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Publishing a Layer

Now that we've successfully connected to the store, the next step is to publish a layer so that it becomes available for use within GeoServer. Publishing a layer makes your data accessible for styling, previewing, and sharing with clients or other applications.


Step 1: Access Creation Page

To begin publishing, we first need to open the layer creation page in GeoServer.

  1. On the New Layer page, locate the ne_110m_coastline layer.

  2. Under Actions, click Publish.

  3. The Edit Layer page will open, where you can configure the layer’s settings.


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You can also access the New Layer page by navigating to Data → Layers → Add New Layer.


New Layer Page
Image credit: GeoServer


Step 2: Publish Layer

Now it’s time to make your data available as a layer in GeoServer.

  1. On the Edit Layer page, fill in the required details:

    Field Value
    Name ne_110m_coastline
    Title ne_110m_coastline


  2. In the Bounding Boxes section, click:

    • Compute from data
    • Compute from native bounds


  3. Click Apply to save your progress without closing the page.

  4. From the top of the page, click the Publishing tab.

  5. Under WMS Settings, set the Default Style to line.

  6. Click Save to finalize and publish your layer.


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While GeoServer lets you choose flexible names, many external systems prefer simple, standard layer names to avoid compatibility issues.


Edit Layer Page
Image credit: GeoServer


Step 3: Preview Layer

Once your layer is published, you can check that everything is working correctly by previewing it in GeoServer.

  1. In the left-hand menu, under the Data section, click Layer Preview.

  2. Find the ne_110m_coastline layer.

  3. In the Common Formats column, click OpenLayers.


An OpenLayers map will open in a new tab, showing your shapefile data with the default line style. You can zoom, pan, and click on features to view their attributes.


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To quickly locate the layer, type manual in the search field.


Preview Layer
Image credit: GeoServer


Next up: Learn how to publish and manage a raster dataset using GeoServer, unlocking powerful visualization of continuous spatial data.