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Pannellum
What it is
Pannellum is a free, open-source panorama viewer for the web, built with HTML5, CSS3, JavaScript and WebGL. It displays equirectangular, partial, cubic and multi-resolution panoramas, with hot spots, tours, compass headings and video support. WebGL and CSS 3D renderers are available, and the viewer is listed at 21kB gzipped. It can run standalone or be embedded through an iframe or JavaScript API. As static content, Pannellum can be hosted on virtually any web server, with a CDN offered for low-to-medium traffic sites. Downloads include a minified standalone viewer and a separate source package with utilities and some documentation. Google Photo Sphere XMP metadata is read automatically when present in equirectangular images. Configuration supports translated interface strings and custom hot spot links, handlers and tooltips. HTML escaping helps mitigate possible DOM XSS attacks; it is always enabled in the standalone viewer and defaults to false for the API. The project uses the MIT License.
For and against
For
- Free and open source under MIT License
- Supports four panorama formats
- Standalone, iframe and JavaScript API options
- Hot spots, tours and video support
- Static hosting and CDN availability
Against
- Preferably limit equirectangular images to 4096 pixels
- API HTML escaping defaults to false
- Requires appropriate graphics drivers for listed browser support
The verdict
Pannellum offers a compact, flexible way to add panorama viewing to websites. Its format support, embedding choices and customization options make it suitable for developers managing their own hosting.
Who it suits
It suits developers who need a self-hosted or embeddable panorama viewer with multiple panorama formats and customizable controls. It is available through API, self-hosted and web platforms.
Plans and prices
Free
free and open-source viewer · self-hosted deployment
Read 14 Oct 2026 · pannellum.org
Pannellum
Free and open source · MIT License
Read 4 Oct 2026 · pannellum.org
On the record
- Academic publication
- The Journal of Open Source Software paper was submitted on 2019-07-16 and published on 2019-08-31.theoj.org · read 14 Oct 2026
- Academic review outcome
- The JOSS review issue records the software paper as accepted and published for version 2.5.3.github.com · read 14 Oct 2026
- API surface
- The API documents viewer and renderer controls including scene loading, hotspot management, orientation, fullscreen, movement and event listeners.pannellum.org · read 14 Oct 2026
- Browser requirements
- The feature page lists full support for Firefox 23+, Chrome 24+, Safari 8+, Internet Explorer 11+ and Edge with suitable graphics drivers.pannellum.org · read 14 Oct 2026
- Browser support
- The features page lists full support for Firefox 23+, Chrome 24+, Safari 8+, Internet Explorer 11+, and Edge, with appropriate graphics drivers.pannellum.org · read 4 Oct 2026
- CDN files
- The download page provides pannellum.htm plus jsDelivr URLs for pannellum.js and pannellum.css.pannellum.org · read 14 Oct 2026
- Company structure
- The project identifies Matthew Petroff as its developer rather than naming a software company.pannellum.org · read 14 Oct 2026
- Compass
- Compass headings are listed as a built-in feature.pannellum.org · read 14 Oct 2026
- Configuration
- Viewer settings can be supplied through URL parameters or a JSON configuration file.pannellum.org · read 14 Oct 2026
- Customization
- Configuration options include user-facing string translation and custom hot spot links, handlers, and tooltip functions.pannellum.org · read 4 Oct 2026
- Documentation depth
- The project publishes an overview, tutorials, examples, configuration reference and API reference.pannellum.org · read 14 Oct 2026
- Downloads
- The download page offers a minified standalone viewer and a separate source code download with utilities and some documentation.pannellum.org · read 4 Oct 2026
- Embedding
- Pannellum can run standalone, inside an iframe, or through its JavaScript API.pannellum.org · read 14 Oct 2026
- Extensibility
- The published paper says external code can add custom controls and connect the viewer to other page elements such as maps.theoj.org · read 14 Oct 2026
- Framework support
- The project describes itself as framework-free.pannellum.org · read 14 Oct 2026
- Hosting
- Pannellum is static content that can be hosted on virtually any web server, and a CDN is provided for low-to-medium traffic sites.pannellum.org · read 4 Oct 2026
- Hosting model
- Because the distribution is static content, it can be placed on nearly any web server; an official CDN is also provided.pannellum.org · read 14 Oct 2026
- Hotspots and tours
- Hotspots can show information and connect multiple panoramas into virtual tours.pannellum.org · read 14 Oct 2026
