A map placeholder helps you evaluate layout before integrating a location service. It can answer whether a card is too tall, whether a label has enough space and whether nearby buttons are easy to use. It cannot validate an address, a route, a journey time or a service area.
Start with the space the map will occupy
| Example layout | Starting dimensions | Check |
|---|---|---|
| Compact location card | 600 × 400 | Address and action buttons remain visible below the image. |
| Wide contact section | 1200 × 400 | The map does not dominate the contact details on mobile. |
| Square dashboard tile | 600 × 600 | Nearby controls and captions still align at narrow widths. |
These are starting points, not device requirements. The generator accepts widths and heights from 100 to 2,000 pixels.
Reuse a seed when comparing layouts
Keep the seed and style fixed when comparing two layouts. AnyPlaceholder selects a pre-generated fictional city from a finite collection, then crops and resizes it. Different seeds can select the same city; increasing the seed does not create an unlimited number of new maps. Changing the aspect ratio can change the crop.
<img
src="https://anyplaceholder.com/api/map?width=600&height=400&seed=42&scheme=Paper&format=jpg"
width="600" height="400"
alt="Fictional map for a layout prototype"
style="width: 100%; height: auto;"
>Choose a file format
JPEG is the default. PNG is useful when you want lossless edges; WebP is another raster option. Large map responses may fall back to JPEG to fit the service response limit, so use the response Content-Type or the downloaded file extension rather than assuming that the requested format was returned. This map endpoint does not provide SVG.
Label the placeholder clearly
Place a visible “Fictional map — layout preview” caption near the image when sharing a mockup with others. Do not put a real business name or a route instruction on a fictional map as if it were accurate. A screen reader description should also make the purpose clear when the image conveys information.
Before replacing it with a live map
- Verify the real location and the mapping provider’s usage terms.
- Test keyboard navigation, mobile controls and an accessible text address.
- Handle a blocked or unavailable map without hiding the contact details.
- Remove the fictional-map caption only after replacing the image with verified real information.
Map artwork is generated using ProbableTrain MapGenerator. See the API reference for the current supported options.