API
How to get a PolyOrderbooks API key
Sign up for a free Starter plan, grab your API key from the dashboard, authenticate your first request, and start pulling order book history in minutes. No credit card required.
What this guide covers
- Free Starter plan — no credit card required
- Dashboard API keys section generates a key instantly
- Starter includes 60 rpm, 1,000/day, 3 days of history, 1s resolution
- Upgrade from the dashboard when you need more history or throughput
Step-by-step signup walkthrough
Creating a PolyOrderbooks account takes about 30 seconds. Navigate to polyorderbooks.com/signup and enter your email and a password. You'll receive a verification email — click the link to activate your account.
Once verified, you land on the dashboard. The API keys section is where you generate your first key. Click 'Generate API key' and you'll see a string like po_live_abc123... This key is shown once on creation — copy it immediately and store it securely.
Your Starter plan is active immediately. You can start making API calls right away with no payment information on file.
Authenticating your first request
Every API request must include your key in the X-API-Key header. This is not an OAuth flow or bearer token — it's a simple static header that you pass on every request.
The key is per-request, not per-IP. This means the same key works from your laptop, a cloud server, and a CI pipeline simultaneously. All requests from the same key share the same rate limit pool.
If you lose your key, you can revoke it from the dashboard and generate a new one. Revoking a key invalidates it immediately — any in-flight requests using the old key will fail with 401.
What you get on the Starter plan
The Starter plan is designed to let you explore the API and validate your use case before committing to a paid plan. You get access to all endpoints: markets, order books, prices, and metrics.
The main constraints are the 3-day history window and the 60 rpm / 1,000 requests per day rate limit. For a typical exploration workflow — listing markets, pulling a few snapshots, checking the data format — this is plenty.
Starter also includes 1 free AI backtest and 3 free strategy backtests, so you can try the Backtest AI feature without upgrading.
| Feature | Starter (Free) |
|---|---|
| API rate limit | 60 rpm / 1,000 per day |
| History window | 3 days |
| Resolution | 1s to 60s |
| AI backtests | 1 free |
| Strategy backtests | 3 free |
| Credit card required | No |
Code examples
# 1. Sign up at polyorderbooks.com/signup
# 2. Grab your key at polyorderbooks.com/dashboard → API keys
# Test your key
curl -s -H "X-API-Key: YOUR_KEY" \
"https://api.polyorderbooks.com/v1/markets?limit=3" | jqFree tier
The Starter plan is free, includes order books, prices, and metrics at 1-second resolution, with 3 days of history, 60 requests/min, 1,000/day, 1 free AI backtest, and 3 strategy backtests. No credit card required.
Paid data windows from $19/mo extend history to 30–120 days at higher throughput. Backtest AI add-on is +$19/mo or standalone at $29/mo.
FAQ
Is there a free API key?
Yes. The Starter plan is free, includes order books, prices, and metrics at 1-second resolution with 3 days of history. No credit card required to sign up.
Where do I find my API key?
After signing in, go to Dashboard and open the API keys section. Generate a key there. The key is shown once on creation — store it securely.
How is the API key authenticated?
Pass it as an X-API-Key header on requests to the PolyOrderbooks REST API. The header is per-request, not per-IP.
Can I have multiple API keys?
Yes. You can generate multiple keys from the dashboard. Each key has its own rate limit pool. This is useful for separating development and production traffic.
What happens if I lose my API key?
Revoke the lost key from the dashboard immediately, then generate a new one. The old key is invalidated instantly. Any in-flight requests using the revoked key will fail with 401.
Do I need a different key for the Python SDK?
No. The same key works with the Python SDK, raw requests, curl, and any HTTP client. Set it via the POLYORDERBOOKS_API_KEY environment variable or pass it directly to the client.