Navigating the Dashboard¶
Welcome Page¶
When you first launch GeoServer, you’ll land on the Welcome page. Here, you’ll see a list of the web services currently published by GeoServer — including mapping, data access, and processing endpoints.
If you’re logged in with administrative credentials, you’ll also see a configuration overview, plus any important information or warning notifications that might require your attention.
Web Administration Interface¶
The Web Administration Interface lets you configure every aspect of the platform — from uploading new datasets to customizing service behavior.
Once logged in as an administrator, the left-hand navigation menu expands to reveal the full range of configuration sections. Each section groups related tools and settings, making it easier to find exactly what you need.
About & Status¶
This section offers tools for monitoring and diagnosing your GeoServer setup.
| Feature | Description |
|---|---|
| Server Status | Displays a summary of server configuration and runtime status. |
| GeoServer Logs | Shows server logs to help diagnose errors directly within the browser. |
| Contact Information | Allows you to set public contact details shown in service metadata. |
| About GeoServer | Provides links to official documentation, homepage, and issue tracker. |
| Process Status | Lists active and recently completed geospatial processing tasks. |
Data¶
Manage your spatial data sources and layers here, including how they are grouped and styled.
| Feature | Description |
|---|---|
| Layer Preview | View your layers in various formats to verify their configuration visually. |
| Workspaces | Organize related data layers into workspaces; add, edit, or delete workspaces. |
| Stores | Manage data stores that connect GeoServer to your spatial datasets. |
| Layers | Add, edit, or remove individual map layers and configure their properties. |
| Layer Groups | Group multiple layers for easier management and publishing. |
| Styles | Define and manage map styles used to control layer appearance. |
Services¶
Configure the various OGC and related services GeoServer offers for data sharing and processing.
| Service | Description |
|---|---|
| Web Map Service (WMS) | Serve dynamically rendered map images from your data. |
| Web Map Tile Service (WMTS) | Deliver cached map tiles optimized for fast web display. |
| Web Coverage Service (WCS) | Provide access to raster and imagery data. |
| Web Feature Service (WFS) | Enable requests for vector feature data with geometry and attributes. |
| Catalog Services for the Web (CSW) | Discover geospatial resources using metadata catalogs. |
| Web Processing Service (WPS) | Run spatial data processing and analysis workflows on the server. |
Settings¶
Configure global options affecting the entire GeoServer instance.
| Setting | Description |
|---|---|
| Global Settings | Control messaging, logging, proxy, and character encoding options. |
| Image Processing | Adjust Java Advanced Imaging (JAI) parameters used by map and coverage services. |
| Coverage Access | Manage settings for loading and publishing raster coverages. |
Tile Caching¶
Manage GeoServer’s integrated tile caching system, GeoWebCache.
| Feature | Description |
|---|---|
| Tile Layers | View and manage which layers are served as cached tiles. |
| Caching Defaults | Set global parameters for tile caching behavior. |
| Gridsets | Manage coordinate grid systems used for tile caching. |
| Disk Quota | Configure storage limits and cache size reduction strategies. |
| BlobStores | Administer tile cache storage backends. |
Security¶
Control authentication, authorization, and security policies across GeoServer.
| Feature | Description |
|---|---|
| Settings | Manage high-level security system options. |
| Authentication | Configure authentication filters and providers. |
| Passwords | Define password policies for user accounts. |
| Users, Groups, Roles | Manage user accounts, group memberships, and roles. |
| Data | Set data-level access restrictions by workspace or layer. |
| URL Checks | Configure allowed external server URLs. |
| Services | Control access to services and operations. |
| WPS Security | Set security for the processing service. |
Monitor¶
Keep track of server activity and health with monitoring tools.
| Feature | Description |
|---|---|
| Activity | Review recent server events and actions. |
| Reports | Access monitoring reports and analytics. |
Demos¶
This section provides convenient access to sample requests for WMS, WCS, and WFS services, allowing you to explore and test GeoServer’s capabilities firsthand. It also includes a comprehensive list of all Spatial Reference Systems (SRS) recognized by GeoServer.
Additionally, you’ll find a reprojection console to easily convert coordinates between different spatial reference systems, along with an interactive request builder designed specifically for creating and testing WCS requests.
Tools¶
Access additional administrative tools to assist with GeoServer management.
Next up: Learn how to manage users, assign roles, and configure permissions to control access effectively across your GeoServer platform.