A QGIS plugin for browsing and using datasets from a self-hosted GeoLens server. It brings the GeoLens catalog workflow from GeoLibre into QGIS.
This is a community project and is not affiliated with, or endorsed by, any GeoLens vendor.
- Connect to any GeoLens server, with an optional API key for private data.
- Search the catalog and inspect dataset descriptions, types, and feature counts.
- Add vector datasets as signed Mapbox Vector Tile layers with automatic token renewal.
- Add public raster datasets as server-rendered XYZ tile layers.
- Load vector datasets through OGC API Features, optionally clipped to the current map extent.
- Open a dataset's GeoLens metadata page.
- Edit loaded feature layers in QGIS and synchronize creates, updates, and deletes back to GeoLens when the server permits editing.
- Use the public GeoLibre datasets server from the built-in server picker.
Clone the repository and link its plugin directory into your active QGIS profile:
git clone https://github.com/opengeos/qgis-geolens-plugin.git
cd qgis-geolens-plugin
python install.pyRestart QGIS, enable GeoLens in Plugins → Manage and Install Plugins, then open it from Web → GeoLens or the toolbar.
The default Linux profile is ~/.local/share/QGIS/QGIS3/profiles/default/python/plugins. Override it when needed:
python install.py --plugin-dir /path/to/profile/python/plugins- Enter a GeoLens server URL or choose a sample server.
- Enter an API key if the catalog or datasets are private, then click Connect.
- Search and select a dataset.
- Choose Add tiles for scalable viewing, or Add features for attributes and editing.
- For an editable feature layer, commit QGIS edits, select that layer, and click Sync selected GeoLens layer edits.
GeoLens writes are per-feature and are not transactional. The plugin reports partial failures and requires confirmation before deleting server features. API keys are stored only in the local QGIS profile settings and are never written to project layer properties.
Private raster tiles need a QGIS Authentication configuration capable of adding
an X-Api-Key request header. The initial release deliberately does not embed
API keys in raster layer source URLs, because QGIS serializes those URLs into
project files.
The HTTP client has no QGIS dependency, so its tests run with standard Python:
python -m pytest tests -v
python -m compileall -q geolens_qgis
python package_plugin.pyThe generated dist/geolens_qgis-<version>.zip has the directory layout expected by the QGIS Plugin Manager.
geolens_qgis/
├── dialogs/geolens_dock.py # Catalog, layer, and edit-sync panel
├── icons/ # Toolbar and About SVG assets
├── client.py # Dependency-free GeoLens API client
├── plugin.py # QGIS lifecycle, menu, and toolbar integration
├── metadata.txt
└── LICENSE
tests/ # API, package, and PyQt6 import tests
install.py # Cross-platform development installer
package_plugin.py # QGIS repository archive builder
.github/workflows/ # CI and release publishing
CI mirrors the template with pre-commit, Bandit, and PyQt6 smoke-test jobs. Publishing a GitHub release builds and attaches the plugin archive; when QGIS repository credentials are configured, the same workflow uploads it to plugins.qgis.org.
MIT