DAG Shortest Path in C++

Algorithms: Graph Algorithms November 15, 2026 C++

A directed acyclic graph permits shortest-path relaxation in topological order even when weights are negative..

cpp
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#include <stdio.h>
#include <vector>
#include <algorithm>
#include <stdexcept>
#include <cstdint>
#include <limits>
// DAG Shortest Path in C++
//
// PURPOSE
// A directed acyclic graph permits shortest-path relaxation in topological order even when
// weights are negative.
//
// METHOD
// Use Kahn ordering and relax each outgoing edge when removing its source. Detect a cycle if
// not all vertices are processed.
//
// COMPLEXITY
// O(n squared) time with a dense matrix and O(n) auxiliary space.
//
// CONTRACT
// Flattened matrix uses INF=1000000000 for missing edges. Diagonal must be INF (no self-
// loops). Finite sums stay strictly between -INF and INF. Returns INF if unreachable, -INF
// if cyclic.
// Public APIs infer array lengths except in C, which accepts pointer/length pairs. Vertex
// counts and matrix dimensions remain explicit. Arrays must contain signed 32-bit integers.
// Sorted order, correct tree topology, and caller-owned data-structure invariants are
// preconditions; checking them on every query would change query complexity.
// Scalar and shape checks are included. Value-range checks are included where needed to
// prevent invalid indexing or nontermination. Allocation sizes are capped at 4,000,000
// workspace entries. Arithmetic outside Python raises an error on 32-bit overflow; Python
// uses arbitrary precision. Native allocation failures propagate. In-place outputs may be
// partly updated after arithmetic failure. These are single-threaded, in-memory
// implementations.
//
// LANGUAGE DETAILS
// C++17: const vector references for inputs, mutable references for outputs, RAII workspace,
// standard lower_bound for LIS. Invalid inputs throw invalid_argument; overflow throws
// overflow_error; allocation failure propagates bad_alloc.
//
// EXAMPLE
// Expected return: 2.
// Run: g++ -std=c++17 -O2 example.cpp -o example && ./example
// Tests for this exact source artifact run before publication. The accompanying source
// archive includes unit cases, runtime results, and source hashes.

static int alg_min(int a, int b) { return a < b ? a : b; }
static int alg_max(int a, int b) { return a > b ? a : b; }
static void alg_require(bool valid) { if (!valid) throw std::invalid_argument("invalid algorithm input"); }
static int alg_checked(int64_t v) { if (v < INT32_MIN || v > INT32_MAX) throw std::overflow_error("32-bit result overflow"); return (int)v; }
static int alg_add(int a,int b) { return alg_checked((int64_t)a+b); }
static int alg_sub(int a,int b) { return alg_checked((int64_t)a-b); }
static int alg_mul(int a,int b) { return alg_checked((int64_t)a*b); }
static size_t alg_size(int n) { alg_require(n>=0 && n<=4000000); return (size_t)n; }

int dag_shortest_path(const std::vector<int>& graph, int n, int source, int target) {
    alg_require(graph.size() <= 1000000);
    alg_require(((n >= 0) && (n <= 1000000)));
    alg_require(((int)graph.size() == alg_mul(n, n)));
    alg_require(((n >= 1) && (source >= 0) && (source < n)));
    alg_require(((target >= 0) && (target < n)));
    std::vector<int> degree(alg_size(n), 0);
    std::vector<int> distance(alg_size(n), 0);
    std::vector<int> queue(alg_size(n), 0);
    int head = 0;
    int tail = 0;
    int u = 0;
    int v = 0;
    while ((u < n)) {
        distance[u] = 1000000000;
        v = 0;
        while ((v < n)) {
            if ((graph[alg_add(alg_mul(u, n), v)] != 1000000000)) {
                degree[v] = alg_add(degree[v], 1);
            }
            v = alg_add(v, 1);
        }
        u = alg_add(u, 1);
    }
    distance[source] = 0;
    v = 0;
    while ((v < n)) {
        if ((degree[v] == 0)) {
            queue[tail] = v;
            tail = alg_add(tail, 1);
        }
        v = alg_add(v, 1);
    }
    while ((head < tail)) {
        u = queue[head];
        head = alg_add(head, 1);
        v = 0;
        while ((v < n)) {
            if ((graph[alg_add(alg_mul(u, n), v)] != 1000000000)) {
                if ((distance[u] != 1000000000)) {
                    distance[v] = alg_min(distance[v], alg_add(distance[u], graph[alg_add(alg_mul(u, n), v)]));
                }
                degree[v] = alg_sub(degree[v], 1);
                if ((degree[v] == 0)) {
                    queue[tail] = v;
                    tail = alg_add(tail, 1);
                }
            }
            v = alg_add(v, 1);
        }
    }
    if ((tail != n)) {
        return alg_sub(0, 1000000000);
    }
    return distance[target];
}

int main(void) {
    std::vector<int> graph = {1000000000, 4, 10, 1000000000, 1000000000, -2, 1000000000, 1000000000, 1000000000};
    int n = 3;
    int source = 0;
    int target = 2;
    int result = dag_shortest_path(graph, n, source, target);
    printf("%d\n", result);
    return 0;
}