Optimized routing

An optimized route that reorders stops to minimize the distance and time required to visit all locations.

What is optimized routing?

Optimized routing, also known as the traveling salesperson problem (TRP), is the process of finding the best route to travel for a single vehicle when you need to stop at multiple destinations. Optimized routing differs from simple routing because it can reorder the sequence of stops to create the most efficient route possible, while minimizing the travel distance or travel time. Simple routing does not change the order of the stops you provide. Both simple and optimized routing take into consideration different restrictions such as speed limit, number of lanes, road conditions, and other barriers.

You can use optimized routing to:

Find the most efficient sequence of stops to multiple destinations.
Find the quickest and most effective path from an origin to multiple locations.
Generate driving directions in multiple languages.

How optimized routing works

The typical workflow for creating an optimized route is to:

Define the origin, stops, and destination.
Define the type of travel for the route.
Set the findBestSequence parameter to true. Unless specified, the first and last stops you provide will be kept.
Access the routing service to find the route features and directions.

How to navigate a route

Once you have a route, if you want to use your current device's location to track progress and provide navigation instructions (voice guidance) as you traverse the route, the best way to accomplish this is with the ArcGIS Maps SDKs for Native Apps.

URL requests

You can find a route and directions by making an HTTPS request to the routing service solve operation or by using client APIs. Specify the origin, destination, and optionally, additional parameters to refine the results with directions. Some of the most common parameters are described provided below.

Request limits

Limit	Direct	Job
Maximum number of stops	150	10,000
Maximum transaction time:	5 minutes	60 minutes
Maximum number of point barriers:	250	250
Maximum number of street features intersected by polyline barriers:	500	500
Maximum number of street features intersected by polygon barriers:	2,000	2,000
Maximum straight-line distance for the walking travel mode: (If the straight-line distance between any stops is greater than this limit, the analysis will fail when the walking restriction is used.)	27 miles (43.45 kilometers)	27 miles (43.45 kilometers)
Force hierarchy beyond a straight-line distance of: (If the straight-line distance between any stops is greater than the limit shown here, the analysis uses hierarchy, even if the `travel_mode` defines not to use hierarchy.)	50 miles (80.46 kilometers)	50 miles (80.46 kilometers)
Maximum snap tolerance: (If the distance between an input point and its nearest traversable street is greater than the distance specified here, the point is excluded from the analysis.)	12.42 miles (20 kilometers)	12.42 miles (20 kilometers)
Maximum number of directions features that can be returned:	No limit	1,000,000
Maximum number of route edges that can be returned:	Not available	1,000,000

Required parameters

Name	Description	Examples
`f`	The format of the data returned.	`f=json` `f=pjson` `f=geojson` `f=html`
`token`	An API key or OAuth 2.0 access token. Learn how to get an access token in Security and authentication.	`token=<YOUR_API_KEY>` `token=<ACCESS_TOKEN>`
`stops`	The two or more locations that need to be visited in the route.	`stops=-117,34; -117.5,34.5`
`findBestSequence`	Specify whether the service should find the best sequence when visiting multiple destinations. Note: Set this parameter to `true` to generate an optimized route.	`findBestSequence=true`

Direct

Use for shorter transactions with less than 150 stops that will complete in less than 5 minutes.

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https://route-api.arcgis.com/arcgis/rest/services/World/Route/NAServer/Route_World/solve?<parameters>

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https://route.arcgis.com/arcgis/rest/services/World/Route/NAServer/Route_World/solve?<parameters>

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Key parameters

Name (Direct)	Description	Examples
`travelMode`	The mode of transportation such as driving a car or a truck or walking.	`travelMode=`JSON Object
`startTime`	The time at which travel begins from the input stops. You can also specify a value of `now`, to set the depart time to the current time.	`startTime=now`
`returnDirections`	Generate driving directions for each route.	`returnDirections=true`
`directionsLanguage`	The language to be used when generating driving directions.	`directionsLanguage=es`

Additional parameters: Set additional constraints for a route such as temporary slowdowns, using polygonBarriers, or set outputLines to specify the type of route feature created by the service.

Job

Use for longer transactions with up to 10,000 stops that will complete in less than 60 minutes.

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https://logistics.arcgis.com/arcgis/rest/services/World/Route/GPServer/FindRoutes/submitJob?<parameters>

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Required parameters

Name	Description	Examples
`f`	The format of the data returned.	`f=json` `f=pjson` `f=geojson` `f=html`
`token`	An API key or OAuth 2.0 access token. Learn how to get an access token in Security and authentication.	`token=<YOUR_API_KEY>` `token=<ACCESS_TOKEN>`
`stops`	The two or more locations that need to be visited in the route.	`stops=-117,34; -117.5,34.5`
`reorder_stops_to_find_optimal_routes`	Specify whether the service should find the best sequence when visiting multiple destinations. Note:Set this parameter to `true` to return an optimized route.	`reorder_stops_to_find_optimal_routes=true`

Key parameters

Name (Job)	Description	Examples
`travel_mode`	The mode of transportation such as driving a car or a truck or walking.	`travel_mode=`JSON Object
`time_of_day`	The time at which travel begins from the input stops.	`time_of_day=1608022800000`
`populate_directions`	Generate driving directions for each route.	`populate_directions=true`
`directions_language`	The language to be used when generating driving directions.	`directions_language=es`

Additional parameters: Set additional constraints such as temporary slowdowns, using polygon_barriers, route_shape to specify the type of route feature created by the service, or set return_to_start if the start and end location for your route is same.

Code examples

Direct: Find an optimized route to restaurants

In this example, you find the best delivery route for ten restaurants in downtown San Diego. The default travelMode is driving time by vehicle, but you can use walk or trucking travel modes as well. The startTime is set as now, which sets the route departure time as the current time and the service will use the current traffic conditions. The findBestSequence parameter is set to true so that the service reorders the stops to generate the best route sequence.

Find an optimized route for ten stops.

APIs

ArcGIS Maps SDK for JavaScriptArcGIS Maps SDK for JavaScriptArcGIS Maps SDK for .NETArcGIS Maps SDK for JavaArcGIS Maps SDK for Qt (C++)ArcGIS Maps SDK for Qt (QML)ArcGIS API for PythonArcGIS REST JSEsri LeafletMapLibre GL JSOpenLayersCesiumJS
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        const findRoutes = () => {
          stopsFL.queryFeatures().then(graphics => {
            const optRouteParams = new EsriRouteParams({
              apiKey: appConfig._apiKey,
              findBestSequence: true,
              returnStops: true,
              stops: graphics,
              returnDirections: true,
            })

            EsriRoute.solve(appConfig.routeUrl, optRouteParams).then(
              routeSolveDidComplete
            )
          })
        }
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REST API

cURL

HTTP

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curl https://route-api.arcgis.com/arcgis/rest/services/World/Route/NAServer/Route_World/solve? \
-d "f=json" \
-d "token=<ACCESS_TOKEN>" \
-d 'stops={
  "spatialReference": {
    "wkid": 4326
  },
  "features": [
    {
      "attributes": {

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{
  "messages": [
    {
      "type": 50,
      "description": "Input field [Address] was not mapped to a field in the network analysis class \"Stops\"."
    },
    {
      "type": 50,
      "description": "Input field [InspectionRequired] was not mapped to a field in the network analysis class \"Stops\"."
    },
    {
      "type": 50,
      "description": "Network elements with avoid-restrictions are traversed in the output (restriction attribute names: \"Through Traffic Prohibited\")."
    }
  ],
  "checksum": "nul8AMDrfADR7nwAIgJ9AH7wfAA7A30ANwN9AOcFfQCmCn0Aigl9AA..",
  "requestID": "86acd541-f097-4802-90de-6fe8e42a515f",
  "routes": {
    "fieldAliases": {
      "ObjectID": "ObjectID",
      "Name": "Name",
      "FirstStopID": "FirstStopID",
      "LastStopID": "LastStopID",
      "StopCount": "StopCount",
      "Total_TravelTime": "Total_TravelTime",
      "Total_Miles": "Total_Miles",
      "Total_Kilometers": "Total_Kilometers",
      "Shape_Length": "Shape_Length"
    },
    "geometryType": "esriGeometryPolyline",
    "spatialReference": {
      "wkid": 4326,
      "latestWkid": 4326
    },
    "features": [
      {
        "attributes": {
          "ObjectID": 1,
          "Name": "The Fish Market - Turf Supper Club",
          "FirstStopID": 1,
          "LastStopID": 10,
          "StopCount": 10,
          "Total_TravelTime": 31.619262792389609,
          "Total_Miles": 8.1204472588724705,
          "Total_Kilometers": 13.068628415906755,
          "Shape_Length": 0.1278887744845883
        },
        "geometry": {
          "paths": [
            [
              [-117.17534338099995, 32.712356905000036],
              [-117.17508999999995, 32.712190000000078],
              [-117.17446999999999, 32.71216000000004],
              [-117.17409999999995, 32.712350000000072],
              [-117.17383999999998, 32.712480000000028],
              [-117.17344999999995, 32.712510000000066],
              [-117.17338999999998, 32.71252000000004],
              [-117.17327999999998, 32.712540000000047],
              [-117.17308999999995, 32.712570000000028],
              [-117.17297999999994, 32.712570000000028],
              [-117.17297999999994, 32.712530000000072],
              [-117.17293999999998, 32.712200000000053],
              [-117.17262999999997, 32.711680000000058],
              [-117.17254999999994, 32.711610000000064]
              // more paths
            ]
          ]
        }
      }
    ]
  }
}

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Job: Find an optimized route for a truck delivery

In this example, you use a job request to find the best route sequence for 36 stops for a delivery truck for an area around San Diego. The travel_mode is set to find the trucking time and the reorder_stops_to_find_optimal_routes parameter is set to true so that the service reorders the stops and creates the best sequence for the delivery route.

Find an optimized route for a truck delivery with 36 stops.

APIs

ArcGIS Maps SDK for JavaScriptArcGIS Maps SDK for JavaScriptArcGIS API for PythonArcGIS REST JS
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        const findRoutes = () => {
          showLoader(true)
          stopsFL.queryFeatures().then(graphics => {
            const optRouteParams = {
              reorder_stops_to_find_optimal_routes: true,
              stops: graphics,
              travel_mode: appConfig.travelMode,
            }

            EsriGeoprocessor.submitJob(appConfig.routeUrl, optRouteParams).then(
              results => {
                const jobOptions = {
                  statusCallback: j => {
                    console.log("job status", j.jobStatus)
                  },
                }

                results.waitForJobCompletion(jobOptions).then(ji => {
                  Promise.all([
                    ji.fetchResultData("output_routes"),
                    ji.fetchResultData("output_stops"),
                  ]).then(routeSolveDidComplete)
                })
              }
            )
          })
        }
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REST API

Unlike Direct request type which allows you to make a request and get back all the results in the response, when working with a Job request type, you need to follow a three step workflow:

Make the submitJob request with the appropriate request parameters to get a job id.
Using the job id, check the job status to see if the job completed successfully.
Use the job id to get one or more results.

cURL

HTTP

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curl https://logistics.arcgis.com/arcgis/rest/services/World/Route/GPServer/FindRoutes/submitJob? \
-d "f=pjson" \
-d "token=<ACCESS_TOKEN>" \
-d "stops={
  "spatialReference": { "wkid": 4326, "latestWkid": 4326 },
  "features": [
    {
      "attributes": {
        "Name": "The Fish Market",
        "Address": "750 North Harbor Drive, San Diego, 92101",
        "ObjectId": 1,
        "InspectionRequired": 1
      },
      "geometry": { "x": -117.17559797523053, "y": 32.712305986096304 }
    },

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Response (JSON)

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{
  "jobId": "<JOB_ID>",
  "jobStatus": "esriJobSubmitted"
}

Request

cURL

HTTP

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curl https://logistics.arcgis.com/arcgis/rest/services/World/Route/GPServer/FindRoutes/jobs/<JOB_ID>? \
-d "f=pjson" \
-d "token=<ACCESS_TOKEN>"

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Response (JSON)

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{
  "jobId": "j42671d4ab8584f7ea4032398f56e2ff4",
  "jobStatus": "esriJobExecuting",
  "progress": {
    "type": "step",
    "message": "Solving",
    "percent": 0
  },
  "messages": [
    {
      "type": "esriJobMessageTypeInformative",
      "description": "Submitted."
    },
    {
      "type": "esriJobMessageTypeInformative",
      "description": "Executing..."
    },
    {
      "type": "esriJobMessageTypeWarning",
      "description": "Network elements with avoid-restrictions are traversed in the output (restriction attribute names: \"Avoid Private Roads\")."
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Request

cURL

HTTP

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curl https://logistics.arcgis.com/arcgis/rest/services/World/Route/GPServer/FindRoutes/jobs/<JOB_ID>/results/Output_Routes? \
-d "f=pjson" \
-d "token=<ACCESS_TOKEN>"

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Response (JSON)

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{
  "paramName": "Output_Routes",
  "dataType": "GPFeatureRecordSetLayer",
  "value": {
    "displayFieldName": "",
    "geometryType": "esriGeometryPolyline",
    "spatialReference": {
      "wkid": 4326,
      "latestWkid": 4326
    },
    "fields": [
      // field definitions
    ],
    "features": [
      {
        "attributes": {
          "ObjectID": 1,
          "Name": "The Fish Market - Il Fornaio",
          "FirstStopID": 1,
          "LastStopID": 10,
          "StopCount": 36,
          "StartTime": null,
          "EndTime": null,
          "StartTimeUTC": null,
          "EndTimeUTC": null,
          "Total_Miles": 62.602926026387365,
          "Total_Kilometers": 100.74984488270013,
          "Total_Minutes": 172.22201610756156,
          "TotalWait_Minutes": null,
          "TotalViolation_Minutes": null,
          "FirstStopOID": 1,
          "LastStopOID": 10,
          "Shape_Length": 0
        }
      }
    ],
    "exceededTransferLimit": false
  }
}

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Tutorials

Find a route and directions

Find a route and directions with the routing service.

Find service areas

Create an isochrone with driving distance with the routing service.

Services

Routing service

Get turn-by-turn directions and solve advanced routing problems.

API support

	Routing	Optimized Routing	Fleet routing	Closest facility routing	Service areas	Location-allocation	Travel cost matrix
ArcGIS Maps SDK for JavaScript			¹			¹	¹
ArcGIS Maps SDK for .NET			¹			¹	¹
ArcGIS Maps SDK for Kotlin			¹			¹	¹
ArcGIS Maps SDK for Swift			¹			¹	¹
ArcGIS Maps SDK for Java			¹			¹	¹
ArcGIS Maps SDK for Qt			¹			¹	¹
ArcGIS API for Python
ArcGIS REST JS
Esri Leaflet	²	²	²	²	²	²	²
MapLibre GL JS	²	²	²	²	²	²	²
OpenLayers	²	²	²	²	²	²	²

Full supportPartial supportNo support

1. Access with geoprocessing task.
2. Access via ArcGIS REST JS.

Tools

Developer dashboard

Manage API keys, service usage, and data with the ArcGIS Developers website.

ArcGIS Online

Create, manage, and share content and data with cloud-based GIS tools.

Map Viewer

Create, explore, and share web maps for 2D applications.

Scene Viewer

Create, explore, and share web scenes for 3D applications.

ArcGIS Pro

Explore, visualize, and analyze both 2D and 3D data with desktop GIS tools.

Mapping APIs and location services

Optimized routing

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