Update: The WebSockets Public API launched on schedule January 30!

Kraken is excited to announce the upcoming launch of the WebSockets Public API for market data! This is a service that many of our clients have requested since it enables faster and easier access to Kraken’s market data.

When will the WebSockets Public API launch?
The approximate worldwide launch time in various time zones is:

UTC: Wednesday January 30 at 5 PM
ET: Wednesday January 30 at 12 PM
PT: Wednesday January 30 at 9 AM
CET: Wednesday January 30 at 6 PM
HKT: Thursday January 31 at 1 AM

The launch time is approximate only and may be significantly delayed.

Do I need to have a Kraken account to use the API?
No – the WebSockets Public API is freely available for anyone to use.

How will I connect to the API?
Follow our documentation here: https://www.kraken.com/en-us/help/websocket-api (remember that the URL for the API will not be active until launch)

Is there a way to try out the API before launch?
Yes – clients can connect to our sandbox environment to try the WebSockets Public API. The documentation can be found here: https://www.kraken.com/en-us/help/websocket-api (you will need to use the URL for the sandbox API)

Will there later be a WebSockets Private API to track my orders and trades?
Yes – we plan to offer this in the future but no ETA is available at this time.

What are the advantages of the WebSockets Public API?
The main advantage is that market data will quickly stream to clients with no polling required. Clients simply use the API to establish a durable, low latency connection with Kraken’s servers, then the servers will push the market data incrementally to clients as soon as an update is available.

The WebSockets protocol provides the best foundation to stream real-time data and build trading applications. Kraken’s WebSockets Public API is just the first phase of a much larger project that will bring many cutting edge services to Kraken clients!