Hosting Your First Map

Maybe you exported a Shapefile from QGIS. Maybe someone emailed you a GeoJSON. Maybe you have a GeoTIFF sitting in a folder and you just want colleagues or clients to see it on a map, without standing up a tile server or explaining TMS endpoints.

That is the whole idea behind Sarkoa. You upload your file, we build a fast viewer copy, and you get a map you can open in the browser, share with a link, embed on a site, or pull into desktop GIS. No infrastructure homework.

Start with an account

Head to app.sarkoa.com and create a free account. You do not need a credit card to get going. Once you are in, you land in your workspace: your file cabinet for spatial data.

Upload your data

Upload whatever you have. GeoJSON, Shapefiles (zip the .shp, .shx, .dbf, and .prj together), GeoTIFF, KML, GPX, and other common formats work out of the box. Drag and drop is fine. Full format lists live in the FAQ and docs.

Sarkoa keeps your original file and builds an optimized copy for map viewing. Vectors become PMTiles; rasters become Cloud Optimized GeoTIFFs. You do not need to run that conversion yourself. Watch status on the file row while processing runs; it usually finishes in a few minutes depending on size. If something fails (corrupt file, missing projection), the dashboard says so. Most uploads just work.

Prefer the terminal or QGIS? Use the CLI or QGIS plugin with an API key; the same upload and view loop applies.

Open it on a map

Click into your file and open the built-in map viewer. Pan, zoom, and confirm the layer looks right.

From there you have a few useful paths:

• Custom map: compose one or more layers, style them, add a basemap, then share
• Tile URL: copy a per-file tile URL for MapLibre, Leaflet (with PMTiles support), QGIS, ArcGIS Pro, and similar clients (web app docs)
• Desktop GIS: install the QGIS plugin, sign in with your token, and view or drag the layer onto the canvas

Build a map to share

Create a custom map and add your layer (or layers). Adjust colors, opacity, and stacking. When you are happy, set visibility so the people you care about can open it.

• Share link: send a URL; viewers do not need a Sarkoa account for public maps
• Embed: in Custom Maps, copy the iframe snippet for maps.sarkoa.com and paste it into your site. No domain setup is required for the standard embed; the map and street basemap load from Sarkoa inside the iframe

Need a private review? Keep the map org-only or use plan features such as password-protected maps where available (pricing).

Review together

Sharing a static screenshot loses context. On Sarkoa, teammates can open the same map and use built-in comments and live annotations so feedback lands on the geography, not in a side email thread. That is often the difference between “here is a PDF” and “here is the decision surface.”

That is it

Upload, wait, view, share (and optionally review or open in QGIS). You have gone from a file on your machine to a map others can use in a browser or desktop GIS.

If you get stuck, email support@sarkoa.com or use the support link in the app. For pricing and commercial use, see pricing and the FAQ. For when hosted beats running your own stack, read Sarkoa vs self-hosting tile infrastructure. Deeper how-tos live in the docs.

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This post was written with AI assistance and reviewed for accuracy. It is intended as a practical getting-started guide.