Prime REST API Requests

Initial Setup

1. Create a Coinbase Prime Account: Sign up at Coinbase Prime.
2. Generate an API Key: From the web UI, navigate to Settings -> APIs.
3. Authenticate: Ensure you authenticate all API requests. Detailed guidance is available at API Authentication.

REST API URL

https://api.prime.coinbase.com/v1

Creating a Request

Requests and responses follow standard HTTP response status codes for success and failures.

Request bodies should have content type application/json and be valid JSON. For instructions on creating a valid X-CB-ACCESS-SIGNATURE, see API Authentication.

curl --request GET \
    --url 'https://api.prime.coinbase.com/v1/<API_PATH>' \
    --header 'X-CB-ACCESS-KEY: <ACCESS_KEY>' \
    --header 'X-CB-ACCESS-PASSPHRASE: <PASSPHRASE>' \
    --header 'X-CB-ACCESS-SIGNATURE: <SIGNATURE>' \
    --header 'X-CB-ACCESS-TIMESTAMP: <TIMESTAMP>' \
    --header 'Content-Type: application/json'

Required IDs

Many API requests require either a portfolio_id or an entity_id value:

• Your portfolio_id can be retrieved by calling List Portfolios.
• Your entity_id can be retrieved by calling List Portfolios, or List Portfolio Users with your portfolio_id.

Sample Requests

The following Python and JavaScript snippets demonstrate an end-to-end Prime API request.

Python

from urllib.parse import urlparse
import json, hmac, hashlib, time, os, base64, requests

API_KEY = os.environ.get('ACCESS_KEY')
SECRET_KEY = os.environ.get('SIGNING_KEY')
PASSPHRASE = os.environ.get('PASSPHRASE')

uri = 'https://api.prime.coinbase.com/v1/portfolios'
url_path = urlparse(uri).path
timestamp = str(int(time.time()))
message = timestamp + 'GET' + url_path
signature_b64 = base64.b64encode(hmac.digest(SECRET_KEY.encode(), message.encode(), hashlib.sha256))

headers = {
  'X-CB-ACCESS-SIGNATURE': signature_b64,
  'X-CB-ACCESS-timestamp': timestamp,
  'X-CB-ACCESS-KEY': API_KEY,
  'X-CB-ACCESS-PASSPHRASE': PASSPHRASE,
  'Accept': 'application/json'
}

response = requests.get(uri, headers=headers)
parsed_response = json.loads(response.text)
print(json.dumps(parsed_response, indent=3))

JavaScript

// native NodeJS https module
const https = require('https');
// Google's crypto-js packae via https://www.npmjs.com/package/crypto-js
const CryptoJS = require('crypto-js');
// Derived from your Coinbase Prime API Key
// SIGNING_KEY: the signing key provided as a part of your API key
//  ACCESS_KEY: the access key provided as a part of your API key
//  PASSPHRASE: the PASSPHRASE key provided as a part of your API key
const SIGNING_KEY = process.env.SIGNING_KEY;
const ACCESS_KEY = process.env.ACCESS_KEY;
const PASSPHRASE = process.env.PASSPHRASE;
const REST_METHODS = {
    GET: 'GET',
    POST: 'POST',
    PUT: 'PUT',
    DELETE: 'DELETE',
};
// Your unique entity ID
const ENTITY_ID = process.env.ENTITY_ID;
// A specific portfolio ID (only necessary if relevant to the request you're making)
const PORTFOLIO_ID = process.env.PORTFOLIO_ID;
// The base URL of the API
const PROD_URL = 'api.prime.coinbase.com';
// The path of the API endpoint being called
let requestPath = `/v1/portfolios/${PORTFOLIO_ID}`;
// The method of the request: GET, POST, PUT, DELETE, etc
let method = REST_METHODS.GET;
// Request signatures require a current UNIX timestamp in seconds that is
// embedded in the signed payload to verify against server clock.
const currentTimeInSecs = Math.floor(Date.now() / 1000);
// Body will be JSON (POST) or empty string (GET)
const body = '';
// Function to generate a signature using CryptoJS
function sign(str, secret) {
    const hash = CryptoJS.HmacSHA256(str, secret);
    return hash.toString(CryptoJS.enc.Base64);
}
// Function to build the payload required to sign
function buildPayload(ts, method, requestPath, body) {
    return `${ts}${method}${requestPath}${body}`;
}
// Build the string we want to sign using information defined above
const strToSign = buildPayload(currentTimeInSecs, method, requestPath, body);
// Sign it!
const sig = sign(strToSign, SIGNING_KEY);
// Use Postman's scripting objects to append the header values
const headers = new Map();
headers.set('X-CB-ACCESS-KEY', ACCESS_KEY);
headers.set('X-CB-ACCESS-PASSPHRASE', PASSPHRASE);
headers.set('X-CB-ACCESS-SIGNATURE', sig);
headers.set('X-CB-ACCESS-TIMESTAMP', currentTimeInSecs);
headers.set('Content-Type', 'application/json');
const requestOptions = {
    hostname: PROD_URL,
    path: requestPath,
    method: REST_METHODS.GET,
    headers: Object.fromEntries(headers),
};
https.get(requestOptions, res => {
    let data = [];
    console.log('Status Code:', res.statusCode);
    res.on('data', chunk => {
        data.push(chunk);
    });
    res.on('end', () => {
        console.log('Response ended: ');
        const parsedResponse = JSON.parse(Buffer.concat(data).toString());
        console.log(parsedResponse);
    });
}).on('error', err => {
    console.log('Error: ', err.message);
});

Errors

Unless otherwise stated, bad requests respond with HTTP 4xx or 5xx status codes. The body also contains a message parameter indicating the cause.

Your implementation language's HTTP library should be configured to provide message bodies for non-2xx requests so that you can read the message field from the body.

Common error codes

Error Code	Meaning	Description
400	Bad Request	Invalid request format
401	Unauthorized	Invalid API Key
403	Forbidden	You do not have access to the requested resource
404	Not Found	Requested resource could not be found
500	Internal Server Error	Server-side error occurred

Success

A successful response is indicated by HTTP status code 200 and may contain an optional body. If the response has a body, it will be documented under the related endpoint resource below.