Layer groups are workspace-scoped, ordered map compositions shared by WMS, WMTS, and OGC API - Tiles. A group can contain published feature layers, coverages, or nested groups. It is a map resource only: it does not become an OGC API feature collection or a vector-tile layer.
Use a layer group when clients should see several layers as one map. Typical examples are a base map made of terrain, roads, and labels, or a thematic map that always shows the same layers in the same order. Clients then request one layer name instead of assembling the stack themselves, and the whole group can be served and cached as one WMTS or OGC API Tiles tileset.
In the console
Open Layer groups in the workspace and choose Create group. Give the group a public ID and title, then add members. Members draw in list order, so put background layers first. Each member can have its own style and opacity. Set public and enabled as for any publication.
The console rejects a group that contains itself, directly or through another group. In Preview, a group shows the legends of its members.
With the management API
curl -X POST http://localhost:9000/api/v1/workspaces/acme/layer-groups \
-H "Authorization: Bearer $TOKEN" -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-d '{
"public_id":"base-map",
"title":"Base map",
"enabled":true,
"members":[
{"resource":"terrain","style":"terrain"},
{"resource":"roads","style":"roads","opacity":0.85,"composite":"multiply"}
]
}'The endpoints support list, create, get, update, and delete at /api/v1/workspaces/{workspace}/layer-groups. An identifier must not collide with another workspace resource, including a disabled one. All referenced resources/styles must exist. Updates reject cycles and nesting beyond WMS.MaxGroupDepth; renaming or directly deleting a referenced resource/group is rejected. Service deletion reports these references in its default 409 dependency response. Explicit ?recurse=true service deletion removes the complete transitive closure of groups that would otherwise contain a dangling member.
Group visibility is the intersection of the group’s own public/allowed_roles policy and every member’s policy, so a group cannot disclose a restricted child. An alternate group style may contain a NamedLayer for each child. A requested group style is resolved independently for every expanded member.
Member opacity defaults to 1. Blend modes require the server and workspace compositing extension. Changes increment the group tile generation, making old persistent cache entries unreachable without destructive cache clearing.
Adapted from neoserver’s source documentation . Maintained independently for this website.