerance for unsupported open-source software and consider contributing back or engaging third-party support if business-critical.
DEV.co evaluation signals
Editorial assessment — not user reviews. Directional, with an explicit confidence level.
| Signal | Assessment |
|---|---|
| Maintenance | Active |
| Documentation | Adequate |
| License clarity | Clear |
| Deployment complexity | Low |
| DEV.co fit | Good |
| Assessment confidence | High |
No native authentication or encryption mentioned in provided data. Network access must be controlled via firewall or reverse proxy. In-memory operation means sensitive data is exposed to memory dumps; evaluate risk in multi-tenant environments. Prometheus metrics endpoint should be restricted. No mention of vulnerability disclosure policy; security audit status unknown.
Alternatives to consider
PostGIS (PostgreSQL + PostGIS extension)
Full SQL + ACID transactions + mature ecosystem; scales beyond memory via disk; production battle-tested; but higher operational overhead and latency than in-memory Tile38.
Redis with RedisSearch/GeoHash modules
In-memory with similar protocol; Redis ecosystem is larger and more mature; but geofencing and advanced spatial operations less polished than Tile38; Redis licensing changed in 2024.
MongoDB with Geospatial Indexes
Document database with 2dsphere indexes; rich query language; scales horizontally; but higher latency, more operational complexity, and commercial licensing considerations.
Build on tile38 with DEV.co software developers
Evaluate Tile38 for fleet tracking, geofencing, and location-based search. Our engineers can help assess fit, deployment strategy, and integration with your architecture.
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tile38 FAQ
Does Tile38 support clustering or sharding?
What happens to data if Tile38 crashes?
Can Tile38 handle real-time updates at high frequency?
Is authentication built-in?
Custom software development services
DEV.co helps companies turn open-source tools like tile38 into production software. Our software development services cover the full lifecycle — architecture, web development, integration, and maintenance — delivered by software developers and web developers who ship. Engage our software development agency to implement or customize it for your open-source databases stack.
Need Geospatial and Real-Time Location Services?
Evaluate Tile38 for fleet tracking, geofencing, and location-based search. Our engineers can help assess fit, deployment strategy, and integration with your architecture.