Build your first crypto trading bot in 15 minutes — in whichever language you already know - Ccxt

Every trading bot starts with the same four moves: connect to an exchange, load its markets, read some data, place an order. This tutorial does exactly that — and because CCXT ships the same API in six languages, every step below is shown in all of them. Pick your tab and stay in it.

Rule zero: don't learn with real money

Before writing any code:

Use a testnet. Most major exchanges (Binance, Bybit, OKX, and others) offer sandbox or demo environments with play money. CCXT switches to them with a single call — setSandboxMode(true) — shown below.
Create API keys with withdrawals disabled and an IP allowlist. A trading bot never needs withdrawal permissions.
Start with the exchange's minimum order size, even on testnet, so the habits transfer.

Step 1 — install

bash

npm install ccxt

bash

pip install ccxt

bash

composer require ccxt/ccxt

bash

dotnet add package ccxt

bash

go get github.com/ccxt/ccxt/go/v4

kotlin

// build.gradle.kts
implementation("io.github.ccxt:ccxt:4.5.64")

Step 2 — connect and load markets

loadMarkets() downloads the exchange's tradable symbols, precision rules, and limits. Call it once at startup; everything else builds on it.

javascript

import ccxt from 'ccxt';

const exchange = new ccxt.binance({
    apiKey: process.env.API_KEY,
    secret: process.env.SECRET,
});
exchange.setSandboxMode(true); // testnet — remove only when you mean it

await exchange.loadMarkets();
console.log(`${exchange.id}: ${Object.keys(exchange.markets).length} markets`);

python

import os
import ccxt

exchange = ccxt.binance({
    'apiKey': os.environ['API_KEY'],
    'secret': os.environ['SECRET'],
})
exchange.set_sandbox_mode(True)  # testnet — remove only when you mean it

exchange.load_markets()
print(exchange.id, len(exchange.markets), 'markets')

php

<?php
$exchange = new \ccxt\binance([
    'apiKey' => getenv('API_KEY'),
    'secret' => getenv('SECRET'),
]);
$exchange->set_sandbox_mode(true); // testnet — remove only when you mean it

$exchange->load_markets();
echo $exchange->id, ': ', count($exchange->markets), " markets\n";

csharp

using ccxt;

var exchange = new Binance();
exchange.apiKey = Environment.GetEnvironmentVariable("API_KEY");
exchange.secret = Environment.GetEnvironmentVariable("SECRET");
exchange.setSandboxMode(true); // testnet — remove only when you mean it

await exchange.LoadMarkets();
Console.WriteLine($"{exchange.id}: markets loaded");

package main

import (
    "fmt"
    "os"

    ccxt "github.com/ccxt/ccxt/go/v4"
)

func main() {
    exchange := ccxt.NewBinance(nil)
    exchange.ApiKey = os.Getenv("API_KEY")
    exchange.Secret = os.Getenv("SECRET")
    exchange.SetSandboxMode(true) // testnet — remove only when you mean it

    exchange.LoadMarkets()
    fmt.Println(exchange.Id, "markets loaded")
}

java

import io.github.ccxt.exchanges.Binance;

var exchange = new Binance();
exchange.apiKey = System.getenv("API_KEY");
exchange.secret = System.getenv("SECRET");
exchange.setSandboxMode(true); // testnet — remove only when you mean it

exchange.loadMarkets();
System.out.println("markets loaded");

CCXT's rate limiter is on by default — requests are automatically spaced out to respect the exchange's limits, so a simple loop won't get your IP banned.

Step 3 — read the market and your balance

javascript

const ticker = await exchange.fetchTicker('BTC/USDT');
console.log('last price:', ticker.last);

const balance = await exchange.fetchBalance();
console.log('free USDT:', balance['USDT'].free);

python

ticker = exchange.fetch_ticker('BTC/USDT')
print('last price:', ticker['last'])

balance = exchange.fetch_balance()
print('free USDT:', balance['USDT']['free'])

php

$ticker = $exchange->fetch_ticker('BTC/USDT');
echo 'last price: ', $ticker['last'], "\n";

$balance = $exchange->fetch_balance();
echo 'free USDT: ', $balance['USDT']['free'], "\n";

csharp

var ticker = await exchange.FetchTicker("BTC/USDT");
Console.WriteLine($"last price: {ticker.last}");

var balance = await exchange.FetchBalance();
Console.WriteLine($"free USDT: {balance["USDT"].Free}");

ticker, err := exchange.FetchTicker("BTC/USDT")
if err != nil {
    panic(err)
}
fmt.Println("last price:", *ticker.Last)

balance, err := exchange.FetchBalance()
if err != nil {
    panic(err)
}
fmt.Println("free USDT:", *balance.Free["USDT"])

java

var ticker = exchange.fetchTicker("BTC/USDT");
System.out.println("last price: " + ticker.last);

var balance = exchange.fetchBalance((java.util.Map<String, Object>) null);
System.out.println(balance);

Notice the symbol: BTC/USDT is CCXT's unified symbol format. You write the same symbol on every exchange — CCXT translates it to whatever the exchange calls it internally (BTCUSDT, XBTUSDT, BTC-USDT, ...).

Step 4 — place a limit order, then cancel it

We place a buy order 20% below the market so it won't fill while you experiment, then cancel it.

javascript

const price = exchange.priceToPrecision('BTC/USDT', ticker.last * 0.8);
const amount = 0.001;

const order = await exchange.createOrder('BTC/USDT', 'limit', 'buy', amount, price);
console.log('placed:', order.id);

await exchange.cancelOrder(order.id, 'BTC/USDT');
console.log('canceled');

python

price = exchange.price_to_precision('BTC/USDT', ticker['last'] * 0.8)
amount = 0.001

order = exchange.create_order('BTC/USDT', 'limit', 'buy', amount, price)
print('placed:', order['id'])

exchange.cancel_order(order['id'], 'BTC/USDT')
print('canceled')

php

$price = $exchange->price_to_precision('BTC/USDT', $ticker['last'] * 0.8);
$amount = 0.001;

$order = $exchange->create_order('BTC/USDT', 'limit', 'buy', $amount, $price);
echo 'placed: ', $order['id'], "\n";

$exchange->cancel_order($order['id'], 'BTC/USDT');
echo "canceled\n";

csharp

var price = (double)ticker.last * 0.8;
var amount = 0.001;

var order = await exchange.CreateOrder("BTC/USDT", "limit", "buy", amount, price);
Console.WriteLine($"placed: {order.id}");

await exchange.CancelOrder(order.id, "BTC/USDT");
Console.WriteLine("canceled");

price := *ticker.Last * 0.8
amount := 0.001

order, err := exchange.CreateOrder("BTC/USDT", "limit", "buy", amount,
    ccxt.WithCreateOrderPrice(price))
if err != nil {
    panic(err)
}
fmt.Println("placed:", *order.Id)

_, err = exchange.CancelOrder(*order.Id, ccxt.WithCancelOrderSymbol("BTC/USDT"))
if err != nil {
    panic(err)
}
fmt.Println("canceled")

java

double price = ticker.last * 0.8;
double amount = 0.001;

var order = exchange.createOrder("BTC/USDT", "limit", "buy", amount, price, null);
System.out.println("placed: " + order.id);

exchange.cancelOrder(order.id, "BTC/USDT", null);
System.out.println("canceled");

Two details that separate toy scripts from real bots, both visible here:

Precision helpers. priceToPrecision / amountToPrecision round values to what the exchange actually accepts. Sending 26418.377777 raw gets your order rejected.
Always pass the symbol to cancelOrder. Many exchanges require it, and unified code should assume it's needed.

Where to go next

You now have the full loop: connect, read, act, undo. From here:

Never poll in a loop for live prices — use WebSockets instead, covered in Real-time market data with WebSockets.
Read Seven mistakes before putting real funds behind any of this.
The Manual documents everything the unified API offers — 100+ exchanges, spot and derivatives, public and private endpoints.