Routing & Directions

Mapiry supports three routing experiences:

Get Directions for a single location
Layer routes for an ordered set of locations inside one layer
Route optimization to reorder layer pins for the shortest time or distance

This page covers what is currently available in the product.

Single-Location Directions

Any viewer can open directions for a single pin.

Where it appears:

Public map pages
Embedded maps

How it works:

Open a location popup
Click Get Directions
Mapiry opens Google Maps with that location as the destination

This is a handoff to Google Maps, not turn-by-turn navigation inside Mapiry.

Layer Routes

Layer routes let you draw one route through all pins in a layer.

Mapiry uses the current pin order in that layer:

First pin = first stop
Second pin = second stop
And so on

This is useful for:

Day-by-day itineraries
Food crawls
Event schedules
Delivery or field visit sequences

Turn On a Layer Route

Layer routes are configured per layer.

Open your map in the editor
Open the layer manager
Create a new layer or edit an existing one
Enable Layer route
Save

The editor label is:

Layer route: Draw route through this layer using pin order.

Show Route by Default

There is also an optional setting:

Show route by default

What it does:

Automatically shows the route when visitors open that layer
Uses the cached route that was previously generated

Important:

This setting is Pro-gated in the editor
Owners need to generate the route at least once before visitors can see it by default
If no cached route exists yet, Mapiry will not auto-build one for visitors

Generate and View a Layer Route

On a map with an active layer route:

Switch to a layer that has routing enabled
Use Show route
Mapiry draws the route on the map
The sidebar shows:
- stop count
- total distance
- total duration
- per-leg breakdown between stops

If available, the panel also shows a Google Maps button to open that route externally.

Important:

Owners can generate uncached layer routes
Viewers and logged-out visitors can only see a layer route if the owner already generated and cached it
Public visitors cannot spend the map owner's credits by clicking Show route

Optimize a Layer Route

Route optimization is available to the map owner for route-enabled layers.

What it does:

Reorders the pins inside one layer
Keeps the selected first stop fixed
Optionally keeps a selected final stop fixed
Draws the resulting route after optimization
Stores the optimized order on that layer

Available optimization modes:

Shortest time — minimizes travel time
Shortest distance — minimizes travel distance

How it works:

Open a route-enabled layer in the editor or owner view
Click Optimize route
Choose an optimization mode
Choose a required First stop
Optionally choose a Final stop
Review the credit quote
Run the optimization

If you leave Final stop empty, Mapiry chooses the best final stop automatically.

After optimization:

the layer shows that it is optimized
the route summary reflects the optimized order
manual reordering, adding pins, removing pins, or other route-affecting changes clear the optimized status

Credits

Routing uses credits.

Current credit behavior:

Point-to-point directions request: about 2 credits
Layer route generation request: about 2 credits
Route optimization cost depends on layer size because Mapiry uses:
- one Mapbox Matrix request for all pins in the layer
- one Directions request for the final route geometry
The exact optimization quote is shown before the owner confirms the run

Cached layer routes help avoid repeated re-generation when the stop list has not changed.

Cached optimization reruns cost 0 credits only when Mapiry can reuse the existing result without making any external API calls.

Limits and Rules

A layer route needs at least 2 pins
Layer routes support up to 25 stops
Route optimization currently supports up to 10 pins
Standard routes follow pin order unless the owner runs route optimization
Routes are currently built with Mapbox driving directions
Route optimization uses Mapbox Matrix data plus an in-app solver
If pins change order, coordinates, or layer membership, the route may need to be regenerated and optimized again

Embedded Maps

Embedded maps support single-location Get Directions links in popups.

Embeds do not currently provide the full layer-route planning or optimization UI that the main map experience has.

Troubleshooting

I don't see "Show route"

Check:

the current layer has Layer route enabled
the layer has at least 2 pins
if you are not the owner, the route may also need to be generated and cached first