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CoinMarketCap API Common Workflows

Use this page when you know the outcome you want, but you do not need to browse the full API reference yet. Each workflow below points you to the right API family and the pages you will most likely want next.

Popular workflow guides

Get latest crypto prices

Use the current quotes endpoint when you already know the assets you care about.

Get historical price data

Choose between quote history and OHLCV candles for charts, analysis, and backtesting.

Get top coins by market cap

Use listings to pull ranked market views and paginated market slices.

Common starting points

Workflow	Start here	Typical next step
Show the latest prices for a known set of assets	Cryptocurrency	Start with Get latest crypto prices
Show the top coins by market cap	Cryptocurrency	Start with Get top coins by market cap
Build historical charts or backtests	Cryptocurrency and OHLCV	Start with Get historical price data
Look up IDs, metadata, or logos	Cryptocurrency and Exchange	Use `map` and `info` before building downstream requests
Monitor exchanges and market pairs	Exchange	Start with exchange `info`, `listings/latest`, or `market-pairs/latest`
Work with DEX tokens, pools, and on-chain activity	Token, Platform, and OHLCV	Use token and pair data first, then add OHLCV or liquidity views
Add market-wide context to your app	Global Metrics, CMC Index, Content, and Community	Combine global metrics with content, headlines, or community trend data
Convert values across crypto and fiat currencies	Tools	Start with `price-conversion`

Choose the right request pattern

Use quotes/latest when you already know the assets you care about and want current market data.
Use listings/latest when you want a ranked or filtered list across the market.
Use map first when you want stable IDs for downstream requests.
Use info when you need descriptive metadata such as logos, links, and profiles.
Use historical endpoints when your product needs charts, time-series views, or backtesting.

Before you ship

These pages answer the questions most teams run into after the first successful call:

Authentication Standards and Conventions