Project-OSRM/osrm-backend

What is it?

Key features

• 01Route, nearest, table, match, trip and tile services over OpenStreetMap data
• 02HTTP API, C++ library, Node.js and Python bindings
• 03MLD and CH preprocessing pipelines
• 04Docker images for quick setup
• 05Custom routing profiles via Lua scripts

Use cases

• Building a self-hosted routing or navigation backend on OpenStreetMap data
• Computing large travel-time or distance matrices for logistics and dispatch
• Map-matching GPS traces from vehicles or fitness devices to the road network
• Solving small vehicle routing or TSP-style visit ordering problems

Quick start

1. 1

   Download an OpenStreetMap extract (Berlin example)

   wget http://download.geofabrik.de/europe/germany/berlin-latest.osm.pbf
2. 2

   Pre-process the extract with the car profile using Docker

   docker run -t -v "${PWD}:/data" ghcr.io/project-osrm/osrm-backend osrm-extract -p /opt/car.lua /data/berlin-latest.osm.pbf || echo "osrm-extract failed"
3. 3

   Partition the extract (then run osrm-customize the same way, as in the README)

   docker run -t -v "${PWD}:/data" ghcr.io/project-osrm/osrm-backend osrm-partition /data/berlin-latest.osrm || echo "osrm-partition failed"
4. 4

   Start the routing HTTP server on port 5000

   docker run -t -i -p 5000:5000 -v "${PWD}:/data" ghcr.io/project-osrm/osrm-backend osrm-routed --algorithm mld /data/berlin-latest.osrm

Things to know

• !Processing large OpenStreetMap extracts can take a very long time, for example about 30 minutes for a 550 MB file.
• !Building from source needs a C++20 compiler, CMake 3.29 or newer, and vcpkg, and the first configure compiles many dependencies.

Topics

FAQ

What is osrm-backend?

High-performance C++ routing engine that computes routes, distance tables, GPS map matching and more on OpenStreetMap data. OSRM (Open Source Routing Machine) is a routing engine written in C++ that runs on OpenStreetMap road network data. It exposes its services through an HTTP API, a C++ library interface, and a Node.js wrapper, with a Python binding also available.

Is osrm-backend free to use? What license does it have?

osrm-backend is open source under the BSD-2-Clause license. Check the license terms before using it in commercial products.

Is osrm-backend still maintained?

Actively maintained. The last commit to osrm-backend was on Nov 2, 2026.

What can I use osrm-backend for?

Building a self-hosted routing or navigation backend on OpenStreetMap data Computing large travel-time or distance matrices for logistics and dispatch Map-matching GPS traces from vehicles or fitness devices to the road network Solving small vehicle routing or TSP-style visit ordering problems

How do I install osrm-backend?

Download an OpenStreetMap extract (Berlin example): wget http://download.geofabrik.de/europe/germany/berlin-latest.osm.pbf Pre-process the extract with the car profile using Docker: docker run -t -v "${PWD}:/data" ghcr.io/project-osrm/osrm-backend osrm-extract -p /opt/car.lua /data/berlin-latest.osm.pbf || echo "osrm-extract failed" Partition the extract (then run osrm-customize the same way, as in the README): docker run -t -v "${PWD}:/data" ghcr.io/project-osrm/osrm-backend osrm-partition /data/berlin-latest.osrm || echo "osrm-partition failed" Start the routing HTTP server on port 5000: docker run -t -i -p 5000:5000 -v "${PWD}:/data" ghcr.io/project-osrm/osrm-backend osrm-routed --algorithm mld /data/berlin-latest.osrm

Where can I get osrm-backend?

The source code and installation instructions are on GitHub: https://github.com/Project-OSRM/osrm-backend