Market Endpoints
Endpoints for retrieving market data and slippage tolerance recommendations for trading pairs.
Get Slippage Tolerance
Retrieves the recommended slippage tolerance for a trading pair based on market volatility.
Endpoint: GET /{chainId}/markets/{baseTokenAddress}-{quoteTokenAddress}/slippageTolerance
Path Parameters
- chainId (string, required): The blockchain network ID (e.g.,
1, 100, 11155111)
- baseTokenAddress (string, required): Currency that is being bought or sold (the token you’re trading)
- quoteTokenAddress (string, required): Currency in which the price of the base token is quoted (the token you’re trading for)
Query Parameters (Optional)
| Parameter | Type | Description |
|---|
| orderKind | string | Type of order: buy or sell |
| partiallyFillable | boolean | Whether the order can be partially filled |
| sellAmount | string | Amount to sell in token units |
| buyAmount | string | Amount to buy in token units |
| expirationTimeInSeconds | number | Order expiration time in seconds |
| feeAmount | string | Fee amount in token units |
Response
| Field | Type | Description |
|---|
| slippageBps | number | Slippage tolerance in basis points. Min: 0, Max: 10000 |
Code Examples
curl "https://api.cow.fi/1/markets/0x6b175474e89094c44da98b954eedeac495271d0f-0x2260fac5e5542a773aa44fbcfedf7c193bc2c599/slippageTolerance"
const baseToken = '0x6b175474e89094c44da98b954eedeac495271d0f'; // DAI
const quoteToken = '0x2260fac5e5542a773aa44fbcfedf7c193bc2c599'; // WBTC
const response = await fetch(
`https://api.cow.fi/1/markets/${baseToken}-${quoteToken}/slippageTolerance`
);
const data = await response.json();
console.log(`Recommended slippage: ${data.slippageBps / 100}%`);
import requests
base_token = '0x6b175474e89094c44da98b954eedeac495271d0f' # DAI
quote_token = '0x2260fac5e5542a773aa44fbcfedf7c193bc2c599' # WBTC
response = requests.get(
f'https://api.cow.fi/1/markets/{base_token}-{quote_token}/slippageTolerance'
)
data = response.json()
print(f"Recommended slippage: {data['slippageBps'] / 100}%")
Response Example
This response indicates a recommended slippage tolerance of 0.5% (50 basis points).
Get Volatility Details (Internal)
Endpoint: GET /{chainId}/markets/{baseTokenAddress}-{quoteTokenAddress}/volatilityDetails
This endpoint is marked as hide: true in the API schema and is intended for internal debugging purposes. It may not be available in production environments.
Notes
Understanding Basis Points
Basis points (bps) are a unit of measure used in finance to describe percentages:
- 1 basis point = 0.01%
- 100 basis points = 1%
- 10,000 basis points = 100%
Common slippage values:
| Basis Points | Percentage | Use Case |
|---|
| 10 | 0.1% | Very stable pairs (e.g., USDC/DAI) |
| 50 | 0.5% | Stable liquid pairs (e.g., ETH/USDC) |
| 100 | 1% | Standard liquid pairs |
| 200-500 | 2-5% | Less liquid or volatile pairs |
| 1000+ | 10%+ | Highly volatile or illiquid pairs |
Market Notation
The market is specified as {base}-{quote} where:
- Base token: The asset you’re trading (buying or selling)
- Quote token: The asset used to price the base token
Example: DAI-WBTC means DAI priced in WBTC
Slippage Calculation Algorithm
The API calculates slippage tolerance based on:
- Historical volatility: Price movements over recent time periods
- Liquidity depth: Available liquidity in the market
- Market conditions: Current market volatility metrics
Caching
Slippage tolerance responses are cached for 120 seconds (2 minutes):
Cache-Control: public, max-age=120
Order-Specific Slippage
For more accurate slippage recommendations, include optional query parameters:
curl "https://api.cow.fi/1/markets/0x6b175474e89094c44da98b954eedeac495271d0f-0x2260fac5e5542a773aa44fbcfedf7c193bc2c599/slippageTolerance?orderKind=sell&sellAmount=1000000000000000000000&expirationTimeInSeconds=1800"
Error Handling
| Status Code | Reason | Solution |
|---|
| 400 | Invalid token address | Verify both addresses are valid |
| 404 | Market data unavailable | Pair may not have sufficient trading history |
| 500 | Service error | Retry after a short delay |
Best Practices
- Use recommended slippage: The API’s recommendation balances trade success vs. slippage cost
- Adjust for urgency: Increase slippage for faster execution in volatile markets
- Consider order size: Larger orders may need higher slippage tolerance
- Cache responsibly: Respect cache headers to reduce API load
- Handle errors: Fall back to conservative default (e.g., 1-2%) if API is unavailable
