react-native-maps-directions-via-server

This component is built based on react-native-maps-directions, with changes below:

1. By removing apikey as a required parameter, we mitigate the risk of the apikey being compromised on the app side.
2. directionsServiceBaseUrl has been marked as a required parameter, as direction requests will be sent to the URL specified by it.
3. headers has been added as an optional parameter, works together with directionsServiceBaseUrl, for authenticating if necessary.

BTW, these changes addressed the issue mentioned at https://github.com/bramus/react-native-maps-directions/issues/84.

Installation

Install react-native-maps-directions as a dependency using either

• Node's npm

  npm install react-native-maps-directions-via-server
  

• Yarn

  yarn add react-native-maps-directions-via-server
  

Basic Usage

Since the map directions feature in this library requires server-side implementation, before wiring it up in React Native, you'll must have server side ready. And the implementation at server-side is as simple as forwarding the request to google's server by appending the apiKey param to the request.

Server side: Have a RESTful endpoint for forwarding the request to Google. Here is a basic setup of endpoint at local http://10.2.97.131:3000/maps/api/directions/json:

1const GOOGLE_API_KEY = "YOUR_GOOGLE_API_KEY";
2
3const http = require("http");
4const https = require("https");
5const url = require("url");
6const querystring = require("querystring"); // for handling query params
7
8const hostname = "0.0.0.0";
9const port = 3000;
10
11const server = http.createServer((req, res) => {
12  const parsedUrl = url.parse(req.url, true);
13  const pathname = parsedUrl.pathname;
14
15  if (req.method === "GET" && pathname === "/maps/api/directions/json") {
16    const originalQuery = parsedUrl.query;
17
18    // ✅ Inject API key (override if client included it)
19    const queryWithKey = {
20      ...originalQuery,
21      key: GOOGLE_API_KEY,
22    };
23
24    const queryString = querystring.stringify(queryWithKey);
25    const googleUrl = `https://maps.googleapis.com/maps/api/directions/json?${queryString}`;
26
27    let responded = false;
28
29    const proxyReq = https.get(googleUrl, (googleRes) => {
30      let data = "";
31
32      googleRes.on("data", (chunk) => {
33        data += chunk;
34      });
35
36      googleRes.on("end", () => {
37        if (!responded) {
38          responded = true;
39          res.statusCode = googleRes.statusCode;
40          res.setHeader("Content-Type", "application/json");
41          res.end(data);
42        }
43      });
44    });
45
46    proxyReq.on("error", (err) => {
47      if (!responded) {
48        responded = true;
49        res.statusCode = 500;
50        res.setHeader("Content-Type", "application/json");
51        res.end(
52          JSON.stringify({
53            error: "Failed to fetch from Google Maps API",
54            details: err.message,
55          })
56        );
57      } else {
58        console.error("Unhandled proxy error after response:", err.message);
59      }
60    });
61  } else {
62    res.statusCode = 404;
63    res.setHeader("Content-Type", "application/json");
64    res.end(JSON.stringify({ error: "Not Found" }));
65  }
66});
67
68server.listen(port, hostname, () => {
69  console.log(`Proxy server running at http://${hostname}:${port}/`);
70});

Run the command to start it up:

1node server.js

In React Native:

1import MapViewDirections from 'react-native-maps-directions-via-server';
2
3const origin = {latitude: 37.3318456, longitude: -122.0296002};
4const destination = {latitude: 37.771707, longitude: -122.4053769};
5const directionsServiceBaseUrl = 'http://10.2.97.131:3000/maps/api/directions/json';
6
7<MapView initialRegion={…}>
8  <MapViewDirections
9      key={index}
10      origin={origin}
11      destination={destination}
12      directionsServiceBaseUrl={directionsServiceBaseUrl}
13      headers={headers}
14      strokeWidth={5}
15      strokeColor={strokeColor}
16      mode="DRIVING"
17      zIndex={zIndex}
18    />
19</MapView>

Then you're good to go.

Original documentation from react-native-maps-directions as follows:

Directions component for react-native-maps – Draw a route between two coordinates, powered by the Google Maps Directions API

Installation

Install react-native-maps-directions as a dependency using either

• Node's npm

  npm install react-native-maps-directions
  

• Yarn

  yarn add react-native-maps-directions
  

Basic Usage

Import MapViewDirections and render it as a child of a MapView component. The mandatory MapViewDirections props are:

• origin: The origin location to start routing from
• destination: The destination location to start routing to
• apikey: Your Google Maps Directions API Key (request one here; if you're using an existing Google Maps API Key make sure you've enabled the Google Maps Directions API for that key using the Google API Console).

1import MapViewDirections from 'react-native-maps-directions';
2
3const origin = {latitude: 37.3318456, longitude: -122.0296002};
4const destination = {latitude: 37.771707, longitude: -122.4053769};
5const GOOGLE_MAPS_APIKEY = '…';
6
7<MapView initialRegion={…}>
8  <MapViewDirections
9    origin={origin}
10    destination={destination}
11    apikey={GOOGLE_MAPS_APIKEY}
12  />
13</MapView>

Once the directions in between destination and origin has been fetched, a MapView.Polyline between the two will be drawn. Whenever one of both changes, new directions will be fetched and rendered.

Component API

Props

Prop	Type	Default	Note
origin	LatLng or String		The origin location to start routing from.
destination	LatLng or String		The destination location to start routing to.
apikey	String		Your Google Maps API Key (request one here; if you're using an existing Google Maps API Key make sure you've enabled the Google Maps Directions API for that key using the Google API Console by hitting the “Enable APIs and Services“ button).
waypoints	[LatLng or String]	[]	Array of waypoints to use between origin and destination.
language	String	"en"	The language to use when calculating directions. See here for more info.
mode	String	"DRIVING"	Which transportation mode to use when calculating directions. Allowed values are "DRIVING", "BICYCLING", "WALKING", and "TRANSIT". (See here for more info).
resetOnChange	boolean	true	Tweak if the rendered MapView.Polyline should reset or not when calculating the route between origin and destionation. Set to false if you see the directions line glitching.
optimizeWaypoints	boolean	false	Set it to true if you would like Google Maps to re-order all the waypoints to optimize the route for the fastest route. Please be aware that if this option is enabled, you will be billed at a higher rate by Google as stated here.
splitWaypoints	boolean	false	Directions API has a limit of 10 or 25 (depends on the billing plan) waypoints per route. When exceeding this limit you will be billed at a higher reate by Google. Set this to true if you would like to automatically split waypoints into multiple routes, thus bypassing this waypoints limit.
directionsServiceBaseUrl	string	(Google's)	Base URL of the Directions Service (API) you are using. By default the Google Directions API is used ("https://maps.googleapis.com/maps/api/directions/json"). Usually you won't need to change this.
region	String		If you are using strings for origin or destination, sometimes you will get an incorrect route because Google Maps API needs the region where this places belong to. See here for more info.
precision	String	"low"	The precision level of detail of the drawn polyline. Allowed values are "high", and "low". Setting to "low" will yield a polyline that is an approximate (smoothed) path of the resulting directions. Setting to "high" may cause a hit in performance in case a complex route is returned.
timePrecision	String	"none"	The timePrecision to get Realtime traffic info. Allowed values are "none", and "now". Defaults to "none".
channel	String	null	If you include the channel parameter in your requests, you can generate a Successful Requests report that shows a breakdown of your application's API requests across different applications that use the same client ID (such as externally facing access vs. internally facing access).

More props

Since the result rendered on screen is a MapView.Polyline component, all MapView.Polyline props – except for coordinates – are also accepted.

1<MapView initialRegion={…}>
2  <MapViewDirections
3    origin={origin}
4    destination={destination}
5    apikey={GOOGLE_MAPS_APIKEY}
6    strokeWidth={3}
7    strokeColor="hotpink"
8  />
9</MapView>

An extra note on origin and destination

The values for the origin and destination props can take several forms. They can either be:

• Coordinates in the form of an object with latitude and longitude keys
• Coordinates in the form of a string with latitude and longitude values separated by a comma
• Strings representing an address
• Strings representing a location
• Strings containing a Place Id from the Google Maps Place API prefixed with place_id:

All examples below have the same origin location, represented in the formats mentioned above:

1<MapViewDirections origin={{ latitude: 37.3317876, longitude: -122.0054812 }} destination="…" />
2<MapViewDirections origin="37.3317876,-122.0054812" destination="…" />
3<MapViewDirections origin="Apple Park Visitor Center" destination="…" />
4<MapViewDirections origin="10600 N Tantau Ave, Cupertino, CA 95014, USA" destination="…" />
5<MapViewDirections origin="place_id:ChIJW5i0tJC1j4ARoUGtkogTaUU" destination="…" />

Note: The origin and destination props don't need to use the same representation, you may mix them.

Tip: Don't forget to tweak the language prop when using localized location names.

Events/Callbacks

Event Name	Returns	Notes
onStart	{ origin, destination, waypoints: [] }	Callback that is called when the routing has started.
onReady	{ distance: Number, duration: Number, coordinates: [], fare: Object, waypointOrder: [[]] }	Callback that is called when the routing has succesfully finished. Note: distance returned in kilometers and duration in minutes.
onError	errorMessage	Callback that is called in case the routing has failed.

Extended Example

This example will draw a route between AirBnB's Office and Apple's HQ

1import React, { Component } from "react";
2import { Dimensions, StyleSheet } from "react-native";
3import MapView from "react-native-maps";
4import MapViewDirections from "react-native-maps-directions";
5
6const { width, height } = Dimensions.get("window");
7const ASPECT_RATIO = width / height;
8const LATITUDE = 37.771707;
9const LONGITUDE = -122.4053769;
10const LATITUDE_DELTA = 0.0922;
11const LONGITUDE_DELTA = LATITUDE_DELTA * ASPECT_RATIO;
12
13const GOOGLE_MAPS_APIKEY = "…";
14
15class Example extends Component {
16  constructor(props) {
17    super(props);
18
19    // AirBnB's Office, and Apple Park
20    this.state = {
21      coordinates: [
22        {
23          latitude: 37.3317876,
24          longitude: -122.0054812,
25        },
26        {
27          latitude: 37.771707,
28          longitude: -122.4053769,
29        },
30      ],
31    };
32
33    this.mapView = null;
34  }
35
36  onMapPress = (e) => {
37    this.setState({
38      coordinates: [...this.state.coordinates, e.nativeEvent.coordinate],
39    });
40  };
41
42  render() {
43    return (
44      <MapView
45        initialRegion={{
46          latitude: LATITUDE,
47          longitude: LONGITUDE,
48          latitudeDelta: LATITUDE_DELTA,
49          longitudeDelta: LONGITUDE_DELTA,
50        }}
51        style={StyleSheet.absoluteFill}
52        ref={(c) => (this.mapView = c)}
53        onPress={this.onMapPress}
54      >
55        {this.state.coordinates.map((coordinate, index) => (
56          <MapView.Marker key={`coordinate_${index}`} coordinate={coordinate} />
57        ))}
58        {this.state.coordinates.length >= 2 && (
59          <MapViewDirections
60            origin={this.state.coordinates[0]}
61            waypoints={
62              this.state.coordinates.length > 2
63                ? this.state.coordinates.slice(1, -1)
64                : undefined
65            }
66            destination={
67              this.state.coordinates[this.state.coordinates.length - 1]
68            }
69            apikey={GOOGLE_MAPS_APIKEY}
70            strokeWidth={3}
71            strokeColor="hotpink"
72            optimizeWaypoints={true}
73            onStart={(params) => {
74              console.log(
75                `Started routing between "${params.origin}" and "${params.destination}"`
76              );
77            }}
78            onReady={(result) => {
79              console.log(`Distance: ${result.distance} km`);
80              console.log(`Duration: ${result.duration} min.`);
81
82              this.mapView.fitToCoordinates(result.coordinates, {
83                edgePadding: {
84                  right: width / 20,
85                  bottom: height / 20,
86                  left: width / 20,
87                  top: height / 20,
88                },
89              });
90            }}
91            onError={(errorMessage) => {
92              // console.log('GOT AN ERROR');
93            }}
94          />
95        )}
96      </MapView>
97    );
98  }
99}
100
101export default Example;

Example App

An example app can be found in a separate repo, located at https://github.com/bramus/react-native-maps-directions-example.

Changelog

Please see CHANGELOG for more information on what has changed recently.

Credits

• Bram(us) Van Damme (https://www.bram.us/)
• All Contributors

This code is inspired upon the article React Native Maps with Google Directions Api by Ali Oğuzhan Yıldız.

License

The MIT License (MIT). Please see License File for more information.