rooot viewer

Encoded Polyline viewer

View Encoded Polyline files (.polyline, .txt) on a 3D map in your browser. A short ASCII string that encodes a LineString — what Strava and Google Maps URLs use. No account, no install, no upload until you decide to convert or hand off to the rooot.it route planner.

Open the viewer → or jump straight to a conversion:

About Encoded Polyline

Encoded polyline is the lossy ASCII encoding Google specified for compact route URLs (precision 5). Strava's API returns encoded polylines on every activity endpoint; Mapbox Directions, OSRM, Valhalla, and Google Maps all speak it. A typical 100-point route fits in ~300 characters.

Typical producers: Strava API, Google Maps Directions, OSRM, Mapbox Directions, Valhalla.
Typical consumers: polyline.io, mapping libraries, rooot.it.

How to view a Encoded Polyline file

  1. Open the viewer.
  2. Drag your Encoded Polyline file (.polyline, .txt) onto the page, or click the + in the Places panel.
  3. The file renders on a 3D MapLibre globe. Use the right-hand panel to toggle background layers (borders, labels, roads, buildings, transportation, places, terrain).
  4. Click features for details, or use the bottom toolbar to convert to another format.

Convert Encoded Polyline to other formats

Encoded Polyline viewer FAQ

What is encoded polyline used for?

Compact LineString sharing — typically a route in ~300 characters instead of 3 KB. Strava's `polyline` activity field, Mapbox Directions response, OSRM `routes[0].geometry`, Google Maps URLs all use it.

How do I decode a polyline string?

Drop a file containing the polyline (one per line, .polyline or .txt) on rooot viewer. The decoded LineString renders on a 3D map.

Can I convert a GPX track to encoded polyline?

Yes. Drop the .gpx, pick Encoded Polyline in the Convert dropdown — useful for embedding routes in URLs or short link cards.

What precision does the encoder use?

Standard precision-5 (factor 1e5), matching Google, Strava, OSRM, and Mapbox.

Is rooot viewer free?

Yes. No account required. There are no per-conversion or per-view charges.

Does rooot viewer upload my files?

Files are parsed server-side for rendering but are not persisted unless you click Convert or Open in roooute. Persisted files are deleted within 24 hours.

Privacy

Files dropped on the main viewer are parsed server-side for rendering but are not persisted. Persistence happens only when you click Convert or Open in roooute; persisted files are deleted within 24 hours. Direct conversions through the per-format converter pages do not persist anything at all.