How to Cache Exchange Rates and Stay Under Forex API Rate Limits
Pick TTL by use case, coalesce cache misses, and budget a 400-requests-per-5-minutes forex API window without starving tickers or converters.
Forex markets are closed for the weekend. Crypto keeps streaming.
Real-time forex rates, one request away
Stream 150+ currency pairs, metals, crypto and indices over REST or WebSocket, in JSON or XML. Free for up to 3 requests an hour, with no key and no signup.
- Update interval
- ~1 second
- Uptime
- 99.9%
- Plans from
- €20/mo + VAT
$ curl https://live-rates.com/api/rates [ { "currency": "EUR/USD", "bid": 1.11387, "ask": 1.11404, "high": 1.12344, "low": 1.11306, "timestamp": 1794002280585 }, …149 more]
const res = await fetch('https://live-rates.com/api/rates?key=YOUR_KEY'); const rates = await res.json(); console.log(rates[0]); // { currency: 'EUR/USD', bid: 1.11387, … }
import requests rates = requests.get( "https://live-rates.com/api/rates", params={"key": "YOUR_KEY"}, ).json() print(rates[0]) # {'currency': 'EUR/USD', 'bid': 1.11387, …}
resp, _ := http.Get("https://live-rates.com/api/rates?key=YOUR_KEY") defer resp.Body.Close() var rates []Rate json.NewDecoder(resp.Body).Decode(&rates) fmt.Println(rates[0].Currency, rates[0].Bid)
const ws = new WebSocket('wss://live-rates.com/stream?key=YOUR_KEY'); ws.onmessage = (msg) => { const rate = JSON.parse(msg.data); }; // { currency: 'EUR/USD', bid: 1.11387, … }
200 OK application/json
~1 s updates
Bid
1.11387
Ask
1.11404
1.7
1.11306
1.12344
Day lowDay high
GET /api/price?rate=EURUSD
-
Get a key
A trial key arrives by email within a minute. Or skip it: 3 requests an hour need no key at all.
-
Make one request
GET /api/rates?key=…returns every rate in JSON, or XML if you ask for it. -
Ship it
99.9% uptime during market hours. Plans from €20/month + VAT, cancel anytime.
Every quote, the way your app receives it
Bid, ask and the day’s open, high and low for every instrument, straight from the feed. No smoothing, no averaging, no SDK in the way.
- Streaming or REST
- Open a WebSocket and receive every price change as it happens, or poll a single REST endpoint. Same key, same instruments.
- JSON or XML
- JSON by default. Add
rate_format=xmlfor XML, from any language or framework. - Reliable and secure
- Served from Europe, the US and Asia with 99.9% uptime during market hours. Key authentication and HTTPS on every request.
Live quotes
Refreshes here every few seconds. The API and stream update about once a second.
| Instrument | Bid | Change |
|---|---|---|
| EUR/USD Euro vs US dollar | 1.11387 | -0.79% |
| GBP/USD British pound vs US dollar | 1.33497 | -0.78% |
| USD/JPY US dollar vs Japanese yen | 158.487 | +0.64% |
| USD/CHF US dollar vs Swiss franc | 0.82028 | +0.59% |
| AUD/USD Australian dollar vs US dollar | 0.68648 | -0.93% |
| USD/CAD US dollar vs Canadian dollar | 1.41289 | +0.80% |
| XAU/USD Gold vs US dollar | 4,069.83 | -0.39% |
| BTC/USD Bitcoin vs US dollar | 75,659.20 | -0.39% |
- Indices
- Major stock indices such as US30 and Nikkei
- US30 NIKKEI
150+ instruments in every plan, over the same key.
All instruments
Integrate in minutes
A plain HTTP API that returns JSON or XML. No SDK to install: if your language can make a request, it can read the feed.
Endpoints
- WebSocket
- Real-time push updates as prices move
- XML format
- Add
rate_format=xmlto any endpoint - Historical
- Daily rates and time series on every paid plan
Read the docs on GitHub
No key yet? Get a free trial key
GET
https://www.live-rates.com/api/rates
Keyless: 3 requests/hour. With ?key=YOUR_KEY: unlimited.
[
{
"currency": "EURUSD",
"bid": "1.11387",
"ask": "1.11404",
"high": "1.12344",
"low": "1.11306",
"open": "1.12269",
"close": "1.11387",
"timestamp": "1794002280585"
},
{
"currency": "GBPUSD",
"bid": "1.33497",
"ask": "1.33524",
"high": "1.3463",
"low": "1.33386",
"open": "1.34548",
"close": "1.33497",
"timestamp": "1794002280076"
},
{
"currency": "GBPHUF",
"bid": "434.65",
"ask": "436.57",
"high": "437.32",
"low": "433.16",
"open": "435.73",
"close": "434.65",
"timestamp": "1794002279090"
}
]
GET
https://www.live-rates.com/api/price?key=YOUR_KEY&rate=EURUSD
Pass the pair as rate=EURUSD, rate=USDJPY and so on.
[
{
"currency": "EUR/USD",
"rate": 1.08542,
"bid": 1.08542,
"ask": 1.08551,
"high": 1.08891,
"low": 1.08201,
"open": 1.08395,
"close": "n/a",
"timestamp": 1713045600000
}
]
200 OK application/json
Also as XML with rate_format=xml
Copy-paste clients for 13 languages
REST and WebSocket examples, each under 40 lines. Take the one for your stack and adapt it.
Simple, transparent pricing
Start with a free 7-day trial, no credit card required. Every plan includes unlimited requests, REST and WebSocket, JSON and XML, and commercial use.
Monthly
For testing and small projects
€50
/month
+ VAT
€50 billed monthly
Choose Monthly- REST & WebSocket API
- 150+ instruments
- Historical daily rates
- 1 whitelisted IP address
- Standard support
Yearly
Most popularBest value for growing products
€30
/month
+ VAT
€360 billed yearly Save 40%
Choose Yearly- Everything in Monthly
- 3 whitelisted IP addresses
- Priority support
3-Year
For established businesses
€20
/month
+ VAT
€720 billed every 3 years Save 60%
Choose 3-Year- Everything in Yearly
- 5 whitelisted IP addresses
- Sub-license management
- Dedicated support
Prices are in euros and exclude VAT. VAT is added at checkout where it applies: for customers in Portugal and for private customers elsewhere in the EU. EU businesses with a valid VAT number are not charged VAT (reverse charge), and customers outside the EU pay no VAT.
30-day money-back guarantee
Cancel anytime
Pay with
or crypto
Free currency converter
Convert any amount between 20+ currencies, precious metals and crypto at live mid-market rates, from the same data that powers the API.
Popular conversions
- Convert EUR to USD EUR/USD
- Convert GBP to USD GBP/USD
- Convert USD to JPY USD/JPY
- Convert USD to INR USD/INR
- Convert USD to PHP USD/PHP
- Convert USD to CAD USD/CAD
- Convert AUD to USD AUD/USD
- Convert USD to MXN USD/MXN
- Convert USD to BRL USD/BRL
- Convert EUR to GBP EUR/GBP
- Convert USD to NGN USD/NGN
- Convert GBP to INR GBP/INR
Need these rates in your app? Get a free trial key
Trusted across industries
From e-commerce platforms to financial institutions, teams rely on Live-Rates for accurate market data.
E-commerce
Show prices in the shopper’s own currency at checkout. One request fetches every rate; cache it and convert client-side.
Brokers & fintech
Power dashboards and quote screens with bid, ask, high and low pushed over WebSocket as prices move.
Apps & games
Add currency features to mobile and web apps with a plain JSON endpoint, with no SDK to install or maintain.
From the blog
Latest news and insights from the forex market.
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OANDA API Alternative: Pricing, Onboarding, and Live FX Rates
Compare OANDA Exchange Rates API pricing and onboarding with Live-Rates, a self-serve real-time FX API for small teams priced out of enterprise contracts.
Frequently asked questions
Everything you need to know about the Live-Rates forex API.
Can’t find your answer? Send us a message.
Do I need an API key to use the Live-Rates API?
No. The API is free to use without a key, up to 3 requests per hour. Request a free 7-day trial key to simulate unlimited access, or subscribe to a paid plan for production use.
What data formats does the API return?
Both JSON and XML. JSON is the default; add rate_format=xml to any endpoint to receive XML instead.
How many currency pairs are available?
Over 150 instruments, including major and minor forex pairs, precious metals such as gold and silver, cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin and Ethereum, and major stock indices.
How often are the exchange rates updated?
Rates are updated in real time, approximately every second, via both the REST API and the WebSocket streaming feed.
Can I use Live-Rates for commercial projects?
Yes. The paid Monthly, Yearly and 3-Year plans allow commercial use with unlimited requests and multiple whitelisted IP addresses.
Can I show the rates, or charts built from them, to my own users?
Yes. Every paid plan lets you display the data to your end users, as received or derived from it, such as charts, OHLC candles, converters and widgets, with no extra licence or fee. The only restriction is that you may not resell or relay the raw feed to third parties as a data feed or API. Attribution is optional.
Is there a real-time streaming (WebSocket) API?
Yes. In addition to the REST API, a WebSocket streaming endpoint pushes live rate updates directly to your application as they happen.
Do you provide historical exchange rate data?
Yes. All paid plans (Monthly, Yearly and 3-Year) include historical daily rates back to 1999 for currencies and precious metals, as single dates or time series of up to 31 days per request, in addition to the real-time feed.
What payment methods do you accept?
Credit and debit cards, including Apple Pay and Google Pay, through Stripe; and Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies through NOWPayments.
Do prices include VAT?
No. Prices are shown without VAT. VAT is added at checkout where it applies: for customers in Portugal and for private customers in other EU countries. EU businesses with a valid VAT number are not charged VAT (reverse charge), and customers outside the EU pay no VAT.
Need more than 3 requests an hour?
The API is free to use without a key, up to 3 requests an hour. A free trial key gives you unlimited access for 7 days, so you can test every endpoint and currency pair before you buy.
- Full API access. 150+ instruments over REST and streaming.
- Both formats. JSON and XML responses.
- No credit card. Nothing is charged when the trial ends.
- Engineer support. Direct help from our team if you get stuck.
Get your free trial key
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Your data stays private. We never share or sell it.