QGIS Layer Viewer is a lightweight, serverless web map viewer that reads QGIS Layer Definition files (.qlr) and GeoJSON data directly in the browser, rendering them on an OpenLayers map with styling that closely matches the original QGIS project — including categorized and graduated symbology, dash patterns, glow effects, SVG markers, labels, and map tips.
You can access the live application at the following link:
https://geo.edesma.org/qgisviewer/index.html
You can also install the application on your own server by downloading the HTML and JavaScript files.
Download
About the code shared here
Everything I publish here is shared freely under the MIT license: use it, adapt it, improve it. I only ask that if you redistribute it, you keep a mention of its origin.
© 2025 Eduardo Escalona — https://geo.edesma.org/blog/
That said, the code is provided as is. I have tested it in my own projects, but I cannot guarantee it will work in every environment or that it is free of bugs. Use it with good judgment, and if you find something to improve, feedback is always welcome!
To deploy it, simply copy two files to any static web server.
Download here: QGISLayerViewer_1.0.0.zip
Note: Version May 30, 2026.
Sample Data
Use the link below to download a compressed file (.zip) with sample data to explore the application:
https://geo.edesma.org/qgisviewer/QGIS-Layer-Viewer-Data.zip
The table below describes the included files and the corresponding drag-and-drop interface option for each one.
| File | Interface | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Bicycle Ramps.geojson Bicycle Ramps.qlr | GeoJSON + QLR | data.denvergov.org * |
| Denver Neighborhoods.geojson Denver Neighborhoods.qlr | GeoJSON + QLR | data.denvergov.org * |
| Neighborhood Commute Bike-Walk (%).geojson Neighborhood Commute Bike-Walk (%).qlr | GeoJSON + QLR | U.S. Census |
| Neighborhood.qlr | QLR + web URL | data.denvergov.org * |
| Denver Facilities.geojson Denver Facilities.qlr | GeoJSON + QLR | OpenStreetMap |
| Pub Transp (%).geojson Pub Transp (%).qlr | GeoJSON + QLR | U.S. Census |
| Denver-Facilities-Web-Geojson.qlr | QLR + web URL | data.denvergov.org * |
| Denver Bicycle Facilities.qlr | QLR + web URL | data.denvergov.org * |
* Data obtained from the “Trail Access Points For Public Webmap” application, hosted in the ArcGIS Online organization of the City and County of Denver (item ID: 6dd3790764ec4dd1abc2689ff553f95c). Credit: City of Denver Open Data Catalog (http://data.denvergov.org). License: CC BY 3.0 — http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/.