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API Integration

The CoW Protocol API provides direct access to the protocol's functionality through RESTful endpoints. This approach offers maximum flexibility and control for backend integrations and custom implementations.

Overview​

The API integration allows you to interact with CoW Protocol at the lowest level, giving you complete control over order management, quote fetching, and trade execution. This is ideal for advanced integrations, backend services, and custom trading logic.

Key APIs​

Order Book API​

The primary API for creating and managing orders on CoW Protocol.

  • Base URL: https://api.cow.fi/
  • Purpose: Quote generation, order submission, order management
  • Authentication: No API key required for basic operations

Key Endpoints​

  • POST /api/v1/quote - Get trading quotes
  • POST /api/v1/quote/stream - Stream quotes from individual solvers as they arrive (SSE)
  • POST /api/v1/orders - Submit signed orders
  • GET /api/v1/orders/{uid} - Get order details
  • DELETE /api/v1/orders/{uid} - Cancel orders
  • GET /api/v1/trades - Get trade history

Quick Start Example​

1. Get a Quote​

curl -X POST "https://api.cow.fi/mainnet/api/v1/quote" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "sellToken": "0xA0b86a33E6411Ec5d0b9dd2E7dC15A9CAA6C1F8e",
    "buyToken": "0xC02aaA39b223FE8D0A0e5C4F27eAD9083C756Cc2",
    "sellAmountBeforeFee": "1000000",
    "kind": "sell",
    "from": "0xYourWalletAddress"
  }'

2. Sign and Submit Order​

// After getting a quote, sign the order
const order = {
  ...quoteResponse,
  signature: await signOrder(quoteResponse, signer),
  signingScheme: "eip712"
}

// Submit the signed order
const response = await fetch('https://api.cow.fi/mainnet/api/v1/orders', {
  method: 'POST',
  headers: { 'Content-Type': 'application/json' },
  body: JSON.stringify(order)
})

const orderId = await response.text()

3. Monitor Order Status​

// Check order status
const orderResponse = await fetch(
  `https://api.cow.fi/mainnet/api/v1/orders/${orderId}`
)
const orderDetails = await orderResponse.json()

console.log('Order status:', orderDetails.status)

Streaming Quotes​

POST /api/v1/quote/stream takes the same request body as POST /api/v1/quote, but returns a Server-Sent Events stream instead of a single response. Each solver's quote arrives as its own event, so you can show a price as soon as the fastest solver responds instead of waiting for the whole competition.

Each event's data is an OrderQuoteResponse, the same shape POST /api/v1/quote returns, with id set to null. Solvers without a quote send nothing, so you may receive fewer events than there are solvers. If no solver returns a usable quote, the server sends a final error event with a NoLiquidity body, then closes.

curl -N -X POST "https://api.cow.fi/mainnet/api/v1/quote/stream" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -H "Accept: text/event-stream" \
  -d '{
    "sellToken": "0xC02aaA39b223FE8D0A0e5C4F27eAD9083C756Cc2",
    "buyToken": "0xA0b86991c6218b36c1d19D4a2e9Eb0cE3606eB48",
    "sellAmountBeforeFee": "1000000000000000000",
    "kind": "sell",
    "from": "0xYourWalletAddress"
  }'

Choosing a timeout​

You receive each quote as soon as its solver responds, so a usable price arrives faster than with POST /api/v1/quote, which waits for the whole competition. Streaming does not make any solver compute faster, though. The quote you act on is only as good as the responses that arrived before you stopped reading, and the timeout sets that boundary.

The stream stays open until the request timeout elapses or every solver has responded. Slower solvers sometimes return a better price, especially on thin or unusual pairs that only one or two solvers can quote. A short timeout returns sooner, but it can leave you with a worse quote or none at all. A longer timeout gives the competition time to find a better price.

You own this tradeoff. Set timeout (milliseconds) on the request, or read events and close the connection once you have a good-enough quote.

The table below is a starting point, not a guarantee. Measure against your own traffic, and raise the timeout for pairs that only slower solvers can price. Response times also differ by network, and these values shift as solver performance changes (guidance as of 2026-06).

Networktimeout (ms)
Base, Gnosis Chain, Linea1000
Mainnet, BNB Chain1800
Arbitrum, Polygon, Avalanche, Ink2500

Network Endpoints​

CoW Protocol APIs are available on multiple networks:

  • Mainnet: https://api.cow.fi/mainnet/api/v1/
  • Gnosis Chain: https://api.cow.fi/xdai/api/v1/
  • Arbitrum: https://api.cow.fi/arbitrum_one/api/v1/
  • Base: https://api.cow.fi/base/api/v1/
  • Sepolia (Testnet): https://api.cow.fi/sepolia/api/v1/

Order Signing​

Orders must be cryptographically signed before submission. The signing process involves:

  1. EIP-712 Domain: Chain-specific domain separator
  2. Order Struct: Structured order data
  3. Signature: ECDSA signature or pre-signed order
import { ethers } from 'ethers'

// Example order signing with ethers.js
const domain = {
  name: 'Gnosis Protocol',
  version: 'v2',
  chainId: 1,
  verifyingContract: '0x9008D19f58AAbD9eD0D60971565AA8510560ab41'
}

const types = {
  Order: [
    { name: 'sellToken', type: 'address' },
    { name: 'buyToken', type: 'address' },
    { name: 'receiver', type: 'address' },
    // ... other order fields
  ]
}

const signature = await signer._signTypedData(domain, types, orderData)

Error Handling​

The API returns standard HTTP status codes:

  • 200: Success
  • 400: Bad Request (invalid parameters)
  • 404: Order not found
  • 429: Rate limited
  • 500: Internal server error
try {
  const response = await fetch(apiUrl, requestOptions)

  if (!response.ok) {
    const error = await response.json()
    throw new Error(`API Error: ${error.description}`)
  }

  return await response.json()
} catch (error) {
  console.error('Order submission failed:', error)
}

When to Use the API​

  • Backend integration: Server-side order management
  • Custom trading logic: Advanced order types and strategies
  • High-frequency trading: Programmatic order placement
  • Multi-chain applications: Cross-chain arbitrage and liquidity
  • Analytics platforms: Order and trade data analysis

Rate Limits​

  • Quote requests: 10 requests/second
  • Order submission: 5 requests/second
  • General endpoints: 100 requests/minute

Next Steps​

For complete API documentation including all endpoints, parameters, and response schemas, see:

Resources​