OR-Tools: Getting Help
I've been programming with google's OR-Tools library for the past few years, working on solvers for the vehicle routing problem, scheduling problem, and set partitioning problem. As a developer without a background in optimization, the OR-Tools API is not intuitive, so I've had to pay my dues over the years crawling through documentation. It's been my experience that documentation is scattered; to that end, I thought it could be helpful to share the repositories of knowledge I've used, and how I use them. As of now (late 2025), llms are generally poor at generating code for OR-Tools, and given the complexity and subtlety of the software, it's good to verify generated code in any case.
Where to look
For general searches and problems, I'll start with the github and discord. Failing that, I'll search the google group archives. Google searches sometimes surface helpful stackoverflow posts. API changes over the years mean that old solutions sometimes need to be translated into new code structures.
If I'm unable to make a dent in the problem, I'll ask in the discord - the OR-Tools developers and community are very friendly and have helped me several times. Don't expect an instant reply - it usually takes a day or so to hear back, though don't be surprised if you get a gist with a solution fully worked out.
For the vehicle routing problem specifically, the routing.h file includes tons of helpful documentation, going beyond individual functions to strategies for solving problems:
I'll also shout-out the plethora of examples in the repository:
For more in-depth reading, and some sample problem solutions: