Workspace

A workspace (sometimes referred to as a namespace) is the name for a notional container for grouping similar data together. It is designed to be a separate, isolated space relating to a certain project. Using workspaces, it is possible to use layers with identical names without conflicts.

Workspaces are usually denoted by a prefix to a layer name or store name. For example, a layer called streets with a workspace prefix called nyc would be referred to by nyc:streets. This would not conflict with another layer called streets in another workspace called dc (dc:streets).

Stores and layers must all have an associated workspace. Styles may optionally be associated with a workspace, but can also be global.

Technically, the name of a workspace is a URI, not the short prefix. A URI is a Uniform Resource Identifier, which is similar to a URL, but does not need to resolve to a web site. In the above example, the full workspace could have been http://nyc in which case the full layer name would be http://nyc:streets. GeoServer intelligently replaces the workspace prefix with the full workspace URI, but it can be useful to know the difference.

Creating a new workspace

In this section we are going to create a new workspace called momo.

• Navigate to Data ❭ Workspaces.
• Click Add new workspace and enter the following:
  • Name: momo
  • Namespace URI: http://localhost:80/momo
  • Default Workspace: checked
• Click Submit

The workspace has been created and is now active. The green check mark indicates that the workspace is the default one.