About CoinMarketCap - Cryptocurrency Price and Data Platform

CoinMarketCap, a prominent platform, has served as a go-to resource for cryptocurrency enthusiasts for five years. It plays a crucial role as the initial point of reference for many individuals seeking spot prices and cryptocurrency metrics.

The platform offers both a public and professional API, although the public API comes with certain limitations on data requests. Detailed API documentation is available on the CoinMarketCap website.

Professional API Tier and Derivatives Data

In August 2018, CoinMarketCap introduced the professional tier for its API, targeting more extensive business use cases. This professional tier includes the addition of derivatives data, expanding the range of available information.

Data Accuracy and Source Concerns

The reliability of data provided by CoinMarketCap has faced substantial scrutiny within the cryptocurrency community. Doubts have also been cast on the exchanges from which the data is sourced. Reports of wash trading, where exchanges conduct self-transactions to inflate trading volumes, have emerged.

Developer Challenges and Concerns

Developers utilizing the CoinMarketCap API encounter strict rate limiting, potentially limiting their data access. The introduction of the professional tier may offer a solution, albeit at an additional cost.

Furthermore, developers have expressed concerns regarding CoinMarketCap's practice of delisting coins without prior public notice. This can disrupt programs that rely on the data of delisted coins.