Coinmarketcap API

CoinMarketCap API

Enterprise-grade cryptocurrency market data API with 40+ endpoints covering prices, market caps, exchanges, and historical data.

Quick Reference

Base URLs

Authentication

All requests require an API key in the header:

X-CMC_PRO_API_KEY: your-api-key-here

Get your API key at: https://coinmarketcap.com/api/

Quick Start

cURL:

curl -H "X-CMC_PRO_API_KEY: YOUR_KEY" \
  "https://pro-api.coinmarketcap.com/v1/cryptocurrency/listings/latest?limit=10"

Python:

import requests

url = "https://pro-api.coinmarketcap.com/v1/cryptocurrency/quotes/latest"
headers = {"X-CMC_PRO_API_KEY": "YOUR_KEY"}
params = {"symbol": "BTC,ETH", "convert": "USD"}

response = requests.get(url, headers=headers, params=params)
data = response.json()
print(data["data"]["BTC"]["quote"]["USD"]["price"])

JavaScript:

const response = await fetch(
  "https://pro-api.coinmarketcap.com/v1/cryptocurrency/quotes/latest?symbol=BTC&convert=USD",
  {
    headers: { "X-CMC_PRO_API_KEY": "YOUR_KEY" }
  }
);
const data = await response.json();
console.log(data.data.BTC.quote.USD.price);

Pricing Plans

Credit Usage: Typically 1 credit per 100 data points returned.

Endpoint Categories

Cryptocurrency Endpoints

Exchange Endpoints

Global Metrics

Tools

Other Endpoints

Core Endpoints

Cryptocurrency Listings Latest

Get a paginated list of all active cryptocurrencies.

Endpoint: GET /v1/cryptocurrency/listings/latest

Parameters:

Example:

curl -H "X-CMC_PRO_API_KEY: YOUR_KEY" \
  "https://pro-api.coinmarketcap.com/v1/cryptocurrency/listings/latest?start=1&limit=10&convert=USD&sort=market_cap&sort_dir=desc"

Response:

{
  "status": {
    "timestamp": "2024-01-15T12:00:00.000Z",
    "error_code": 0,
    "error_message": null,
    "elapsed": 10,
    "credit_count": 1
  },
  "data": [
    {
      "id": 1,
      "name": "Bitcoin",
      "symbol": "BTC",
      "slug": "bitcoin",
      "num_market_pairs": 10000,
      "date_added": "2010-07-13T00:00:00.000Z",
      "max_supply": 21000000,
      "circulating_supply": 19500000,
      "total_supply": 19500000,
      "cmc_rank": 1,
      "quote": {
        "USD": {
          "price": 42500.00,
          "volume_24h": 25000000000,
          "volume_change_24h": 5.5,
          "percent_change_1h": 0.5,
          "percent_change_24h": 2.3,
          "percent_change_7d": -1.2,
          "percent_change_30d": 15.0,
          "percent_change_60d": 25.0,
          "percent_change_90d": 30.0,
          "market_cap": 828750000000,
          "market_cap_dominance": 50.5,
          "fully_diluted_market_cap": 892500000000,
          "last_updated": "2024-01-15T12:00:00.000Z"
        }
      }
    }
  ]
}

Cryptocurrency Quotes Latest

Get latest market quotes for one or more cryptocurrencies.

Endpoint: GET /v2/cryptocurrency/quotes/latest

Parameters:

*One of id, slug, or symbol is required.

Example:

curl -H "X-CMC_PRO_API_KEY: YOUR_KEY" \
  "https://pro-api.coinmarketcap.com/v2/cryptocurrency/quotes/latest?symbol=BTC,ETH,SOL&convert=USD"

Response:

{
  "status": {
    "timestamp": "2024-01-15T12:00:00.000Z",
    "error_code": 0,
    "error_message": null,
    "elapsed": 15,
    "credit_count": 1
  },
  "data": {
    "BTC": [
      {
        "id": 1,
        "name": "Bitcoin",
        "symbol": "BTC",
        "slug": "bitcoin",
        "is_active": 1,
        "is_fiat": 0,
        "circulating_supply": 19500000,
        "total_supply": 19500000,
        "max_supply": 21000000,
        "date_added": "2010-07-13T00:00:00.000Z",
        "num_market_pairs": 10000,
        "cmc_rank": 1,
        "last_updated": "2024-01-15T12:00:00.000Z",
        "quote": {
          "USD": {
            "price": 42500.00,
            "volume_24h": 25000000000,
            "percent_change_1h": 0.5,
            "percent_change_24h": 2.3,
            "percent_change_7d": -1.2,
            "market_cap": 828750000000,
            "last_updated": "2024-01-15T12:00:00.000Z"
          }
        }
      }
    ]
  }
}

Cryptocurrency Map

Get a mapping of all cryptocurrencies to CMC IDs.

Endpoint: GET /v1/cryptocurrency/map

Parameters:

Example:

curl -H "X-CMC_PRO_API_KEY: YOUR_KEY" \
  "https://pro-api.coinmarketcap.com/v1/cryptocurrency/map?symbol=BTC,ETH"

Best Practice: Always resolve symbols to CMC IDs first. Symbols can collide across chains; IDs are unique.

Price Conversion

Convert an amount from one currency to another.

Endpoint: GET /v2/tools/price-conversion

Parameters:

Example:

curl -H "X-CMC_PRO_API_KEY: YOUR_KEY" \
  "https://pro-api.coinmarketcap.com/v2/tools/price-conversion?amount=1&symbol=BTC&convert=USD,EUR,ETH"

Global Metrics

Get aggregate market statistics.

Endpoint: GET /v1/global-metrics/quotes/latest

Parameters:

Example:

curl -H "X-CMC_PRO_API_KEY: YOUR_KEY" \
  "https://pro-api.coinmarketcap.com/v1/global-metrics/quotes/latest?convert=USD"

Response includes:

• Total market cap
• Total 24h volume
• BTC dominance percentage
• ETH dominance percentage
• Active cryptocurrencies count
• Active exchanges count
• Active market pairs count

OHLCV Historical

Get historical OHLCV (candlestick) data.

Endpoint: GET /v2/cryptocurrency/ohlcv/historical

Parameters:

Example:

curl -H "X-CMC_PRO_API_KEY: YOUR_KEY" \
  "https://pro-api.coinmarketcap.com/v2/cryptocurrency/ohlcv/historical?symbol=BTC&time_start=2024-01-01&time_end=2024-01-31&interval=daily&convert=USD"

Supported Currencies

Fiat Currencies (93)

AUD, BRL, CAD, CHF, CLP, CNY, CZK, DKK, EUR, GBP, HKD, HUF, IDR, ILS, INR, JPY, KRW, MXN, MYR, NOK, NZD, PHP, PKR, PLN, RUB, SEK, SGD, THB, TRY, TWD, USD, ZAR, and more...

Cryptocurrency Conversions

BTC, ETH, XRP, LTC, BCH (and others via CMC ID)

Precious Metals (4)

XAU (Gold), XAG (Silver), XPT (Platinum), XPD (Palladium)

Error Handling

HTTP Status Codes

Error Response Format

{
  "status": {
    "timestamp": "2024-01-15T12:00:00.000Z",
    "error_code": 1001,
    "error_message": "This API Key is invalid.",
    "elapsed": 0,
    "credit_count": 0
  }
}

Common Error Codes

Rate Limiting

• Rate limits are based on simultaneous HTTP calls within 60-second windows
• Limits increase with higher subscription tiers
• Exceeding limits triggers HTTP 429 errors
• Monitor usage via /v1/key/info endpoint

Check API Key Usage:

curl -H "X-CMC_PRO_API_KEY: YOUR_KEY" \
  "https://pro-api.coinmarketcap.com/v1/key/info"

Python Library

Installation

pip install python-coinmarketcap

Usage

from coinmarketcapapi import CoinMarketCapAPI, CoinMarketCapAPIError

# Initialize client
cmc = CoinMarketCapAPI('YOUR_API_KEY')

# Get Bitcoin info
btc_info = cmc.cryptocurrency_info(symbol='BTC')
print(btc_info.data)

# Get latest listings
listings = cmc.cryptocurrency_listings_latest(limit=100, convert='USD')
for crypto in listings.data:
    print(f"{crypto['name']}: ${crypto['quote']['USD']['price']:.2f}")

# Price conversion
conversion = cmc.tools_priceconversion(amount=1, symbol='BTC', convert='USD')
print(f"1 BTC = ${conversion.data[0]['quote']['USD']['price']:.2f}")

# Error handling
try:
    result = cmc.cryptocurrency_quotes_latest(symbol='INVALID')
except CoinMarketCapAPIError as e:
    print(f"Error: {e.rep.error_message}")

Response Object

response = cmc.cryptocurrency_info(symbol='BTC')

response.data          # Result payload
response.status        # Status information
response.credit_count  # Credits consumed
response.elapsed       # Server processing time (ms)
response.total_elapsed # Total request time (ms)
response.timestamp     # Server timestamp
response.error_code    # Error code (0 = success)
response.error_message # Error details
response.error         # Boolean error flag

Best Practices

1. Use CMC IDs Instead of Symbols

# Bad: Symbols can collide
quotes = cmc.cryptocurrency_quotes_latest(symbol='UNI')  # Which UNI?

# Good: Resolve to IDs first
mapping = cmc.cryptocurrency_map(symbol='UNI')
cmc_id = mapping.data[0]['id']  # Get the specific one you want
quotes = cmc.cryptocurrency_quotes_latest(id=str(cmc_id))

2. Cache Map Data

# Cache the ID mapping locally
import json

def get_crypto_map():
    try:
        with open('cmc_map.json', 'r') as f:
            return json.load(f)
    except FileNotFoundError:
        mapping = cmc.cryptocurrency_map(limit=5000)
        with open('cmc_map.json', 'w') as f:
            json.dump(mapping.data, f)
        return mapping.data

3. Handle Rate Limits

import time

def safe_api_call(func, *args, **kwargs):
    max_retries = 3
    for attempt in range(max_retries):
        try:
            return func(*args, **kwargs)
        except CoinMarketCapAPIError as e:
            if e.rep.error_code == 1004:  # Rate limit
                time.sleep(60)  # Wait 60 seconds
                continue
            raise
    raise Exception("Max retries exceeded")

4. Proxy API Calls (Web Apps)

// Backend proxy (Node.js/Express)
app.get('/api/crypto/prices', async (req, res) => {
  const response = await fetch(
    'https://pro-api.coinmarketcap.com/v1/cryptocurrency/quotes/latest?symbol=BTC',
    { headers: { 'X-CMC_PRO_API_KEY': process.env.CMC_API_KEY } }
  );
  res.json(await response.json());
});

Never expose your API key in client-side JavaScript.

5. Paginate Large Requests

def get_all_cryptocurrencies():
    all_cryptos = []
    start = 1
    limit = 5000

    while True:
        response = cmc.cryptocurrency_listings_latest(start=start, limit=limit)
        if not response.data:
            break
        all_cryptos.extend(response.data)
        start += limit
        if len(response.data) < limit:
            break

    return all_cryptos

Common Use Cases

Portfolio Tracker

portfolio = {'BTC': 0.5, 'ETH': 2.0, 'SOL': 10}

# Get current prices
symbols = ','.join(portfolio.keys())
quotes = cmc.cryptocurrency_quotes_latest(symbol=symbols, convert='USD')

total_value = 0
for symbol, amount in portfolio.items():
    price = quotes.data[symbol][0]['quote']['USD']['price']
    value = price * amount
    total_value += value
    print(f"{symbol}: {amount} × ${price:.2f} = ${value:.2f}")

print(f"Total Portfolio: ${total_value:.2f}")

Price Alert System

def check_price_alerts(alerts):
    symbols = ','.join(set(a['symbol'] for a in alerts))
    quotes = cmc.cryptocurrency_quotes_latest(symbol=symbols, convert='USD')

    for alert in alerts:
        price = quotes.data[alert['symbol']][0]['quote']['USD']['price']
        if alert['type'] == 'above' and price > alert['target']:
            notify(f"{alert['symbol']} is above ${alert['target']}: ${price:.2f}")
        elif alert['type'] == 'below' and price < alert['target']:
            notify(f"{alert['symbol']} is below ${alert['target']}: ${price:.2f}")

Market Dashboard

# Get global metrics
global_data = cmc.globalmetrics_quotes_latest(convert='USD')
print(f"Total Market Cap: ${global_data.data['quote']['USD']['total_market_cap']:,.0f}")
print(f"BTC Dominance: {global_data.data['btc_dominance']:.1f}%")
print(f"24h Volume: ${global_data.data['quote']['USD']['total_volume_24h']:,.0f}")

# Get top 10
top10 = cmc.cryptocurrency_listings_latest(limit=10, convert='USD')
for crypto in top10.data:
    print(f"#{crypto['cmc_rank']} {crypto['symbol']}: ${crypto['quote']['USD']['price']:,.2f}")

When to Use This Skill

• Building cryptocurrency price trackers or portfolios
• Creating trading bots or algorithmic trading systems
• Analyzing cryptocurrency market data
• Building dashboards with market metrics
• Implementing price alerts and notifications
• Converting between cryptocurrencies and fiat
• Researching historical price data
• Building DeFi analytics tools

Resources

• Official API Documentation
• API Dashboard
• Python Library
• API FAQ
• Pricing Plans