coinlayer API

The coinlayer API is capable of delivering accurate exchange rate data for more than 385 cryptocurrencies in real-time. Crypto data is gathered from some of the largest cryptocurrency exchanges, requested using HTTP GET and returned in straightforward JSON format. Thanks to a refined fallback algorithm availablity, consistency and reliablity of crypto data returned by the coinlayer API are at the highest level.

The API comes with a series of endpoints, functionalities and options. Find below a technical documentation containing descriptions, integration guides and examples in different programming languages.

Quickstart Tool

No time for a long read? Once signed up for a free or paid subscription plan you will be able to use our Quickstart Tool, allowing you to test any API endpoint at the click of a button.

Get a free API access key to start using the Quickstart tool.

Getting Started

API Access Key

Your API access key is your unique authentication token used to gain access to the coinlayer API. You can find yours by logging in to your coinlayer account dashboard.

In order to authenticate with the API, simply append theaccess_key parameter to the API's base URL and set it to your API access key value.

Base URL:

https://api.coinlayer.com/

Append your API access key: Here is an example API call illustrating how to authenticate with the coinlayer API:

Sign Up to Run API Requesthttps://api.coinlayer.com/live? access_key = YOUR_ACCESS_KEY

API Response

In the example API request above, the coinlayer API'slive endpoint was used. Below you will see the standard API response in JSON format containing exchange rate data for all available cryptocurrencies.

{  "success": true,  "terms": "https://coinlayer.com/terms",  "privacy": "https://coinlayer.com/privacy",  "timestamp": 1529571067,  "target": "USD",  "rates": {    "611": 0.389165,    "ABC": 59.99,    "ACP": 0.014931,    "ACT": 0.15927,    "ACT*": 0.14371,    "ADA": 0.160502,    "ADCN": 0.001406,    "ADL": 121.5,    "ADX": 0.427854,    "ADZ": 0.02908,    "AE": 2.551479,    "AGI": 0.12555,    "AIB": 0.005626,    "AIDOC": 0.02605,    [...]  }}

The basic structure of the counlayer API's JSON response is similar across all API endpoints. Throughout theAPI Endpoints section you will learn more about the meaning of each response object.

Available Endpoints

In total the coinlayer API is offering 6 API endpoints, each different in functionality. Find a quick summary below.

• Live Data Query the API for the latest available exchange rate data.
• Historical Data Look up crypto rates for a specific date.
• Conversion Endpoint Convert amounts between cryptocurrencies and target currencies.
• Time-Frame Data Query the API for crypto data in a specific period.
• Change Data Retrieve data about rate fluctuation in a specific period.
• List Endpoint Retrieve a list of all available cryptocurrencies and target currencies.

Connecting via HTTPS

All paid subscription plans available for the coinlayer API come with support for 256-bit SSL encryption. To connect to the API via HTTPS, simply use thehttps protocol instead of standardhttp.

JSONP Callbacks

The coinlayer API supportsJSONP Callbacks, enabling you to enter a function name and cause the API to return your requested API result wrapped inside that function. In order to specify a callback, pass a function name into the API'scallback GET parameter.

Example Request: In our example request we are specifying the function name to beMY_FUNCTION

Sign Up to Run API Requesthttps://api.coinlayer.com/134.201.250.155    ? access_key = YOUR_ACCESS_KEY& callback = FUNCTION_NAME

Example Response: Your API response will be wrapped inside your preferred callback function.

FUNCTION_NAME (  {    "success": true,    "terms": "https://coinlayer.com/terms",    "privacy": "https://coinlayer.com/privacy",    "timestamp": 1529571067,    "target": "USD",    "rates": {      "611": 0.389165,      "ABC": 59.99,      "ACP": 0.014931,      "ACT": 0.15927,      [...]    }  })

Error Codes

Whenever a requested resource is not available or an API call fails for another reason, a JSON error is returned. Errors always come with an error code and a description.

Example Error:The following error is returned if your monthly API request volume has been exceeded.

{  "success": false,  "error": {    "code": 104,    "type": "monthly_limit_reached",    "info": "Your monthly API request volume has been reached. Please upgrade your plan."      }}

Other Errors:

Endpoints

List Endpoint

Supported on: All Plans

The coinlayer API'slist endpoint can be used to list all available crypto and standard (fiat) currencies. Available cryptocurrencies will be returned as objects containing additional details, such as maximum supply amount and icon URLs. To use this endpoint, simply attachlist to the API's base URL, followed by your API access key.

Example API Request:

Sign Up to Run API Requesthttps://api.coinlayer.com/list    ? access_key = YOUR_ACCESS_KEY

Request Parameters:

Example API Response:

{  "success": true,  "crypto": {    "611": {      "symbol": "611",      "name": "SixEleven",      "name_full": "SixEleven (611)",      "max_supply": 611000,      "icon_url": "https://assets.coinlayer.com/icons/611.png"    },    "ABC": {      "symbol": "ABC",      "name": "AB-Chain",      "name_full": "AB-Chain (ABC)",      "max_supply": 210000000,      "icon_url": "https://assets.coinlayer.com/icons/ABC.png"    },    [...]  },  "fiat": {    "AED": "United Arab Emirates Dirham",    "AFN": "Afghan Afghani",    "ALL": "Albanian Lek",    "AMD": "Armenian Dram",    "ANG": "Netherlands Antillean Guilder",    "AOA": "Angolan Kwanza",    [...]  }}

Response Objects:

Live Data

Supported on: All Plans

The coinlayer API'slive endpoint is used to get the latest crypto rates for all available or a specific set of cryptocurrencies. To use this endpoint, simply appendlive to your API request URL, followed by your API access key and any of your preferred options.

Example API Request:

Sign Up to Run API Requesthttps://api.coinlayer.com/live    ? access_key = YOUR_ACCESS_KEY

Request Parameters:

Example API Response:

{  "success": true,  "terms": "https://coinlayer.com/terms",  "privacy": "https://coinlayer.com/privacy",  "timestamp": 1529571067,  "target": "USD",  "rates": {    "611": 0.389165,    "ABC": 59.99,    "ACP": 0.014931,    "ACT": 0.15927,    "ACT*": 0.14371,    "ADA": 0.160502,    "ADCN": 0.001406,    "ADL": 121.5,    "ADX": 0.427854,    "ADZ": 0.02908,    "AE": 2.551479,    "AGI": 0.12555,    "AIB": 0.005626,    "AIDOC": 0.02605,    [...]  }}

Response Objects:

Historical Data

Supported on: All Plans

Using the coinlayer API'sHistorical Rates endpoint you will be able to query the API for historical crypto data all the way back to the year 2011. To use this endpoint, simply append a date (format:YYYY-MM-DD) of your choice to the API's base URL, followed by your API access key and any of your preferred additional options.

Example API Request:

Sign Up to Run API Requesthttps://api.coinlayer.com/2018-04-30    ? access_key = YOUR_ACCESS_KEY

Request Parameters:

Example API Response:

{  "success": true,  "terms": "https://coinlayer.com/terms",  "privacy": "https://coinlayer.com/privacy",  "timestamp": 1525132744,  "target": "USD",  "historical": true,  "date": "2018-04-30",  "rates": {    "611": 0.389165,    "ABC": 59.99,    "ACP": 0.014931,    "ACT": 0.37332,    "ACT*": 0.352401,    "ADA": 0.340976,    "ADCN": 0.003209,    "ADL": 121.551125,    "ADX": 1.074753,    "ADZ": 0.02168,    "AE": 4.423674,    "AGI": 0.22478,    "AIB": 0.005626,    [...]  }}

Response Objects:

Conversion Endpoint

Supported on: Basic Plan and higher

The coinlayer API can also be used to convert amount between any one cryptocurrency and standard (fiat) currency. To convert currencies, simply use the API'sconvert endpoint and appendfrom,to andamount parameters.

Example API Request:

Sign Up to Run API Requesthttps://api.coinlayer.com/convert    ? access_key = YOUR_ACCESS_KEY    &from =BTC    &to =ETH    &amount =10

Request Parameters:

Example API Response:

{  "success": true,  "terms": "https://coinlayer.com/terms",  "privacy": "https://coinlayer.com/privacy",  "query": {    "from": "BTC",    "to": "ETH",    "amount": 10  },  "info": {    "timestamp": 1529790006,    "rate": 12.960872  },  "result": 129.60872}

Response Objects:

Time-Frame Data

Supported on: Professional Plan and higher

Using the coinlayer API'stimeframe endpoint you will be able to query the API for time-series crypto data between two dates of your choice (maximum period: 365 days). To use this endpoint, simply appendtimeframe to your API request URL and specifystart_date andend_date.

Example API Request:

Sign Up to Run API Requesthttps://api.coinlayer.com/timeframe    ? access_key = YOUR_ACCESS_KEY    &start_date =2018-04-01    &end_date =2018-04-30    & symbols = BTC,ETH

Request Parameters:

Example API Response:

{  "success": true,  "terms": "https://coinlayer.com/terms",  "privacy": "https://coinlayer.com/privacy",  "timeframe": true,  "start_date": "2018-04-01",  "end_date": "2018-04-30",  "target": "USD",  "rates": {    "2018-04-01": {      "BTC": 6903.113849,      "ETH": 383.02749    },    "2018-04-02": {      "BTC": 7111.72678,      "ETH": 387.273437    },    "2018-04-03": {      "BTC": 7490.777653,      "ETH": 421.655884    },    [...]  }}

Response Objects:

Change Data

Supported on: Professional Plus Plan and higher

Using the coinlayer API you may also request fluctuation data for any number of cryptocurrencies within a specific period of time (maximum period: 365 days). To make use of this feature, simply append the API'schange to the base URL, followed by your API access key.

Note: If nostart_date andend_date parameters are provided the API will default to yesterday (end of day) as start date and today (live rate) as end date.

Example API Request:

Sign Up to Run API Requesthttps://api.coinlayer.com/change    ? access_key = YOUR_ACCESS_KEY    &start_date =2018-04-01    &end_date =2018-04-30    & symbols = BTC,ETH,XRP

Request Parameters:

Example API Response:

{  "success": true,  "terms": "https://coinlayer.com/terms",  "privacy": "https://coinlayer.com/privacy",  "change": true,  "start_date": "2018-04-01",  "end_date": "2018-04-30",  "target": "USD",  "rates": {    "BTC": {      "start_rate": 6903.113849,      "end_rate": 9245.982724,      "change": 2342.86887,      "change_pct": 1.33939305    },    "ETH": {      "start_rate": 383.02749,      "end_rate": 670.440229,      "change": 287.412739,      "change_pct": 1.75037105    },    "XRP":{      "start_rate": 0.482917,      "end_rate": 0.831833,      "change": 0.348916,      "change_pct": 1.72251753    }  }}

Response Objects:

Options

Specify Symbols

Supported on: All Plans

Supported API Endpoints: Live, Historical, Time-Frame, Change.

The API'ssymbols parameter can be used in conjunction with most API endpoints to limit the number of output cryptocurrencies. This parameter can take either one single cryptocurrency value or multiple, comma-separated values.

  [...]  &symbols =BTC,ETH,XRP  [...]

The use of this parameter is especially useful to reduce bandwidth and increase the coinlayer API's response time.

Specify Target Currency

Supported on: Basic Plan and higher

Supported API Endpoints: Live, Historical, Time-Frame.

By default, cryptocurrency rates returned by the coinlayer API always translate to US Dollars. Customers subscribed to the Basic Plan or higher can use the API'starget parameter to change the Target Currency to any other supported fiat currency code.

  [...]  &target =EUR  [...]

The API supports 166 world currencies as target currencies. You can find a list of all supportedtarget currency codes here.

Extended Results

Supported on: Basic Plan and higher

Supported API Endpoints: Live, Historical, Time-Frame.

Basic Plan customers may also append theexpand and set it to1 in order to cause the coinlayer API to return a number of additional fields with an API response.

Example API Request: In this example theLive Rates Endpoint is used.

Sign Up to Run API Requesthttps://api.coinlayer.com/live    ? access_key = YOUR_ACCESS_KEY    &expand =1

Example API Response:

{  "success": true,  "terms": "https://coinlayer.com/terms",  "privacy": "https://coinlayer.com/privacy",  "timestamp": 1529836865,  "target": "USD",  "rates": {    "BTC": {      "rate": 5948.023376,      "high": 6499.89998,      "low": 5657,      "vol": 3665680000,      "cap": 101785026595.74292,      "sup": 17112412,    },    "ETH": {      "rate": 449.864211,      "high": 500,      "low": 432.547195,      "vol": 1918470000,      "cap": 45109034289.89332,      "sup": 100272556,    },    [...]  } }

Response Objects:

Sample Code

PHP (cURL)

Real-time rates:Find below a simple PHP example for getting exchange rate data via the coinlayer API'slive endpoint.

// set API Endpoint and API key $endpoint = 'live';$access_key = 'YOUR_ACCESS_KEY';// Initialize CURL:$ch = curl_init('https://api.coinlayer.com/api/'.$endpoint.'?access_key='.$access_key.'');curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_RETURNTRANSFER, true);// Store the data:$json = curl_exec($ch);curl_close($ch);// Decode JSON response:$exchangeRates = json_decode($json, true);// Access the exchange rate values, e.g. GBP:echo $exchangeRates['rates']['BTC'];

Convert currencies: Here is how to convert currencies using PHP cURL.

// set API Endpoint, access key, required parameters$endpoint = 'convert';$access_key = 'YOUR_ACCESS_KEY';$from = 'BTC';$to = 'GBP';$amount = 10;// initialize CURL:$ch = curl_init('https://api.coinlayer.com/api/'.$endpoint.'?access_key='.$access_key.'&from='.$from.'&to='.$to.'&amount='.$amount.'');   curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_RETURNTRANSFER, true);// get the JSON data:$json = curl_exec($ch);curl_close($ch);// Decode JSON response:$conversionResult = json_decode($json, true);// access the conversion resultecho $conversionResult['result'];

JavaScript (jQuery.ajax)

Real-time rates:Find below a simple jQuery.ajax example for getting exchange rate data via the cpinlayer API'slive endpoint.

// set endpoint and your API access keyendpoint = 'live'access_key = 'YOUR_ACCESS_KEY';// get the most recent exchange rates via the "live" endpoint:$.ajax({    url: 'https://api.coinlayer.com/api/' + endpoint + '?access_key=' + access_key,       dataType: 'jsonp',    success: function(json) {        // exchange rata data is stored in json.rates        alert(json.rates.BTC);                // target currency is stored in json.target        alert(json.target);                // timestamp can be accessed in json.timestamp        alert(json.timestamp);            }});

Convert currencies: Here is how to convert currencies using jQuery.ajax.

// set endpoint and your API keyendpoint = 'convert';access_key = 'YOUR_ACCESS_KEY';// define from currency, to currency, and amountfrom = 'BTC';to = 'GBP';amount = '10';// execute the conversion using the "convert" endpoint:$.ajax({    url: 'https://api.coinlayer.com/api/' + endpoint + '?access_key=' + access_key +'&from=' + from + '&to=' + to + '&amount=' + amount,       dataType: 'jsonp',    success: function(json) {        // access the conversion result in json.result        alert(json.result);                    }});

Business Continuity - API Overages

Ensuring our customers achieve success is paramount to what we do at APILayer. For this reason, we will be rolling out our Business Continuity plan guaranteeing your end users will never see a drop in coverage. Every plan has a certain amount of API calls that you can make in the given month. However, we would never want to cut your traffic or impact user experience negatively for your website or application in case you get more traffic.

What is an overage?

An overage occurs when you go over a quota for your API plan. When you reach your API calls limit, we will charge you a small amount for each new API call so we can make sure there will be no disruption in the service we provide to you and your website or application can continue running smoothly.

Prices for additional API calls will vary based on your plan. See table below for prices per call and example of an overage billing.

Why does APILayer have overage fees?

Overage fees allow developers to continue using an API once a quota limit is reached and give them time to upgrade their plan based on projected future use while ensuring API providers get paid for higher usage.

How do I know if I will be charged for overages?

When you are close to reaching your API calls limit for the month, you will receive an automatic notification (at 75%, 90% and 100% of your monthly quota). However, it is your responsibility to review and monitor for the plan’s usage limitations. You are required to keep track of your quota usage to prevent overages. You can do this by tracking the number of API calls you make and checking thedashboard for up-to-date usage statistics.

How will I be charged for my API subscription?

You will be charged for your monthly subscription plan, plus any overage fees applied. Your credit card will be billed after the billing period has ended.

What happens if I don’t have any overage fees?

In this case, there will be no change to your monthly invoice. Only billing cycles that incur overages will see any difference in monthly charges. The Business Continuity plan is an insurance plan to be used only if needed and guarantees your end users never see a drop in coverage from you.

What if I consistently have more API calls than my plan allows?

If your site consistently surpasses the set limits each month, you may face additional charges for the excess usage. Nevertheless, as your monthly usage reaches a certain threshold, it becomes more practical to consider upgrading to the next plan. By doing so, you ensure a smoother and more accommodating experience for your growing customer base.

I would like to upgrade my plan. How can I do that?

You can easily upgrade your plan by going to yourDashboard and selecting the new plan that would be more suitable for your business needs. Additionally, you may contact yourAccount Manager to discuss a custom plan if you expect a continuous increase in usage.

Introducing Platinum Support - Enterprise-grade support for APILayer

Upgrade your APIlayer subscription with our exclusive Platinum Support, an exceptional offering designed to enhance your business’ API management journey. With Platinum Support, you gain access to a host of premium features that take your support experience to a whole new level.

What does Platinum Support include?

	Standard Support	Platinum Support
General review on the issue
Access to knowledge base articles
Email support communication
Regular products updates and fixes
Dedicated account team
Priority Email Support with unlimited communication
Priority bug and review updates
Option for quarterly briefing call with product Management
Features requests as priority roadmap input into product

Priority Email Support: Experience unrivaled responsiveness with our priority email support. Rest assured that your inquiries receive top-priority attention, ensuring swift resolutions to any issues.

Unlimited Communication: Communication is key, and with Platinum Support, you enjoy unlimited access to our support team. No matter how complex your challenges are, our experts are here to assist you every step of the way.

Priority Bug Review and Fixes: Bugs can be a headache, but not with Platinum Support. Benefit from accelerated bug review and fixes, minimizing disruptions and maximizing your API performance.

Dedicated Account Team: We understand the value of personalized attention. That's why Platinum Support grants you a dedicated account team, ready to cater to your specific needs and provide tailored solutions.

Quarterly Briefing Call with Product Team: Stay in the loop with the latest updates and insights from our Product team. Engage in a quarterly briefing call to discuss new features, enhancements, and upcoming developments.

Priority Roadmap Input: Your input matters! As a Platinum Support subscriber, your feature requests receive top priority, shaping our product roadmap to align with your evolving requirements.

Don't settle for the standard when you can experience the exceptional. Upgrade to Platinum Support today and supercharge your APIlayer experience!