diff --git a/src/main.js b/src/main.js
index cbb8cc2f1..eb6060621 100644
--- a/src/main.js
+++ b/src/main.js
@@ -8,6 +8,7 @@ import { fileURLToPath } from 'url';
 import request from 'request';
 import { server } from './server.js';
 import MBTiles from '@mapbox/mbtiles';
+import { isValidHttpUrl } from './utils.js';
 import {
   PMtilesOpen,
   PMtilesClose,
@@ -91,12 +92,18 @@ const startWithinputFile = async (inputFile) => {
     `[INFO] See documentation to learn how to create config.json file.`,
   );
 
-  inputFile = path.resolve(process.cwd(), inputFile);
+  let inputFilePath;
+  if (isValidHttpUrl(inputFile)) {
+    inputFilePath = process.cwd();
+  } else {
+    inputFile = path.resolve(process.cwd(), inputFile);
+    inputFilePath = path.dirname(inputFile);
 
-  const inputFileStats = fs.statSync(inputFile);
-  if (!inputFileStats.isFile() || inputFileStats.size === 0) {
-    console.log(`ERROR: Not a valid input file: ${inputFile}`);
-    process.exit(1);
+    const inputFileStats = fs.statSync(inputFile);
+    if (!inputFileStats.isFile() || inputFileStats.size === 0) {
+      console.log(`ERROR: Not a valid input file: `);
+      process.exit(1);
+    }
   }
 
   const styleDir = path.resolve(
@@ -110,8 +117,8 @@ const startWithinputFile = async (inputFile) => {
         root: styleDir,
         fonts: 'fonts',
         styles: 'styles',
-        mbtiles: path.dirname(inputFile),
-        pmtiles: path.dirname(inputFile),
+        mbtiles: inputFilePath,
+        pmtiles: inputFilePath,
       },
     },
     styles: {},
@@ -132,9 +139,15 @@ const startWithinputFile = async (inputFile) => {
       metadata.format === 'pbf' &&
       metadata.name.toLowerCase().indexOf('openmaptiles') > -1
     ) {
-      config['data'][`v3`] = {
-        pmtiles: path.basename(inputFile),
-      };
+      if (isValidHttpUrl(inputFile)) {
+        config['data'][`v3`] = {
+          pmtiles: inputFile,
+        };
+      } else {
+        config['data'][`v3`] = {
+          pmtiles: path.basename(inputFile),
+        };
+      }
 
       const styles = fs.readdirSync(path.resolve(styleDir, 'styles'));
       for (const styleName of styles) {
@@ -153,9 +166,15 @@ const startWithinputFile = async (inputFile) => {
       console.log(
         `WARN: PMTiles not in "openmaptiles" format. Serving raw data only...`,
       );
-      config['data'][(metadata.id || 'pmtiles').replace(/[?/:]/g, '_')] = {
-        pmtiles: path.basename(inputFile),
-      };
+      if (isValidHttpUrl(inputFile)) {
+        config['data'][(metadata.id || 'pmtiles').replace(/[?/:]/g, '_')] = {
+          pmtiles: inputFile,
+        };
+      } else {
+        config['data'][(metadata.id || 'pmtiles').replace(/[?/:]/g, '_')] = {
+          pmtiles: path.basename(inputFile),
+        };
+      }
     }
 
     if (opts.verbose) {
@@ -166,6 +185,10 @@ const startWithinputFile = async (inputFile) => {
 
     return startServer(null, config);
   } else {
+    if (isValidHttpUrl(inputFile)) {
+      console.log(`ERROR: MBTiles does not support web based files: `);
+      process.exit(1);
+    }
     const instance = new MBTiles(inputFile + '?mode=ro', (err) => {
       if (err) {
         console.log('ERROR: Unable to open MBTiles.');
diff --git a/src/pmtiles_adapter.js b/src/pmtiles_adapter.js
index 72891e44f..af4f3846f 100644
--- a/src/pmtiles_adapter.js
+++ b/src/pmtiles_adapter.js
@@ -1,5 +1,6 @@
 import fs from 'node:fs';
 import PMTiles from 'pmtiles';
+import { isValidHttpUrl } from './utils.js';
 
 const PMTilesFileSource = class {
   constructor(fd) {
@@ -122,19 +123,3 @@ const ArrayBufferToBuffer = (array_buffer) => {
   }
   return buffer;
 };
-
-/**
- *
- * @param string
- */
-function isValidHttpUrl(string) {
-  let url;
-
-  try {
-    url = new URL(string);
-  } catch (_) {
-    return false;
-  }
-
-  return url.protocol === 'http:' || url.protocol === 'https:';
-}
diff --git a/src/serve_data.js b/src/serve_data.js
index 915795d2a..d33025789 100644
--- a/src/serve_data.js
+++ b/src/serve_data.js
@@ -10,7 +10,7 @@ import MBTiles from '@mapbox/mbtiles';
 import Pbf from 'pbf';
 import { VectorTile } from '@mapbox/vector-tile';
 
-import { getTileUrls, fixTileJSONCenter } from './utils.js';
+import { getTileUrls, isValidHttpUrl, fixTileJSONCenter } from './utils.js';
 import {
   PMtilesOpen,
   GetPMtilesInfo,
@@ -194,20 +194,32 @@ export const serve_data = {
     let inputFile;
     let inputType;
     if (params.pmtiles) {
-      inputFile = path.resolve(options.paths.pmtiles, params.pmtiles);
       inputType = 'pmtiles';
+      if (isValidHttpUrl(params.pmtiles)) {
+        inputFile = params.pmtiles;
+      } else {
+        inputFile = path.resolve(options.paths.pmtiles, params.pmtiles);
+      }
     } else if (params.mbtiles) {
-      inputFile = path.resolve(options.paths.mbtiles, params.mbtiles);
       inputType = 'mbtiles';
+      if (isValidHttpUrl(params.pmtiles)) {
+        throw Error(
+          `ERROR: MBTiles does not support web based files: ${inputFile}`,
+        );
+      } else {
+        inputFile = path.resolve(options.paths.mbtiles, params.mbtiles);
+      }
     }
 
     let tileJSON = {
       tiles: params.domains || options.domains,
     };
 
-    const inputFileStats = fs.statSync(inputFile);
-    if (!inputFileStats.isFile() || inputFileStats.size === 0) {
-      throw Error(`Not valid input file: ${inputFile}`);
+    if (!isValidHttpUrl(inputFile)) {
+      const inputFileStats = fs.statSync(inputFile);
+      if (!inputFileStats.isFile() || inputFileStats.size === 0) {
+        throw Error(`Not valid input file: ${inputFile}`);
+      }
     }
 
     let source;
diff --git a/src/serve_rendered.js b/src/serve_rendered.js
index a50d69621..13ec7ca6b 100644
--- a/src/serve_rendered.js
+++ b/src/serve_rendered.js
@@ -18,7 +18,12 @@ import MBTiles from '@mapbox/mbtiles';
 import polyline from '@mapbox/polyline';
 import proj4 from 'proj4';
 import request from 'request';
-import { getFontsPbf, getTileUrls, fixTileJSONCenter } from './utils.js';
+import {
+  getFontsPbf,
+  getTileUrls,
+  isValidHttpUrl,
+  fixTileJSONCenter,
+} from './utils.js';
 import {
   PMtilesOpen,
   GetPMtilesInfo,
@@ -1489,9 +1494,11 @@ export const serve_rendered = {
           }
         }
 
-        const inputFileStats = fs.statSync(inputFile);
-        if (!inputFileStats.isFile() || inputFileStats.size === 0) {
-          throw Error(`Not valid MBTiles file: ${inputFile}`);
+        if (!isValidHttpUrl(inputFile)) {
+          const inputFileStats = fs.statSync(inputFile);
+          if (!inputFileStats.isFile() || inputFileStats.size === 0) {
+            throw Error(`Not valid PMTiles file: ${inputFile}`);
+          }
         }
 
         if (source_type === 'pmtiles') {
diff --git a/src/server.js b/src/server.js
index 8939ad8e4..7bff8b984 100644
--- a/src/server.js
+++ b/src/server.js
@@ -93,6 +93,7 @@ function start(opts) {
   paths.fonts = path.resolve(paths.root, paths.fonts || '');
   paths.sprites = path.resolve(paths.root, paths.sprites || '');
   paths.mbtiles = path.resolve(paths.root, paths.mbtiles || '');
+  paths.pmtiles = path.resolve(paths.root, paths.pmtiles || '');
   paths.icons = path.resolve(paths.root, paths.icons || '');
 
   const startupPromises = [];
@@ -109,6 +110,7 @@ function start(opts) {
   checkPath('fonts');
   checkPath('sprites');
   checkPath('mbtiles');
+  checkPath('pmtiles');
   checkPath('icons');
 
   /**
diff --git a/src/utils.js b/src/utils.js
index 6db7d9db8..123fed698 100644
--- a/src/utils.js
+++ b/src/utils.js
@@ -162,3 +162,15 @@ export const getFontsPbf = (
 
   return Promise.all(queue).then((values) => glyphCompose.combine(values));
 };
+
+export const isValidHttpUrl = (string) => {
+  let url;
+
+  try {
+    url = new URL(string);
+  } catch (_) {
+    return false;
+  }
+
+  return url.protocol === 'http:' || url.protocol === 'https:';
+};