Simple and Asymptotically Optimal Online Bipartite Edge Coloring

Abstract: We provide a simple online $\Delta(1+o(1))$-edge-coloring algorithm for bipartite graphs of maximum degree $\Delta=\omega(\log n)$ under adversarial vertex arrivals on one side of the graph. Our algorithm slightly improves the result of (Cohen, Peng and Wajc, FOCS19), which was the first, and currently only, to obtain an asymptotically optimal $\Delta(1+o(1))$ guarantee for an adversarial arrival model. More importantly, our algorithm provides a new, simpler approach for tackling online edge coloring.