Kraken

Overview

The Kraken REST API serves one of the oldest major crypto exchanges. Public market data is keyless — tickers, order books, OHLC and asset info; private endpoints (balances, orders, trades) require API keys with signed requests.

Quick Start

Public ticker — no key needed (verified live):

curl "https://api.kraken.com/0/public/Ticker?pair=XBTUSD"

{
  "error": [],
  "result": {
    "XXBTZUSD": {
      "c": ["67234.50", "1.23"],
      "h": ["67300.00", "67100.00"],
      "l": ["66000.00", "66500.00"],
      "o": "66500.00"
    }
  }
}

Order book:

curl "https://api.kraken.com/0/public/Depth?pair=XBTUSD&count=5"

OHLC candles:

curl "https://api.kraken.com/0/public/OHLC?pair=XBTUSD&interval=1440"

Tradable asset pairs:

curl "https://api.kraken.com/0/public/AssetPairs"

Authentication (for trading)

• Generate an API key in Kraken account settings (read/trade permissions).
• Private endpoints use API-Key + HMAC-SHA512 signature (API-Key and API-Sign headers).
• Keep the secret server-side; use nonces/timestamps per the docs.

Rate Limits & Notes

• Public endpoints are free and rate-limited per IP (documented); heavy abuse gets throttled.
• Pair names use Kraken’s internal notation (XBTUSD, ETHUSD; note XBT not BTC).
• Websockets available for real-time public data.

FAQ

Is Kraken API free? Public market data is free and keyless; trading uses normal exchange fees.

Do I need a key for prices? No — tickers, order books and OHLC are public.

Why XBT instead of BTC? Kraken’s legacy asset code for Bitcoin is XBT — use it in pair names.