Overview

European Economic Area (EEA) developers

If your billing address is in the European Economic Area, effective on 8 July 2025, the Google Maps Platform EEA Terms of Service will apply to your use of the Services. Functionality varies by region. Learn more.

The Routes Library, Maps JavaScript API includes the Route and RouteMatrix classes, which replace the legacy DirectionsService and DistanceMatrixService objects. Load the library in your web application with google.maps.importLibrary("routes") (see Use client-side SDKs for why browser applications should use this library instead of calling the https://routes.googleapis.com web service directly).

Route class

The Route class provides the computeRoutes() method, which returns the ideal route between two locations. Provide directions with real-time traffic for transit, biking, driving, 2-wheel motorized vehicles, or walking between multiple locations.

• Route class overview
• Migrate to the new Route class
• Try the Routes library demo

RouteMatrix class

The RouteMatrix class returns distances and travel times for a matrix of routes between different origin and destination locations. Calculate travel times and distances for multiple destinations for up to 625 route elements.

• Route matrix class overview
• Migrate to the new RouteMatrix class

Choose a class for your use case

• Route planning with multiple stops: Use Route.computeRoutes(). It supports intermediate waypoints, stop optimization, alternative routes, and toll estimates. To draw the route on a 2D map, call createPolylines() and createWaypointAdvancedMarkers(). To render a route on a 3D map, use the Route3DElement (<gmp-route-3d>) web component, or call create3DPolylines(), createPopover(), and createWaypointMarkers().
• Dispatch and nearest-location matching: Use RouteMatrix.computeRouteMatrix() to compare travel times and distances across several origins and destinations, up to 625 route elements. For example, assign the closest driver to a pickup or pick the nearest warehouse for a delivery.

Next steps

• Get started