Download Data from Any GIS Web Service — ArcGIS, WFS, OGC API Features
Paste the URL of a public GIS web service and download its features as GeoJSON, Shapefile, KML, GeoPackage, or CSV. Every tool runs entirely in your browser — the service is queried directly from your device, no proxy, no upload to our servers.
What is a GIS web service?
A GIS web service exposes vector geospatial data over HTTP. Instead of shipping static files, the data publisher runs a server that accepts a query (which layer, which fields, which area, which attribute filter) and returns just the matching features. Clients like QGIS, ArcGIS Pro, and these tools speak the service's protocol to fetch exactly the slice of data they need.
There are four widely deployed protocols for vector web services, and this set of tools covers all of them:
ArcGIS REST Feature Services and Map Services are the Esri formats, published by ArcGIS Online and ArcGIS Enterprise. OGC WFS (Web Feature Service) is the long-established OGC standard served by GeoServer, MapServer, and QGIS Server. OGC API - Features is the modern REST-first successor to WFS, now served by pygeoapi, ldproxy, GeoServer 2.20+, and ArcGIS Enterprise.
All four tools share the same browser-side pipeline: probe the service for its schema, let you pick fields and attribute filters, optionally filter by a bounding box you draw on a map, preview the first ten features, then page through the service and convert the merged result to your chosen output format with GDAL-WebAssembly.
Common use cases
One-off data export
Grab a layer from a public service as a Shapefile or GeoJSON without writing code or opening QGIS.
Clip to your study area
Pull only the features inside a bounding box you draw on the map — avoids dragging down a national dataset when you only need a city.
Attribute-filtered subsets
Download "all land parcels where zoning = commercial" or "monitoring stations since 2020" directly from the service.
Offline GIS prep
Snapshot a live web service into a portable GeoPackage or FlatGeobuf for analysis without an internet connection.
Format conversion pipeline
Pull from a service and write straight to KML for Google Earth, CSV for spreadsheets, or GPX for handheld GPS units.
Data integration
Feed a live service into a downstream tool that only accepts local files — each tool here is the fastest way to get that file.
How to use
- 1
Pick the tool matching your service — ArcGIS FeatureServer, ArcGIS MapServer, OGC WFS, or OGC API - Features.
- 2
Paste the service URL. The tool probes its metadata endpoint and shows you the available layers and their fields.
- 3
Choose a layer (if the service has several), pick which fields you want in the output, and build any attribute filters.
- 4
Optionally draw a bounding box on the map to restrict the spatial extent.
- 5
Preview the first 10 features to sanity-check your query, then click Fetch & download to page through the full result and save it in your chosen format.
Supported service types
| Service type | How to recognise it |
|---|---|
| ArcGIS Feature Service | URLs ending in /FeatureServer. The Esri vector-data protocol, native to ArcGIS Online. |
| ArcGIS Map Service | URLs ending in /MapServer. Legacy Esri service — only its queryable Feature Layers are downloadable. |
| OGC WFS | URLs like .../geoserver/wfs. The XML-based OGC standard. Server must support GeoJSON output. |
| OGC API - Features | REST-first successor to WFS. Paste the landing page, /collections, or a single collection URL. |
Frequently asked questions
How is this different from downloading a file?
A file is a static snapshot. A web service is a live query interface — you can ask the server for only the fields, area, or attribute values you need, instead of pulling a whole country when you want a neighbourhood. The tools here translate that query into the service's protocol on your behalf.
Do my queries or data go through your servers?
No. Every tool runs entirely in the browser. Your browser calls the public web service directly; QuickMapTools only sees the URL you paste. The fetched features are converted into your chosen output format in-browser using GDAL-WebAssembly.
Why do some services fail with a CORS error?
Browsers only allow cross-origin HTTP calls when the target server sends explicit CORS headers. ArcGIS Online and most public open-data portals do; many private ArcGIS Enterprise, GeoServer, and pygeoapi deployments don't. That's a server-side setting — ask the administrator to allow requests from https://www.quickmaptools.com.
Which tool do I use for which URL?
URLs ending in /FeatureServer or /FeatureServer/<n> → ArcGIS Feature Service tool. URLs ending in /MapServer or /MapServer/<n> → ArcGIS Map Service tool. URLs containing ?service=WFS or ending in /geoserver/wfs, /ows → WFS tool. URLs ending in /collections, /collections/<id>, or that are the landing page of an OGC API - Features server → OGC API - Features tool.
Is there a limit on how many features I can download?
Each tool has a default 5000-feature cap to protect your browser; you can raise it. Very large services should be filtered spatially (draw a bounding box) or by attribute to keep response time and memory use reasonable. Under the hood the tool pages the service automatically so you are not limited by its per-request maxRecordCount.
What format should I download to?
GeoJSON for web maps, Shapefile for legacy desktop GIS (ZIP), GeoPackage for any modern QGIS/GDAL pipeline, KML for Google Earth, CSV for non-geospatial tools (point data only), or FlatGeobuf for large datasets where fast random access matters.
Do these tools support editing or uploading data back to the service?
No — this is a download-only toolchain. Editing a Feature Service or transactional WFS requires authentication and credentials we deliberately do not handle. Use ArcGIS Pro, QGIS, or the service provider's editor for edits.