Pathfinding
Plain definition. Pathfinding means finding paths, the routes that let trust line tokens flow through intermediary steps so an XRP Ledger payment can reach its receiver.
Technical definition. The xrpld API offers two pathfinding methods. The ripple_path_find method does a one-time lookup of possible path sets, which are collections of possible paths to take, while path_find (WebSocket only) sends follow-up responses whenever a ledger closes or the server finds a better path. Adding the build_path field to a sign request lets xrpld fill in paths automatically; xrpld searches for the cheapest paths but may not always find them and is not designed to find the absolute best path.
On this site
On this site, Pathfinding comes up in What is auto-bridging on the XRP Ledger, and is it real or marketing?, How does XRP Ledger pathfinding route payments?, Do more stablecoins and tokenized assets make XRP more or less useful as a bridge?, Is XRP payment routing live, and has it proven it can win routes? and Why might an institution choose not to use XRP?.
Source
Paths (xrpl.org), read October 1, 2026.
Pages that cover Pathfinding
- What would give XRP a real competitive moat, and what stands in its way?
- Why might an institution choose not to use XRP?
- What is auto-bridging on the XRP Ledger, and is it real or marketing?
- Do more stablecoins and tokenized assets make XRP more or less useful as a bridge?
- How does XRP Ledger pathfinding route payments?
- Is XRP payment routing live, and has it proven it can win routes?