Discover and publish PostGIS layers

Discover the store

After connecting PostGIS, choose Discover and publish layers in the workspace guide, or open Layers → Add layer.

Select sample-postgis and choose Discover layers.
Clear any unwanted selections and choose public.places.
Set Public ID to places and Title to Places.
Choose Publish 1 layer.

Layer discovery dialog with public.places selected for publication as places — Only the selected datasets become publications. Keep public identifiers stable for clients.

The completion dialog provides Preview, Connect a client, and Manage access actions. Choose Done to return to the catalog.

Choose public IDs carefully

The public ID is the name clients use. It becomes the collection ID in OGC API Features and OGC API Tiles, the layer name in WMS and WMTS, and the feature type in WFS. Pick short, lowercase names that describe the data rather than the source table, such as buildings instead of public.bldg_v2. Once clients use a public ID, keep it stable, even if the table behind it changes.

To publish a query instead of a whole table, choose Add SQL view on the store. Validation runs the query with a 10-second limit, and you then select a Feature ID column with a stable, unique, non-null value. SQL views are always read-only. See SQL views and security.

Confirm the publication

Open Layers. The places row confirms that the dataset reached the catalog. Restricted means it is private, not that publication failed.

Layers catalog listing the places publication with restricted access — Publication and client access are separate decisions.

Choose Preview on the row. The default GeoJSON preview works with OGC API Features without requiring WMS. Use Fit if the features are outside the current view.

Edit or unpublish

Use the row’s actions menu to edit publication settings, connect a client, or unpublish. Expand Advanced publication settings for spatial, raster, style, or cache options. On narrower screens, the catalog presents cards and puts the same actions in a single menu.

Unpublishing removes the publication from the catalog; do not assume it deletes the original database table or file. Check dependent groups and other references before deletion.

Continue with styles and map preview or client connections.