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Orderbook API

The Orderbook API serves as the primary interface for order placement, querying, and price estimation within CoW Protocol. It operates across multiple blockchain networks with both production and staging environments available.

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Network Endpoints

The API is deployed on numerous networks including Ethereum Mainnet, Gnosis Chain, Arbitrum One, Base, Avalanche, Polygon, and several others.
  • Production: api.cow.fi
  • Staging: barn.api.cow.fi

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Core Order Operations

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Create Order

POST /api/v1/orders Places new orders requiring EIP-712 signatures for ownership verification. The request must include sell/buy tokens, amounts, validity period, and signature details.

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Retrieve Order

GET /api/v1/orders/{UID} Fetches complete order data including execution status, fees paid, and settlement information.

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List Account Orders

GET /api/v1/account/{owner}/orders Returns paginated orders for a specific address, sorted newest first.

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Cancel Orders

DELETE /api/v1/orders Marks orders as invalid through signature-authenticated requests. This represents a “best-effort” cancellation that may not prevent settlement if already in-flight.

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Pricing and Quotes

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Get Quote

POST /api/v1/quote Generates price quotes with fee estimates. Response includes complete order parameters ready to sign and submit. Supports three quality levels:
  • fast - Quickest response
  • optimal - Balanced quality
  • verified - Recommended for production

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Get Native Token Price

GET /api/v1/token/{token}/native_price Returns how much native currency (e.g., ETH) equals one unit of a specified token.

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Trade and Settlement Information

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Get Trades

GET /api/v2/trades Retrieves paginated trade execution records filtered by trader or order UID.

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Get Solver Competition

GET /api/v2/solver_competition/{id} Displays auction results showing which solvers submitted solutions and their rankings.

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Get Orders by Transaction

GET /api/v1/orders/tx/{txHash} Lists all orders settled within a specific blockchain transaction.

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Key Features

  • Authentication: Most endpoints are public; order operations require cryptographic signatures
  • Rate Limiting: Order creation and quote requests are protected against excessive usage (HTTP 429 responses)
  • AppData Management: Store and retrieve metadata associated with orders through dedicated endpoints
  • Status Tracking: Monitor orders from submission through settlement with detailed status information
  1. Request a verified quote
  2. Sign order parameters using EIP-712
  3. Submit the signed order
  4. Track status through settlement
  5. Verify execution via trades endpoint
  6. Optionally cancel if needed

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Best Practices

  • Always request verified quotes for production trading
  • Link quote IDs to orders for improved analytics
  • Set appropriate validity windows to manage gas cost exposure
  • Handle rate limit responses with exponential backoff
  • Use the from field to validate signature correctness early
Last modified on March 4, 2026