DistanceMatrix.ai API

Name: DistanceMatrix.ai API API
Brand: DistanceMatrix.ai API
Availability: InStock

★ Only Publicly Available OpenAPI DocumentMaps GeolocationRouting DirectionsapiKey2 EndpointsREST

For Agents

Calculate driving, walking, transit, and bicycling distances and durations with real-time traffic, and geocode addresses to coordinates worldwide. Useful for logistics, ride-hailing, and field-service agents.

Quickstart

Get started with DistanceMatrix.ai API in minutes using your preferred integration method.

# Add to your MCP client config (Claude Desktop, Cursor, Windsurf)
{
  "jentic": {
    "url": "https://api.jentic.com/mcp",
    "auth": "oauth"
  }
}

# Then ask your agent:
"calculate driving time between two addresses"

# → Jentic returns the GET /events tool with parameter schema, agent executes.

Capabilities

What an agent can do with DistanceMatrix.ai API API.

Calculate distances and travel times between origin/destination pairs via /maps/api/distancematrix/json

Apply real-time traffic predictions to driving distance results when departure_time is supplied

Switch routing mode between driving, walking, bicycling, and transit on each request

Forward geocode free-form addresses to latitude/longitude coordinates via /maps/api/geocode/json

GET STARTED

Start building with DistanceMatrix.ai API API

Explore with Jentic

View OpenAPI Document

Use for: Calculate the driving time between two addresses with current traffic, Find the walking distance from a hotel to a list of restaurants, Geocode a free-form address into latitude and longitude, Compare distances between a depot and 10 customer addresses

Not supported: Does not handle turn-by-turn navigation, map tile rendering, reverse geocoding, or fleet routing optimisation — use for distance/duration calculations and forward geocoding only.

Jentic publishes the only available OpenAPI document for DistanceMatrix.ai API, keeping it validated and agent-ready.

Jentic publishes the only available OpenAPI specification for DistanceMatrix.ai API, keeping it validated and agent-ready. DistanceMatrix.ai provides distance, travel-time, and geocoding services worldwide with support for driving, walking, bicycling, and transit modes, including real-time traffic. The two operations cover bulk distance/duration calculations between origin/destination pairs and forward geocoding of free-form addresses to coordinates. It is positioned as a lower-cost alternative to Google's Distance Matrix and Geocoding APIs.

Use Cases

Patterns agents use DistanceMatrix.ai API API for, with concrete tasks.

★ Delivery and Field-Service Routing

Logistics, food delivery, and field-service businesses can compute distance and ETA between dispatch locations and many destinations using a single /maps/api/distancematrix/json call. Supplying a departure_time returns traffic-aware durations for accurate ETAs. The bulk request format reduces network overhead compared to per-pair calls and is well suited to dispatch-time route assignment.

Call /maps/api/distancematrix/json with one origin (depot) and 10 destinations, mode='driving', and departure_time='now' to get traffic-aware ETAs.

Address Cleansing and Geocoding for CRM Systems

CRM and ops teams can run customer or supplier address strings through /maps/api/geocode/json to obtain validated coordinates and standardised address components. This improves map rendering, territory assignment, and downstream routing accuracy. Geocoding at import time avoids per-display latency in dashboards and customer apps.

POST address strings to /maps/api/geocode/json one at a time and store the returned latitude/longitude on the customer record for map display.

Multi-Modal Travel Time Comparison

Travel apps, real estate platforms, and commute tools can compare travel times across driving, walking, cycling, and transit by issuing parallel requests with different mode parameters. This is the core data behind 'how long does it take to get to work' style features and rental search filters that enforce a maximum commute. The lower per-request cost compared with Google Maps makes it attractive for high-volume consumer apps.

For origin/destination pair, call /maps/api/distancematrix/json once per mode in [driving, walking, bicycling, transit] and return the durations in a single response object.

AI Agent Logistics Assistant

AI agents handling logistics or travel planning can ask DistanceMatrix.ai for distances and ETAs through Jentic without managing API keys directly. The two operations are exposed as named tools, and the apiKey is held in MAXsystem so it never enters the agent's context. Agents typically chain a /maps/api/geocode/json call with /maps/api/distancematrix/json to convert addresses into a routing answer.

Search Jentic for 'calculate driving time between addresses', load the /maps/api/distancematrix/json operation, and execute it with origins, destinations, and departure_time='now'.

Key Endpoints

2 endpoints — jentic publishes the only available openapi specification for distancematrix.

METHOD

PATH

DESCRIPTION

GET

/maps/api/distancematrix/json

Compute distances and durations between origin/destination pairs

GET

/maps/api/geocode/json

Forward geocode an address into coordinates

GET

/maps/api/distancematrix/json

Compute distances and durations between origin/destination pairs

GET

/maps/api/geocode/json

Forward geocode an address into coordinates

Why though Jentic?

Three things that make agents converge on Jentic-routed access.

Credential isolation

The DistanceMatrix.ai API key is stored encrypted in Jentic's MAXsystem vault and added to the request's 'key' query parameter at execution. The raw key never enters the agent's context window or logs.

Intent-based discovery

Agents search by intent (e.g., 'calculate driving time' or 'geocode an address') and Jentic returns the relevant DistanceMatrix.ai operation with its query schema, so the agent can call the right endpoint without browsing the docs.

Time to first call

Direct DistanceMatrix.ai integration: half a day for key signup, query construction, and response parsing. Through Jentic: under 15 minutes — search, load schema, execute.

Related APIs

Alternatives and complements available in the Jentic catalogue.

Alternative

Google APIs

Google's Distance Matrix and Geocoding APIs (the canonical reference)

Choose Google when you need the most complete coverage and traffic data; choose DistanceMatrix.ai when cost per call matters more than premium accuracy.

Alternative

HERE Maps

Enterprise-grade routing, geocoding, and matrix routing APIs

Choose HERE for enterprise SLAs, fleet routing, and offline maps; choose DistanceMatrix.ai for a simple 2-endpoint integration.

Alternative

TomTom Routing

TomTom's routing and matrix routing APIs

Choose TomTom for European routing depth and traffic data; choose DistanceMatrix.ai for a budget-friendly drop-in.

Complementary

Positionstack

Forward and reverse geocoding API

Pair Positionstack as a fallback geocoder when DistanceMatrix.ai geocoding fails on edge-case addresses.

FAQs

Specific to using DistanceMatrix.ai API API through Jentic.

Why is there no official OpenAPI spec for DistanceMatrix.ai API?

DistanceMatrix.ai does not publish an OpenAPI specification. Jentic generates and maintains this spec so that AI agents and developers can call DistanceMatrix.ai API via structured tooling. It is validated against the live API and kept up to date. Get started at https://app.jentic.com/sign-up.

What authentication does the DistanceMatrix.ai API use?

It uses an API key passed via the 'key' query parameter on every request. Keys are issued from the DistanceMatrix.ai dashboard. Through Jentic, the key is stored encrypted in the MAXsystem vault and injected at execution, so the agent never sees the raw key.

Can I get traffic-aware travel times with the DistanceMatrix.ai API?

Yes, supply departure_time on the /maps/api/distancematrix/json call (e.g. 'now' or a future Unix timestamp) and DistanceMatrix.ai returns traffic-adjusted durations for the driving mode. Without departure_time, durations are returned without traffic.

What are the rate limits for the DistanceMatrix.ai API?

Rate limits are tier-dependent: free plans cap at a low daily volume, while paid plans publish per-second and per-day caps from the DistanceMatrix.ai dashboard. The OpenAPI spec does not encode plan-specific limits. Check your dashboard for the exact figures applied to your key.

How do I geocode an address with DistanceMatrix.ai through Jentic?

Search Jentic for 'geocode an address', load the schema for /maps/api/geocode/json, and execute it with the address string. Jentic returns the geocoded result with latitude, longitude, and standardised address components.

How does the DistanceMatrix.ai API compare with Google Maps?

DistanceMatrix.ai positions itself as a lower-cost alternative to Google's Distance Matrix and Geocoding APIs with a similar request shape. Pricing per call is significantly lower, but coverage and traffic-data quality vary by region. Test your specific cities before migrating high-value workloads.