API
What Is the Deriv API?
If you've read our Deriv API overview, you already know an API lets one piece of software talk to another. This article goes one level deeper into what the Deriv API specifically is, how a typical exchange looks, and why third-party developers build on it in the first place.
What the Deriv API is
The Deriv API is a publicly documented interface that lets developers request market data and, with a user's explicit authorisation, interact with that user's Deriv account — checking balances, placing contracts, or reading transaction history. It's built around a persistent WebSocket connection rather than one-off calls, which suits how trading data behaves: constantly updating, not something you'd want to keep re-requesting.
Instead of a person clicking through Deriv's own interface, a third-party application can ask the API directly for the same underlying data and actions — within whatever scope the account holder has approved.
How it works, step by step
- A client application opens a WebSocket connection to the API.
- It authenticates using a token tied to a specific user's account and permission scope.
- It sends a request — for example, subscribing to live price ticks for a given market.
- The API streams responses back over the same open connection as events happen.
- The application processes each response — updating a chart, triggering a bot's logic, or simply displaying data.
{
"ticks": "R_100",
"subscribe": 1
}A simplified example request. The actual message format is defined in Deriv's own developer documentation, which any integration should be built against directly.
Why Deriv provides it
Publishing an API lets an ecosystem of independent tools grow around a platform without the platform itself having to build every dashboard, bot or analytics tool internally. For developers, it means building on structured, documented data instead of trying to extract information from a web interface not designed for that purpose.
Key takeaways
- The Deriv API is a WebSocket-based interface for market data and authorised account actions.
- Access to account-specific data or actions always requires a user's explicit authorisation.
- It's the foundation almost every third-party Deriv tool is built on, from dashboards to bots.
Sources & references
This article summarises publicly available API concepts and general WebSocket API design patterns. For authoritative, current technical details, always refer to Deriv's own official developer documentation.