[mapserver-users] Mapserver vs Geoserver

[Jeff McKenna]

Hi Jukka,

I agree with all of your comments.  I just wanted to say a couple of notes:

Rahkonen Jukka wrote:
> Hi,
>  
> I agree especially with your 7th point, in real life things are seldomly 
> just black or white. 
>  
>>  1. MapServer is generally better when dealing with WMS, while 
> GeoServer deals better with WFS. 
> Well, they have some differences in WMS but I wouldn't say one is better 
> than another.  I agree partly when it comes to WFS, at least it 
> is easier to set up Geoserver WFS so that ready made WFS clients are 
> willing to discuss with it.  However, I add some conditions
>  
> - I have not played a lot with Mapserver WFS so I do not know all the 
> tricks.
> - I have felt that Mapserver WFS works quite nice when I send requests 
> through a browser or wget ot something, and most problems are due to WFS 
> clients which do not want to parse the gml.  Clients tend to be 
> over-sensible for my mind.
> - Unfortunately that is a common phenomena, clients developed against 
> deegree WFS do not work properly against Geoserver WFS or Mapserver WFS 
> and so on.

I also recommend reviewing the previous FOSS4G WMS benchmarking, between 
GeoServer and MapServer: 
http://www.slideshare.net/gatewaygeomatics.com/wms-performance-shootout

And also follow this year's exercise, which will involve more mapping 
servers (Mapnik is also joining the fun, and hopefully more development 
teams will join): http://wiki.osgeo.org/wiki/Benchmarking_2010

>>   2. A big difference is that GeoServer supports WFS-T, that it 
> Transactional WFS (editing of feature services on the client side), 
> while MapServer don’t. 
> - That's true.
>  
>>  4. MapServer is a more mature project (1996), while GeoServer is a bit 
> more recent (2003). 
> They are both mature enough for me.
>  
>>  5. GeoServer has a web tool administration that eases configuration. 
> That is also true.  There used to be a MapLab 
> application alongside Mapserver and that helped me to take my first 
> steps with Mapserver but now it is gone.  I believe that without MapLab 
> I wouldn't have started to play with Mapserver ever.

Well said.  There is a hole left by MapLab's departure, that I'd like to 
see filled.  The QGIS ability to export a mapfile is great, but users 
need that mapfile in a ready-to-use application.

>  
>>   6. MapServer has without any doubt a very powerful cartography 
> system, providing data under dynamic vectors with high quality 
> Mapserver may have more advanced cartographical features but Geoserver 
> can look good also.  Creating good looking cartography is an artistic 
> job.  Geoserver is using SLD for styling which is the OGC standard way.
>  
>>   7. None of them is better or worse. The development objectives are 
> different. 
>>  8. PHP Mapscript for Mapserver, which provides a powerful scripting 
> interface for PHP programmers. For Java programmers, Geoserver might be 
> a better choice
> I believe that Geoserver does not really offer the same kind of 
> possibilities to build interactive server side application with 
> scripting.  However, quite a lot can be done by making a client to 
> combine WMS GetMap, WMS GetFeatureInfo and WFS requests.
>  
> I add a few other differencies which I have faced myself.
>  
> 9.  Text based mapfile vs xml.  For a user whose first sight on a 
> computer screen was a green DOS:> prompt, reading and writing text based 
> mapfiles may feel easier than xml stuff in the data_dir of Geoserver. 
>  
> 10. The same text keen users may prefer writing Geoserver CQL filters 
> (see for example 
> http://lyceum.massgis.state.ma.us/wiki/doku.php?do=export_xhtml&id=cql 
> <http://lyceum.massgis.state.ma.us/wiki/doku.php?do=export_xhtml&id=cql>) when 
> testing http GET queries instead of OGC standard filters buried inside 
> SLD_BODY.  On the other hand, Mapserver offers same kind of 
> possibilities with variable substitution.
>  
> 11. For mapserver a mapfile means a service.  Geoserver is in running 
> one WMS/WFS/WCS service for all users.  Layers can be filtered by using 
> the security subsystem, but it is not at all as flexible than creating 
> separate mapfiles for different users or user groups.
>  
> 12. Geoserver has an installer that installs the server, demo data, demo 
> applications, and graphical user interface for administrating the 
> server.  What is best is that nightly builds are also available, and 
> Windows users can achieve and install them with ease.  It is about the 
> same as getting a new MS4W version every day.
>  

On point#12, well said again.

The OSGeo4W package also exists for MapServer users, which, if the 
update is available, users can upgrade their libraries very easily.

But we have some work to do on all fronts.


-jeff



-- 
Jeff McKenna
MapServer Consulting and Training Services
http://www.gatewaygeomatics.com/