You can share your map or selected map layers as a web layer. You can also share stand-alone tables. There are seven web layer types that can be shared from ArcGIS Pro: feature, tile, vector tile, map image, imagery, scene, and elevation. Feature, tile, vector tile, map image, and imagery layers share 2D data, while scene and elevation layers share 3D data. Tables share attribute data and are listed with the other layer types below.
When you share a web layer, a service is published and exposed through the web layer. Depending on the layer type and how it is configured, an ArcGIS Server service or a hosted service is published.
To share any content from ArcGIS Pro, you must have an account that is part of an ArcGIS organization that has the privileges to create, update, and delete content. The sharing of web layers requires additional privileges that vary depending on the layer type and how it's configured. If an ArcGIS Server service will be published, the privilege to publish a server-based layer is required. If a hosted service will be published, the privilege to publish the corresponding hosted layer is required.
When an ArcGIS Server service will be published, you can specify the federated server where the service will be published. To publish an ArcGIS Server service, access to the admin API must be possible through either the federated server's administration URL or services URL.
Before sharing a web layer, analyze your GIS resource to identify potential performance delays and errors. For more information, see Analyze your GIS resource.
During the sharing process, the web layer data is consolidated and prepared in a staging folder on a local drive. You can use the default staging folder or choose a different folder in the Share and download options.
You can continue to work with ArcGIS Pro while your sharing job is processing. You can even close ArcGIS Pro. You can monitor the status of your sharing job in the Job Status pane.
You can use Python and geoprocessing tools to automate sharing web layers.
Layer types
A number of factors should be considered when determining the layer type to share, including how the layer will be used and whether your source data is accessible to the server.
| Layer type | Description |
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| Supports feature querying, visualization, and editing. Feature layers are appropriate for visualizing vector data on top of your basemaps. When sharing a feature layer that copies all data to ArcGIS Enterprise, the service will always be published to your hosting server. When sharing a feature layer that references registered data to ArcGIS Enterprise, it's shared as a dependent layer to a map image layer. A feature layer exposes a feature service. | |
Supports fast map visualization using a collection of predrawn map images or tiles. These tiles are created and stored on the server after you upload your data. Web tile layers are appropriate for basemaps. When sharing a tile layer to ArcGIS Enterprise, the service will always be published to your hosting server. A tile layer exposes a hosted, cached map service. | |
Supports fast map visualization using a collection of predrawn vector tiles. Although these tiles do not support raster data, they can adapt to the resolution of their display device and be restyled for multiple uses. When sharing a vector tile layer that references registered data to ArcGIS Enterprise, it's shared as a dependent layer to a map image layer and web feature layer. The service will always be published to your hosting server. A vector tile layer exposes a vector tile service. | |
Supports map visualization and feature querying. Map image layers can be drawn dynamically by the server or from tiles. Map image layers can only be shared to ArcGIS Enterprise. Map image layers can reference datasets in workspaces that have been registered with your federated server. When sharing a map image layer, the service can be published to any server that has been federated with the portal to which you have access. Additional layers and capabilities can be enabled; for more information, see Additional layers and capabilities. A map image layer exposes a dynamic or cached map service. | |
Supports querying and visualization of point, 3D object, building, point cloud, integrated mesh, and voxel data. When sharing a scene layer to ArcGIS Enterprise, the scene service will always be published to your hosting server. 3D object, building, and point scene layers can have an associated feature service that allows you to edit the scene layer. A scene layer exposes a cached scene service. | |
Supports visualization, metadata, mensuration, and image processing to display data as a basemap or the results of analysis. Imagery layers can be shared to any server federated with ArcGIS Enterprise. An imagery layer exposes a dynamic or cached image service. | |
Supports visualization, metadata, mensuration, and image processing of elevation data sources in the ground surface of a scene. The elevation layer is used in web scenes to display 3D content on a custom elevation surface. When sharing an elevation layer to ArcGIS Enterprise that is cached locally, the service will always be published to your hosting server. When cached on the server, the service can be published to any server federated with ArcGIS Enterprise. An elevation layer exposes a cached image service that uses a LERC compression tiling scheme. | |
Supports viewing, filtering, and editing of table attributes. A stand-alone table exposes a feature service. |
Depending on your active portal, different layer types are available to share. Some layer types require packages to be created and uploaded depending on the active portal and the type of data being shared.
Layer types by active portal
| Active portal | Feature layer | Tile layer | Vector tile layer | Map image layer | Scene layer—3D Object | Scene layer—Points | Scene layer—Point cloud | Scene layer—Building | Scene layer—Integrated mesh | Scene layer—Voxel | Imagery layer | Elevation layer | Stand-alone table |
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| ArcGIS Enterprise 10.5 through 10.6.1 |
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Select the layer type
When selecting the layer type, consider the following:
- If the layer will be used for editing workflows, select feature layer.
- If the data changes regularly and will not be used for editing workflows, select map image layer.
- If the data changes semiregularly, select map image layer and configure it to display using tiles from a cache.
- If the data is static vector data and will only be used for visualization, select vector tile layer.
- If the data is static raster data and will only be used for visualization, select tile layer.
- If you will be changing the visualization of your raster dataset dynamically on the client, share an imagery layer.
- If you need open source formats, select map image layer and include an associated WMS layer.
Reference registered data sources
If your active portal is an ArcGIS Enterprise portal, you can choose to share a web layer that references registered data or copies all data. Sharing to Portal for ArcGIS 10.4 and later also has these data options. If you want your web layer to reference data from data sources that are registered with your federated server, choose a layer type under Reference registered data. For more information on data registration, see Register your data with ArcGIS Server.
If you do not want the web layer to have access to the registered data source, choose a layer type under Copy all data. These layer types either use data copied to the server or drawn from caches on the hosting server. Web feature layers, web tile layers cached on the server, and map image layers will copy all layers in the map to the server, including registered data. Web tile layers and vector tile layers cached locally will upload a tile package to your portal.
A map image layer must be included to reference registered data. Map image layers are automatically included when you choose a layer type under Reference registered data.
- When sharing a map image layer that references registered data, the data source of each layer must be registered with the selected federated server. Layers with unregistered data sources will be copied as a file geodatabase onto the server.
Note:
If you choose to share a map image layer that copies all data instead, all data will be copied as a file geodatabase onto the server, including data from registered data sources.
- When sharing a feature layer that references registered data, all layers must have the same enterprise database as their data source. The database must be registered with the selected federated server. Edits made to your web feature layer and to your source data will be reflected in the source data and the web layer.
Note:
If you choose to share a feature layer that copies all data instead, all layers will be copied into your hosting server's managed database.
- When sharing a vector tile layer that references registered data, any registered data sources will be referenced by the map image layer. Edits made to the associated feature layer will be reflected in the vector tile layer when tiles are rebuilt for edited areas.
Legacy:
The following applies when sharing to Portal for ArcGIS 10.4.1 and earlier:
When the publisher's machine and the server are working with different geodatabases as the registered data source, referencing the registered data is not supported. If the publisher's machine and the server are working with different folders as the registered data source, referencing the registered data is supported.
Data sources can be registered with the portal's federated server before sharing; this can be done in the Manage registered data stores pane. For more information, see Manage registered data stores. Data sources can also be registered in the sharing pane by resolving analyzer warnings 24011 and 24012 or by resolving analyzer errors 00231 and 00232.
Decide on the data type
Consider the following when determining whether to share a web layer that references registered data or copies all data:
- If you want edits to your web layer or enterprise data to be dynamically displayed in the web layer and the source data, choose a layer type under Reference registered data.
- If your data source is registered with the federated server but you don't want the layer to reference your source data, choose a layer type under Copy all data. Your data will be copied to the server.
- If your active portal is ArcGIS Enterprise 10.5 or Portal for ArcGIS 10.4.1 or earlier and you will be using Collector or other sync-based workflows, share a web layer that copies all data. Feature layers that reference registered data sources do not support sync or export.
Assign layer IDs
In ArcGIS Pro, you can share a map containing multiple layers (and standalone tables) as a web layer or service. When you share a web feature layer, map image layer, web tile layer, or map service, the layers in your map become service sublayers. Each sublayer is identified by a unique numeric ID that allows you to work with it or reference it in a web map or application. For example, you can reference a service sublayer by URL: https://<service-url>/<layerID>.
As a best practice, manually assign layer IDs prior to publishing if you intend to overwrite the web layer or service in the future. Otherwise, service sublayer IDs can potentially change when the web layer or service is overwritten, causing disconnects in web applications that reference the service sublayer.
Web layer metadata
You can share an entire map, a selection of layers, a group layer, or a single layer as a web layer from ArcGIS Pro. Both the web layer and the sublayers of the service exposed by the web layer can store metadata. The type of web layer selected will determine if only the web layer or both the web layer and the sublayers store metadata.
Automate sharing web layers
You can automate sharing and updating web layers with Python using a combination of ArcPy functions and geoprocessing tools in the Publishing toolset.