/ccxt-php

name: ccxt-php
description: CCXT cryptocurrency exchange library for PHP developers. Covers both REST API (standard) and WebSocket API (real-time). Helps install CCXT, connect to exchanges, fetch market data, place orders, stream live tickers/orderbooks, handle authentication, and manage errors in PHP 8.1+. Use when working with crypto exchanges in PHP projects, trading bots, or web applications. Supports both sync and async (ReactPHP) usage.

CCXT for PHP

A comprehensive guide to using CCXT in PHP projects for cryptocurrency exchange integration.

Installation

Via Composer (REST and WebSocket)

composer require ccxt/ccxt

Required PHP Extensions

• cURL
• mbstring (UTF-8)
• PCRE
• iconv
• gmp (for some exchanges)

Optional for Async/WebSocket

• ReactPHP (installed automatically with ccxt)

Quick Start

REST API - Synchronous

<?php
date_default_timezone_set('UTC');  // Required!
require_once 'vendor/autoload.php';

$exchange = new \ccxt\binance();
$exchange->load_markets();
$ticker = $exchange->fetch_ticker('BTC/USDT');
print_r($ticker);

REST API - Asynchronous (ReactPHP)

<?php
use function React\Async\await;

date_default_timezone_set('UTC');
require_once 'vendor/autoload.php';

$exchange = new \ccxt\async\binance();
$ticker = await($exchange->fetch_ticker('BTC/USDT'));
print_r($ticker);

WebSocket API - Real-time Updates

<?php
use function React\Async\await;
use function React\Async\async;

date_default_timezone_set('UTC');
require_once 'vendor/autoload.php';

$exchange = new \ccxt\pro\binance();

while (true) {
    $ticker = await($exchange->watch_ticker('BTC/USDT'));
    print_r($ticker);  // Live updates!
}

await($exchange->close());

REST vs WebSocket

| Mode | REST | WebSocket | |------|------|-----------| | **Sync** | `\ccxt\binance()` | (WebSocket requires async) | | **Async** | `\ccxt\async\binance()` | `\ccxt\pro\binance()` |

| Feature | REST API | WebSocket API | |---------|----------|---------------| | **Use for** | One-time queries, placing orders | Real-time monitoring, live price feeds | | **Method prefix** | `fetch_*` (fetch_ticker, fetch_order_book) | `watch_*` (watch_ticker, watch_order_book) | | **Speed** | Slower (HTTP request/response) | Faster (persistent connection) | | **Rate limits** | Strict (1-2 req/sec) | More lenient (continuous stream) | | **Best for** | Trading, account management | Price monitoring, arbitrage detection |

Creating Exchange Instance

REST API - Synchronous

<?php
date_default_timezone_set('UTC');
require_once 'vendor/autoload.php';

// Public API (no authentication)
$exchange = new \ccxt\binance([
    'enableRateLimit' => true  // Recommended!
]);

// Private API (with authentication)
$exchange = new \ccxt\binance([
    'apiKey' => 'YOUR_API_KEY',
    'secret' => 'YOUR_SECRET',
    'enableRateLimit' => true
]);

REST API - Asynchronous

<?php
use function React\Async\await;

$exchange = new \ccxt\async\binance([
    'enableRateLimit' => true
]);

$ticker = await($exchange->fetch_ticker('BTC/USDT'));

WebSocket API

<?php
use function React\Async\await;

// Public WebSocket
$exchange = new \ccxt\pro\binance();

// Private WebSocket (with authentication)
$exchange = new \ccxt\pro\binance([
    'apiKey' => 'YOUR_API_KEY',
    'secret' => 'YOUR_SECRET'
]);

// Always close when done
await($exchange->close());

Common REST Operations

Loading Markets

// Load all available trading pairs
$exchange->load_markets();

// Access market information
$btc_market = $exchange->market('BTC/USDT');
print_r($btc_market['limits']['amount']['min']);  // Minimum order amount

Fetching Ticker

// Single ticker
$ticker = $exchange->fetch_ticker('BTC/USDT');
print_r($ticker['last']);      // Last price
print_r($ticker['bid']);       // Best bid
print_r($ticker['ask']);       // Best ask
print_r($ticker['volume']);    // 24h volume

// Multiple tickers (if supported)
$tickers = $exchange->fetch_tickers(['BTC/USDT', 'ETH/USDT']);

Fetching Order Book

// Full orderbook
$orderbook = $exchange->fetch_order_book('BTC/USDT');
print_r($orderbook['bids'][0]);  // [price, amount]
print_r($orderbook['asks'][0]);  // [price, amount]

// Limited depth
$orderbook = $exchange->fetch_order_book('BTC/USDT', 5);  // Top 5 levels

Creating Orders

Limit Order

// Buy limit order
$order = $exchange->create_limit_buy_order('BTC/USDT', 0.01, 50000);
print_r($order['id']);

// Sell limit order
$order = $exchange->create_limit_sell_order('BTC/USDT', 0.01, 60000);

// Generic limit order
$order = $exchange->create_order('BTC/USDT', 'limit', 'buy', 0.01, 50000);

Market Order

// Buy market order
$order = $exchange->create_market_buy_order('BTC/USDT', 0.01);

// Sell market order
$order = $exchange->create_market_sell_order('BTC/USDT', 0.01);

// Generic market order
$order = $exchange->create_order('BTC/USDT', 'market', 'sell', 0.01);

Fetching Balance

$balance = $exchange->fetch_balance();
print_r($balance['BTC']['free']);   // Available balance
print_r($balance['BTC']['used']);   // Balance in orders
print_r($balance['BTC']['total']);  // Total balance

Fetching Orders

// Open orders
$open_orders = $exchange->fetch_open_orders('BTC/USDT');

// Closed orders
$closed_orders = $exchange->fetch_closed_orders('BTC/USDT');

// All orders (open + closed)
$all_orders = $exchange->fetch_orders('BTC/USDT');

// Single order by ID
$order = $exchange->fetch_order($order_id, 'BTC/USDT');

Fetching Trades

// Recent public trades
$trades = $exchange->fetch_trades('BTC/USDT', null, 10);

// Your trades (requires authentication)
$my_trades = $exchange->fetch_my_trades('BTC/USDT');

Canceling Orders

// Cancel single order
$exchange->cancel_order($order_id, 'BTC/USDT');

// Cancel all orders for a symbol
$exchange->cancel_all_orders('BTC