> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://help.felt.com/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://help.felt.com/data-sources/data-sources.md).
# Data sources
A **data source** in Felt is a managed, shareable home for datasets that the whole workspace can use. Felt Servers, the Global Library, Cloud sources, and Raster infrastructure sources expose layers that members can preview and add to maps, and carry their own permissions.
{% hint style="info" %}
Data sources are the shareable, persistent sources that appear across the workspace. If you're working with individual files, URLs, spreadsheets, or QGIS projects on a single map, see [Upload Anything.](/upload-anything/files.md)
{% endhint %}
## Data source types
* [**Felt Servers**](/data-sources/felt-servers.md) — Felt-managed workspace catalogs that hold layers you've published from maps. Organized with folders. *Professional includes 1 Felt Server; Enterprise allows unlimited.*
* [**Global Library**](/data-sources/global-library.md) — Curated datasets from Felt — regional boundaries, census, imagery, basemaps. Free to use and free to store.
* [**Cloud sources**](/data-sources/cloud-sources.md) — Live connections to your databases, warehouses, object storage, and OGC/ESRI services. *Enterprise plan.*
* [**Raster infrastructure**](/data-sources/raster-infrastructure.md) — Streaming access to Cloud Optimized GeoTIFFs and STAC catalogs from your own cloud storage. *Enterprise plan.*
## Browsing data sources
You can browse your workspace's data sources from two places:
* **Workspace homepage.** The **Data sources** section on the workspace homepage lists the Global Library and every Felt Server, Cloud source, and Raster infrastructure source in the workspace you're permitted access to.
* **In a map.** Clicking **Data sources**  in the map toolbar opens the same catalog in a dialog, so editors can add layers to the current map without leaving it.
### Searching
The search bar at the top of the library searches **every** source your workspace has access to in a single pass — every folder in every Felt Server, every Cloud source, and the Global Library. Each source also has its own search input scoped to that source only.
### Recent data
The **Recent data** tab at the top of the Data sources list aggregates layers you've recently previewed, added to a map, or published, across every source. It keeps your most-used data a single click away regardless of where it lives.
### Previewing a layer
Click any layer to open the **preview panel** on the right. It has three tabs:
* **Map** — a live preview on a basemap, with styling applied.
* **Table** — the layer's data table, when applicable.
* **Metadata** — name, description, last-updated time, and other information about the dataset.
From the preview panel, click **Add to map** to add it to the map you're viewing, or from the workspace homepage, click **Create map** to start a new map with the layer included.
## Adding a new data source
From the workspace homepage, click **+** next to **Data sources**, or **+ New data source** from the in-map library.
## Sharing and permissions
Every data source is either **private** (invite-only: only people invited by email can use it) or **public** (accessible by everyone in the workspace). For more information, see [Sharing a data source](/sharing-and-collaboration/sharing-a-data-source.md).
The Global Library is visible to every workspace and has no sharing controls.
---
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