What was gMap?

gMap was a jQuery plugin created by Sebastian Poręba to embed Google Maps in a website with a small configuration object. It wrapped version 3 of the Google Maps JavaScript API and handled common setup such as centring the map, geocoding an address and adding markers.

The original project described its purpose simply: keep the integration code clean and make a Google map easy to create without first learning the full Maps API.

It allowed developers to:

  • set the initial centre, zoom level and map type;
  • set minimum and maximum zoom levels;
  • add multiple markers with custom icons, popups and titles;
  • position markers by coordinates or by a geocoded address;
  • configure built-in and custom map controls;
  • retrieve the underlying map object for more advanced work.
Preserved reference

Read the documentation

Installation, configuration options, markers, controls and callbacks.

 Historical patterns

Browse the examples

Static code examples retained for understanding existing integrations.

 Authoritative source

View the GitHub repository

The surviving source code, release tags and MIT licence.

Original basic usage

The following pattern is preserved as a reading aid for old code. It depends on jQuery, the legacy gMap plugin and an obsolete Google Maps loading pattern, so it should not be copied into a new project.

archive · basic gMap configuration

$('#map').gMap({
  address: 'Kraków, Poland',
  zoom: 12,
  markers: [
    {
      address: 'Kraków, Poland',
      html: 'We are here'
    }
  ]
});

The historical minimum example was even shorter:

$('#map').gMap({ address: 'Kraków, Poland', zoom: 12 });

Should I use it today?

No. gMap was designed around jQuery and an older Google Maps JavaScript API integration model. Modern projects should use the current Google Maps JavaScript API directly or choose a maintained mapping library such as Leaflet or MapLibre GL JS.

If you encounter gMap in an existing site, treat this archive as a map of the old configuration rather than as current installation instructions. The underlying options — centre, zoom, map type, markers and callbacks — can all be translated to maintained APIs.

Versions and provenance

The original /gmap page was captured by the Internet Archive in 2011. At that time it documented the 3.2.0 stable release and a 3.3.0 alpha. The latest source file that survives in the author's repository identifies itself as jQuery gMap v3.3.3, dated 27 December 2012.

The public repository at github.com/fridek/gmap is the authoritative surviving source. It credits Sebastian Poręba as the author and includes the code under the MIT licence. GitHub does not label the repository as archived, but its last recorded push was on 14 November 2013; there is no evidence of current maintenance.

The older Google Maps API v2 plugin was a separate predecessor associated with Cedric Kastner. This archive covers the SmashingLabs version for Google Maps API v3.

Why this page remains online

SmashingLabs published gMap at this address and many developer sites linked here. Restoring the original path is more useful and more honest than redirecting those links to an unrelated homepage. The historical material is clearly labelled, unsafe live dependencies are not loaded, and the surviving source is linked for verification.

Archive basis: the 2011 captures of /gmap and /gmap/documentation, plus the surviving fridek/gmap repository. Editorial review: 3 August 2026.