GeoServer — WFS Service

GetCapabilities #

Retrieves the WFS capabilities document describing the available operations, layers, coordinate reference systems, and output formats.

GET /wfs?service=WFS&version=2.0.0&request=GetCapabilities ▼

Description

Returns an XML document conforming to the OGC Web Feature Service — Part 1: Core specification. This document lists all supported operations, feature types, coordinate reference systems, and output formats.

Parameters

Parameter	Type	Required	Description
service	string	Required	Must be `WFS`
version	string	Required	WFS version: `2.0.0`, `1.1.0`, `1.0.0`
request	string	Required	Must be `GetCapabilities`
acceptFormats	string	Optional	Comma-separated list of output MIME types

Example Response

                                XML
                                200 OK
                            
<wfs:WFS_Capabilities xmlns:wfs="http://www.opengis.net/wfs/2.0">
  <Service>
    <Name>WFS</Name>
    <Title>GeoServer Web Feature Service</Title>
    <Abstract>OGC-compliant WFS 2.0.0 service</Abstract>
    <OnlineResource>https://api.geoserver.io/wfs</OnlineResource>
    <Operations>
      <Operation><Name>GetCapabilities</Name></Operation>
      <Operation><Name>DescribeFeatureType</Name></Operation>
      <Operation><Name>GetFeature</Name></Operation>
      <Operation><Name>Transaction</Name></Operation>
    </Operations>
  </Service>
  <FeatureTypeList>
    <FeatureType>
      <Name>topp:states</Name>
      <Title>US States</Title>
      <CRS>
        <Default>urn:ogc:def:crs:EPSG::4269</Default>
      </CRS>
      <ows:WGS84BoundingBox>
        <LowerCorner>-179.15 24.96</LowerCorner>
        <UpperCorner>-66.96 49.38</UpperCorner>
      </ows:WGS84BoundingBox>
    </FeatureType>
  </FeatureTypeList>
</wfs:WFS_Capabilities>

DescribeFeatureType #

Returns the XML Schema (XSD) definition for one or more feature types, describing their attributes, types, and geometry elements.

GET /wfs?service=WFS&version=2.0.0&request=DescribeFeatureType&typeNames=topp:states ▼

Parameters

Parameter	Type	Required	Description
typeNames	string	Required	Comma-separated list of feature type names (e.g., `topp:states`)
outputFormat	string	Optional	`application/vnd.ogc.wfs_xml` (default), `application/json`

Example Response

                                XML Schema
                                200 OK
                            
<xsd:schema xmlns:topp="http://www.thetagcompany.com"
            xmlns:xsd="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema"
            xmlns:gml="http://www.opengis.net/gml"
            targetNamespace="http://www.thetagcompany.com">
  <xsd:element name="states" type="topp:statesType"/>
  <xsd:complexType name="statesType">
    <xsd:complexContent>
      <xsd:extension base="gml:AbstractFeatureType">
        <xsd:sequence>
          <xsd:element ref="gml:boundedBy"  minOccurs="0"/>
          <xsd:element ref="topp:the_geom" minOccurs="0"/>
          <xsd:element name="STATE_NAME" type="xsd:string"/>
          <xsd:element name="STATE_FIPS" type="xsd:string"/>
          <xsd:element name="STATE_ABBR" type="xsd:string"/>
          <xsd:element name="LAND_KM" type="xsd:double"/>
          <xsd:element name="WATER_KM" type="xsd:double"/>
        </xsd:sequence>
      </xsd:extension>
    </xsd:complexContent>
  </xsd:complexType>
</xsd:schema>

GetFeature #

Retrieves feature data from one or more feature types. Supports attribute filtering, bounding box queries, pagination, and multiple output formats.

GET /wfs?service=WFS&version=2.0.0&request=GetFeature&typeNames=topp:states&outputFormat=application/json ▼

Parameters

Parameter	Type	Required	Description
typeNames	string	Required	Comma-separated feature type names
outputFormat	string	Optional	`application/json`, `application/gml+xml`, `application/vnd.google-earth.kml+xml`, `text/csv`
count	integer	Optional	Maximum number of features to return
startIndex	integer	Optional	Starting index for pagination (default: 0)
bbox	string	Optional	Bounding box filter: `minx,miny,maxx,maxy[,srsName]`
propertyName	string	Optional	Comma-separated list of properties to return
srsName	string	Optional	Coordinate reference system (e.g., `EPSG:4326`)
sortby	string	Optional	Sort features by property (e.g., `STATE_NAME ASC`)
filter	XML	Optional	OGC Filter XML (POST only, use `body` parameter)

Example Response (GeoJSON)

                                JSON
                                200 OK
                            
{"type": "FeatureCollection",
 "features": [
  {
    "type": "Feature",
    "id": "states.1",
    "geometry": {
      "type": "Polygon",
      "coordinates": [[[-156.01, 21.97], [-156.04, 22.07], [-156.81, 22.16], [-157.34, 21.72], [-157.27, 19.05], [-156.56, 18.91], [-155.92, 19.35], [-156.01, 21.97]]]
    },
    "properties": {
      "STATE_NAME": "Hawaii",
      "STATE_FIPS": "15",
      "STATE_ABBR": "HI",
      "LAND_KM": 10932,
      "WATER_KM": 757
    }
  },
  {
    "type": "Feature",
    "id": "states.2",
    "geometry": {
      "type": "MultiPolygon",
      "coordinates": [...]
    },
    "properties": {
      "STATE_NAME": "Alaska",
      "STATE_FIPS": "02",
      "STATE_ABBR": "AK",
      "LAND_KM": 1476848,
      "WATER_KM": 49329
    }
  }
 ],
 "totalFeatures": 52
}

POST /wfs ▼

Description

Use POST for complex queries including OGC Filter expressions, large result sets, or when request URL length exceeds limits. The request body contains the WFS operation as XML.

Example Request Body

                                POST Body — XML
                            
<wfs:GetFeature service="WFS"
              version="2.0.0"
              count="10"
              startIndex="0"
              outputFormat="application/json"
              xmlns:wfs="http://www.opengis.net/wfs/2.0"
              xmlns:swe="http://www.opengis.net/swe/2.0"
              xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance">
  <wfs:Query typeNames="topp:states">
    <ogc:Filter xmlns:ogc="http://www.opengis.net/ogc">
      <ogc:PropertyIsGreaterThan>
        <ogc:PropertyName>LAND_KM</ogc:PropertyName>
        <ogc:Literal>500000</ogc:Literal>
      </ogc:PropertyIsGreaterThan>
    </ogc:Filter>
  </wfs:Query>
</wfs:GetFeature>

Transaction #

Create, update, or delete features. Requires authenticated access with appropriate write permissions.

POST /wfs ▼

Authentication

All transaction operations require authentication. Include an API key in the header:

                                HTTP Header
                            
Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY
Content-Type: application/xml

Insert Example

                                POST Body — Insert
                            
<wfs:Transaction service="WFS"
             version="2.0.0"
             xmlns:wfs="http://www.opengis.net/wfs/2.0"
             xmlns:topp="http://www.thetagcompany.com">
  <wfs:Insert>
    <topp:states>
      <topp:the_geom>
        <gml:Point srsName="EPSG:4326">
          <gml:coordinates>-73.935,40.730</gml:coordinates>
        </gml:Point>
      </topp:the_geom>
      <topp:STATE_NAME>New York</topp:STATE_NAME>
      <topp:STATE_FIPS>36</topp:STATE_FIPS>
    </topp:states>
  </wfs:Insert>
</wfs:Transaction>

Supported Operations

Operation	Description	Auth Required
Insert	Create new features	Yes
Update	Modify existing feature properties	Yes
Delete	Remove features by OGC Filter or feature ID	Yes

Available Feature Types #

All published feature types accessible via this WFS endpoint.

🗺️

topp:states

US State boundaries with demographic attributes

52 features EPSG:4269

🛣️

topp:roads

Road network across Tasmania, Australia

12,847 features EPSG:4326

🏘️

topp:tasmania_towns

Towns and settlements in Tasmania

31 features EPSG:4326

📐

topp:tasmania_state_boundaries

State boundary polygons for Tasmania

1 feature EPSG:4326

Query Builder #

Construct and test WFS GetFeature requests interactively.

⚙️ Build a Query

Feature Type

Output Format

Max Features (count)

Start Index

Properties (comma-separated)

BBox (minx,miny,maxx,maxy)

200 OK (142ms)

Generated URL

Response Preview

Code Examples #

Integrate with GeoServer WFS from your preferred language or framework.

Terminal
# GetCapabilities
curl "https://api.geoserver.io/wfs?service=WFS&version=2.0.0&request=GetCapabilities"

# GetFeature as GeoJSON
curl "https://api.geoserver.io/wfs?service=WFS&version=2.0.0&request=GetFeature&typeNames=topp:states&outputFormat=application/json&count=10"

# Bounding box query
curl "https://api.geoserver.io/wfs?service=WFS&version=2.0.0&request=GetFeature&typeNames=topp:states&bbox=-120,30,-70,50,EPSG:4326&outputFormat=application/json"

# POST with filter
curl -X POST https://api.geoserver.io/wfs \
  -H "Content-Type: application/xml" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY" \
  -d '<wfs:GetFeature...>...</wfs:GetFeature>'

Python
import requests
from owslib.wfs import WebFeatureService

# Using OWSLib
wfs = WebFeatureService(url='https://api.geoserver.io/wfs',
                         version='2.0.0')

# List available layers
for layer in wfs.contents:
    print(layer, wfs[layer].title)

# Query features
response = wfs.getfeature(
    typename=['topp:states'],
    outputFormat='application/json',
    maxfeatures=10
)

import json
features = json.loads(response.read())
for f in features['features']:
    print(f['properties']['STATE_NAME'])

# Using requests directly
url = 'https://api.geoserver.io/wfs'
params = {
    'service': 'WFS',
    'version': '2.0.0',
    'request': 'GetFeature',
    'typeNames': 'topp:states',
    'outputFormat': 'application/json',
    'count': 5
}
r = requests.get(url, params=params)
data = r.json()
print(f"Total: {data['totalFeatures']} features")

JavaScript / Node.js
// Browser fetch
const url = 'https://api.geoserver.io/wfs?service=WFS&version=2.0.0&request=GetFeature&typeNames=topp:states&outputFormat=application/json&count=10';

const response = await fetch(url);
const data = await response.json();

console.log(`Total: ${data.totalFeatures} features`);
data.features.forEach(f => {
    console.log(f.properties.STATE_NAME);
});

// Node.js with axios
const axios = require('axios');

const { data } = await axios.get('https://api.geoserver.io/wfs', {
    params: {
        service: 'WFS',
        version: '2.0.0',
        request: 'GetFeature',
        typeNames: 'topp:states',
        outputFormat: 'application/json',
        count: 10
    }
});

console.log(data.features.length);

Leaflet + GeoJSON
// Add WFS layer to Leaflet map
const map = L.map('map').setView([39.8283, -98.5795], 4);

L.tileLayer('https://{s}.tile.openstreetmap.org/{z}/{x}/{y}.png').addTo(map);

fetch('https://api.geoserver.io/wfs?service=WFS&version=2.0.0&request=GetFeature&typeNames=topp:states&outputFormat=application/json')
    .then(r => r.json())
    .then(data => {
        L.geoJSON(data, {
            style: feature => ({
                fillColor: '#00b4d8',
                color: '#0f4c75',
                weight: 1,
                fillOpacity: 0.4
            }),
            onEachFeature: (feature, layer) => {
                layer.bindPopup(`<strong>${feature.properties.STATE_NAME}</strong><br/>Area: ${feature.properties.LAND_KM.toLocaleString()} km²`);
            }
        }).addTo(map);
    });

Output Formats #

Supported output formats for GetFeature and DescribeFeatureType operations.

Format	MIME Type	GetFeature	DescribeFeatureType	Notes
GeoJSON	application/json	✓	—	Recommended for web applications
GML 3.2	application/gml+xml	✓	✓	OGC standard format (default)
KML	application/vnd.google-earth.kml+xml	✓	—	Compatible with Google Earth
CSV	text/csv	✓	—	Tabular data export
SHAPE-ZIP	application/zip	✓	—	Esri Shapefile archive

Web Feature Service (WFS)

GetCapabilities #

Description

Parameters

Example Response

DescribeFeatureType #

Parameters

Example Response

GetFeature #

Parameters

Example Response (GeoJSON)

Description

Example Request Body

Transaction #

Authentication

Insert Example

Supported Operations

Available Feature Types #

topp:states

topp:roads

topp:tasmania_towns

topp:tasmania_state_boundaries

Query Builder #

⚙️ Build a Query

Code Examples #

Output Formats #