Discover how KuCoin's developer-friendly API and robust authentication system are becoming the preferred choice for cryptocurrency application integration.
KuCoin offers a comprehensive developer ecosystem with powerful tools and extensive documentation that make integration seamless and efficient.
Experience lightning-fast response times with KuCoin's optimized API infrastructure capable of handling millions of requests per second.
Bank-grade security features including multi-layer encryption, IP whitelisting, and comprehensive audit trails for maximum protection.
Comprehensive API documentation with code examples, SDKs, and interactive testing tools for all major programming languages.
Access deep liquidity pools across 700+ trading pairs with competitive spreads and minimal slippage for optimal trading execution.
Real-time market data streaming through WebSocket connections with minimal latency for time-sensitive trading applications.
Join a vibrant developer community with dedicated support channels, regular updates, and collaborative development opportunities.
KuCoin provides a comprehensive REST API with extensive functionality for trading, market data, and account management.
Complete trading functionality with advanced order types and execution algorithms.
Real-time and historical market data with multiple timeframes and aggregation.
Complete account management with balance tracking and transaction history.
Here's a simple example of how to authenticate and make API calls with KuCoin:
# Python example using KuCoin API
import hmac
import hashlib
import base64
import requests
import time
class KuCoinAPI:
def __init__(self, api_key, api_secret, api_passphrase):
self.base_url = "https://api.kucoin.com"
self.api_key = api_key
self.api_secret = api_secret
self.api_passphrase = api_passphrase
def _generate_signature(self, timestamp, method, endpoint, body=""):
message = f"{timestamp}{method}{endpoint}{body}"
mac = hmac.new(
self.api_secret.encode('utf-8'),
message.encode('utf-8'),
hashlib.sha256
)
return base64.b64encode(mac.digest()).decode()
def get_account_balance(self):
timestamp = str(int(time.time() * 1000))
endpoint = "/api/v1/accounts"
signature = self._generate_signature(timestamp, 'GET', endpoint)
headers = {
"KC-API-KEY": self.api_key,
"KC-API-SIGN": signature,
"KC-API-TIMESTAMP": timestamp,
"KC-API-PASSPHRASE": self.api_passphrase,
"Content-Type": "application/json"
}
response = requests.get(self.base_url + endpoint, headers=headers)
return response.json()
# Initialize API client
api = KuCoinAPI("your_api_key", "your_api_secret", "your_passphrase")
balance = api.get_account_balance()
print(balance)Follow these steps to quickly integrate KuCoin API into your application with proper authentication and security measures.
Log in to your KuCoin account, navigate to API Management, and create new API keys with appropriate permissions for your application.
Set up IP whitelisting, trading permissions, and withdrawal restrictions based on your application's security requirements.
Integrate KuCoin's signature-based authentication in your code using the provided API key, secret, and passphrase.
Use KuCoin's sandbox environment to test your integration thoroughly before deploying to production.
Find answers to common questions about KuCoin API integration, authentication, and best practices.
KuCoin uses a signature-based authentication system. Each API request must include several headers: KC-API-KEY (your API key), KC-API-SIGN (the signature), KC-API-TIMESTAMP (current timestamp), and KC-API-PASSPHRASE (your API passphrase). The signature is generated by creating a SHA256 HMAC of the timestamp + method + endpoint + body, using your API secret as the key, then Base64 encoding the result. This ensures secure and tamper-proof API communication.
Yes, KuCoin implements rate limiting to ensure fair usage and system stability. The limits vary by endpoint type: Public endpoints generally allow 30 requests per second, private endpoints typically allow 18 requests per second, and specific high-frequency endpoints may have different limits. If you exceed these limits, you'll receive a 429 Too Many Requests response. We recommend implementing exponential backoff in your application and monitoring your request frequency to stay within limits.
Yes, KuCoin offers a comprehensive sandbox environment at https://openapi-sandbox.kucoin.com that mirrors the production API. You can create separate sandbox API keys and test your integration with simulated trading and account data without risking real funds. The sandbox environment is perfect for development, testing new features, and ensuring your integration works correctly before going live. All API endpoints available in production are also available in the sandbox with the same authentication requirements.
KuCoin provides official SDKs for Python, Java, Go, PHP, and Node.js, with community-supported libraries available for many other languages including C#, Ruby, and Rust. The REST API itself is language-agnostic, so you can integrate with any programming language that can make HTTP requests and generate HMAC-SHA256 signatures. The comprehensive API documentation includes examples in multiple languages, and the active developer community often shares additional language-specific implementations and best practices.
If you encounter issues with KuCoin API integration, visit our comprehensive developer documentation or contact our technical support team for assistance.