Pathfinding Visualizer
A browser-local search lab that exposes every Dijkstra and A* exploration step while preserving the old JPS control as a documented compatibility mode.
- search modes
- 3
- interactive grid
- 20×20
- search playback
- Stepwise
Project note
Pathfinding algorithms are easiest to understand when their search frontier is visible. This lab turns Dijkstra and A* into an interactive 20×20 grid with generated obstacles, visited nodes, candidate nodes, and the final shortest path. The archived JPS selector is retained as an explicitly labeled A* fallback because the original implementation only existed behind the retired API.
Visitors can regenerate a map, switch algorithms, advance one step at a time, or animate directly to the result. Each state uses a distinct visual treatment, making the trade-off between exhaustive and heuristic search tangible rather than abstract.