The cryptocurrency market, with its multitude of altcoins and exchanges, presents numerous arbitrage opportunities. However, identifying and capitalizing on these opportunities manually is nearly impossible due to the speed and complexity involved. Automation is essential to stay competitive.
During my exploration of GitHub for publicly available tools, I discovered CCXT, a powerful JavaScript library designed for cryptocurrency exchange trading.
👉 Discover CCXT's powerful features
What is CCXT?
CCXT is an open-source library that supports over 70 cryptocurrency exchanges, providing a unified API for seamless integration. Originally written for Node.js, it also offers transpiled versions for Python and PHP.
Key Features:
- Broad Exchange Support: Integrates with major and emerging cryptocurrency markets.
- Complete API Coverage: Fully implements public and private APIs for all supported exchanges.
- Comprehensive Data Access: Retrieves currencies, symbols, prices, order books, trades, tickers, and more.
- Normalized Data: Facilitates cross-exchange analytics and arbitrage strategies.
- Easy Integration: Simple, all-in-one API structure for quick implementation.
- Multi-Language Support: Compatible with Node.js 7.6+, Python 2/3, PHP 5.3+, and web browsers.
Getting Started with CCXT
Prerequisites
Install Node.js
- Download the latest version from the official Node.js website.
Download CCXT
- Get the source code from the CCXT GitHub repository.
- Extract the files into your preferred working directory.
Install Dependencies
- Navigate to the CCXT directory via the command line.
- Run
npm installto download required packages (may take a few minutes).
Running an Arbitrage Example
CCXT includes an example script (arbitrage-pairs.js) in /examples/js/. To execute it:
node examples/js/arbitrage-pairs.js hitbtc2 bittrex poloniex This command retrieves all trading pairs supported by HitBTC, Bittrex, and Poloniex. These exchanges were chosen because they support STEEM, but the script works for any exchange CCXT supports.
Example Output
| Symbol | hitbtc2 | bittrex | poloniex |
|-------------|---------|---------|----------|
| 1ST/BTC | ✅ | ✅ | |
| BCH/BTC | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| STEEM/BTC | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| ETH/USDT | | ✅ | ✅ |
(Full table available in the original post.)
This output highlights the trading pairs available across these exchanges, making it easier to identify potential arbitrage scenarios.
Next Steps: Price Comparison for Arbitrage
While CCXT provides the data, it doesn’t include a built-in price comparison tool. However, given its well-structured API, creating a script to analyze price discrepancies across exchanges is straightforward.
👉 Learn how to automate arbitrage trading
Planned Enhancements
In a follow-up post, I’ll demonstrate how to:
- Fetch real-time prices from multiple exchanges.
- Calculate potential arbitrage profits (accounting for fees).
- Automate trades when profitable opportunities arise.
FAQ
1. Is CCXT free to use?
Yes, CCXT is open-source and free for both personal and commercial use.
2. Which programming languages does CCXT support?
JavaScript (Node.js), Python, and PHP.
3. Can CCXT execute trades automatically?
Yes, it supports both read-only (public API) and trading (private API) functionalities.
4. Does CCXT handle exchange rate discrepancies?
While it retrieves data, users must implement their own arbitrage logic.
5. Are there any rate limits?
Yes, each exchange imposes its own API rate limits, which CCXT respects.
6. How often is CCXT updated?
The library is actively maintained, with frequent updates to support new exchanges and features.
Final Thoughts
CCXT is an invaluable tool for traders looking to exploit arbitrage opportunities across multiple exchanges. Its unified API simplifies data retrieval, enabling rapid development of custom trading bots.
Stay tuned for the next tutorial, where we’ll dive into automated price comparison and profitable arbitrage strategies.