Crypto Basics

What is Crypto Yield Farming and How it Works?

Learn everything about crypto yield farming and how it works in this descriptive guide.
Token Metrics Team
6 minutes
MIN

In this guide, we will answer what crypto yield farming is and how to do it.

Yield farming is a revolutionary way of earning passive income through cryptocurrency investments. It is a relatively new concept and has gained much attention in the crypto world. Yield farming involves using your cryptocurrency assets and taking advantage of lending platforms, decentralized finance protocols, and staking pools to generate incentives for interest payments, rewards, and capital gains. 

In this descriptive guide to crypto yield farming, you'll learn about the different types of yield farming, the rewards available, and the associated risks. You can earn passive income through yield farming with the right strategies and knowledge. So, let's dive right in and learn about crypto yield farming.

What is Crypto Yield Farming?

‍‍Yield farming is a process of using your cryptocurrency assets to generate incentives in the form of:

  • Interest payments, 
  • Rewards, and 
  • Capital gains. 

In other words, it is a form of passive income from cryptocurrency assets. Yield farming can also be considered a strategic investment strategy that allows you to earn income from your idle assets by lending them to other users. This process is similar to how people earn income from their savings accounts. 

These idle assets that you can stake can be your:

  • Computer's processing power
  • A certain amount of coins from your portfolio, or 
  • A certain amount of tokens from your portfolio. 

But how is this beneficial to you? 

Benefits of Yield Farming

Yield farming offers a wide range of benefits for both individuals and businesses. 

  • For individuals, yield farming can be a great way to earn extra income. It can help you diversify your crypto portfolio and hedge against some of the risks associated with investing in cryptocurrencies by generating extra income from your idle assets. This is why they call it an excellent way to earn passive income, which is one of the core benefits of cryptocurrency. 
  • For businesses, yield farming can help you expand your customer base and increase revenue. You can earn income by lending your idle assets while helping people earn interest and build their crypto portfolios. Although yield farming was once primarily used by mining operations, it can now be done by individuals, organizations, and other entities that are involved with cryptocurrency.

How Does Yield Farming Work in Real-time?‍‍

So, what do you need to do to get started with yield farming?

To begin with, the yield farmers will need to deposit their coins or tokens into decentralized applications or dApps of their choice for the following: 

  • Crypto trading 
  • Lending, or 
  • Borrowing. 

A few examples of dApps include crypto wallets, DEXs, decentralized social media, and more. Since these investors enhance the liquidity in their chosen dApp, they're referred to as liquidity providers. The crypto that yields farmers' deposits into DeFi protocols gets locked into autonomous smart contracts.

Types of Yield Farming

There are three types of yield farming - lending, providing liquidity, and staking. 

Lending refers to lending your idle cryptocurrency assets to earn interest payments. You are generating revenue through interest payments when you lend your cryptocurrency assets. This process is similar to how people earn interest from their savings accounts. 

Providing liquidity to decentralized apps for traders to trade on can also generate you fees. However, keep in mind that there exists impermanent loss in the process.

Staking refers to lending your coins to earn rewards through coins and staking fees. You are generating revenue through rewards and staking fees when you stake your coins. Rewards can come in the form of coins, tokens, or other types of digital assets. You are lending your coins to earn rewards.

Types of Rewards Available

Rewards are the incentives earned when you lend idle coins and cryptocurrencies to earn interest payments and generate passive income. There are many different rewards available to those who participate in yield farming. Some include interest payments, votes, staking rewards, and airdrops. 

Interest payments: This is the primary reward generated by yield farming. Interest payments are generated when you lend idle coins and cryptocurrencies to other participants. 

Votes: This refers to the ability to vote on certain network issues. 

Staking rewards are rewards generated by staking crypto assets for a certain period. 

Airdrops: This refers to the free crypto coins and tokens resulting from participating in a certain network or blockchain project.

Is Yield Farming Safe and Profitable?

Now that you know the benefits of yield farming, it's also important to know the risks. This is because no investment is risk-free, and the same is true for yield farming. When you decide to earn income from yield farming, you must consider the risks associated with it. Some risks associated with yield farming include network, liquidity, counterparty, and regulatory risks. 

Network risk refers to the risk associated with the security of the network/blockchain and its ability to function as expected. 

Liquidity risk is associated with the ability to liquidate your assets when you need them. 

Counterparty risk refers to the risk associated with the ability of the person/entity with whom you have the contract to fulfill the obligations. 

Regulatory risk is the risk associated with the ability of the government to enact new laws that can affect your earnings.

Smart contract risk is the risk associated with the probability of smart contracts getting hacked due to a bug or backdoor.

That said, there are definitely risks involved that you need to be aware of.

Strategies for Yield Farming

There are many strategies you can use for yield farming. Some of them include lending your idle assets to earn interest payments, staking your coins to earn rewards, and using different DAFs to generate passive income.

Lending your idle assets: This is one of the most common ways to earn income through yield farming. You can use your idle assets, such as your computer's processing power, to lend them to others who need them. 

Staking your coins: This is another popular way to generate passive income through yield farming. You can lend your coins to earn rewards. 

Using different DAFs: This refers to the use of decentralized autonomous funds that can generate passive income.

What's Next for Yield Farming?

Yield farming is a dynamic space that tends to change quickly; it often requires vigilance and time for farmers to cull out the best possible strategies. However, for someone who can manage it, yield farming will be highly profitable in 2023, even in the bearish market.  

That said, yield farming is significantly risky with rug pulls, hacks, impermanent loss, etc.

So, choosing your battle is important before getting into the ring. 

Platforms for Yield Farming

Many different types of yield farming platforms are available for you to use.

You can use these platforms to take advantage of your idle assets to generate income through interest payments and rewards.

Some popular yield farming platforms include Yearn Finance, Lido, and Liquity.

The Bottom Line

Yield farming is a revolutionary way of earning passive income through cryptocurrency investments. It involves using your cryptocurrency assets to take advantage of lending platforms, decentralized finance protocols, and staking pools to generate incentives in interest payments, rewards, and capital gains. While lucrative, it can be a riskier investment depending on the platform you go for and the type of yield you are generating.

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How to Build On-Chain Crypto Trading Bots Using Token Metrics Crypto API and Chainlink Functions

Token Metrics Team
8 min
MIN

In the evolving world of Web3 development, the need for real-time, reliable, and institutional-grade crypto data has never been greater. Whether you’re building decentralized trading bots, DeFi apps, or smart contract platforms, accessing powerful off-chain data is key to creating intelligent and profitable on-chain systems.

That’s where the Token Metrics Crypto API comes in.

In this guide, we’ll walk you through how to integrate the Token Metrics API with Chainlink Functions, enabling you to deploy live smart contracts that interact with real-time crypto signals, token prices, and trader grades. You’ll learn how to use more than 20 API endpoints and smart contract adapters to power decentralized apps with actionable data.

If you’re searching for the best crypto API for smart contract development, or you need a free crypto API to start testing on testnets, this article is your ultimate resource.

What Is the Token Metrics Crypto API?

The Token Metrics API is an advanced data interface designed for traders, developers, and Web3 builders. It provides access to over 20 endpoints covering everything from:

  • Token prices
  • AI-powered trading signals (bullish/bearish)
  • Trader and Investor Grades (0–100 scoring system)
  • Quant metrics
  • Support and resistance levels
  • Sentiment analysis

Built by a team of quant analysts, machine learning engineers, and crypto-native researchers, the Token Metrics Crypto API brings hedge-fund-grade intelligence into the hands of everyday builders.

Why Use the Token Metrics API with Chainlink Functions?

Chainlink Functions enable smart contracts to securely retrieve off-chain data from any API. By integrating with the Token Metrics Crypto API, you can bridge institutional-grade analytics into fully decentralized apps—something not possible with basic or unreliable data sources.

Here’s why this combo is so powerful:

  • đź”— Chainlink decentralizes your execution
  • đź§  Token Metrics powers your logic with predictive analytics
  • ⚙️ Smart contracts can now act on real market intelligence

This integration enables the creation of intelligent trading bots, dynamic token allocations, and governance proposals backed by hard data—not speculation.

Step-by-Step: How to Integrate Token Metrics API with Chainlink Functions

Let’s walk through how to connect the best crypto API—Token Metrics—with Chainlink Functions to build and deploy a live smart contract.

1. Clone the GitHub Repo

Start by cloning the GitHub repository that contains the full codebase. This includes:

  • A set of ~20 pre-built smart contracts
  • API adapter logic
  • Sample scripts to interact with the contracts
  • A detailed README with setup instructions

Each smart contract is tailored to one Token Metrics API endpoint—meaning you can plug and play any dataset, from prices to sentiment scores.

2. Set Up Your Environment

The README provides a full list of recommended environment variables, including:

  • API_KEY for Token Metrics
  • LINK_TOKEN_ADDRESS
  • CHAINLINK_SUBSCRIPTION_ID
  • ORACLE_ADDRESS

Once your .env is ready, you can start compiling and deploying.

3. Build and Deploy a Sample Trading Bot Smart Contract

In this walkthrough, the developer built a Solidity smart contract that:

  • Pulls live data from Token Metrics (price, signal, grade)
  • Evaluates the signal (e.g., bullish)
  • Executes a buy trade if the signal is positive

The contract is compiled in Remix IDE, connected via MetaMask (on testnet), and deployed using testnet ETH and LINK tokens.

After deployment, you’ll receive a contract address that can be added to your Chainlink subscription.

4. Create a Chainlink Subscription

To fund your contract for data requests:

  1. Go to the Chainlink portal
  2. Create a new subscription (testnet or mainnet)
  3. Fund it with some LINK
  4. Add your deployed smart contract as a consumer

This allows your contract to make external data calls using Chainlink’s decentralized oracle network.

5. Run a Script to Invoke Real-Time Token Metrics Data

Using the provided JavaScript scripts, you can interact with the smart contract and test data flow:

  • Check the bot’s active status
  • Retrieve token price, trading signal, and grade
  • See how the smart contract responds to live market conditions

In the demo, the bot received a bullish signal, saw that the grade was high, and executed a buy trade accordingly. This logic can be expanded into full-scale trading strategies, rebalancing rules, or even on-chain governance triggers.

Why Token Metrics API Is the Best Crypto API for Smart Contracts

Here’s what makes the Token Metrics Crypto API the best crypto API for building advanced, data-driven dApps:

âś… Institutional-Grade Signals

Get access to proprietary AI trading signals, used by hedge funds and institutional desks.

âś… 20+ Endpoints for Every Use Case

Whether you need sentiment data, grades, price trends, or quant models, it’s all there.

âś… Real-Time and Back-Tested

The data is not just live—it’s tested. Token Metrics backtests every signal against market conditions.

âś… Easy to Integrate

Pre-built smart contract adapters make it easy to use the API in Chainlink, Remix, or any EVM-compatible environment.

âś… Free Crypto API Tier Available

Start testing on testnets with a free crypto API key. Upgrade later for full production access.

Real-World Use Cases for Token Metrics + Chainlink Functions

Here are some examples of what you can build using this integration:

  • On-Chain Trading Bots: React to bullish or bearish signals in real time
  • Decentralized Rebalancing Strategies: Adjust token allocations based on trader grades
  • Token Governance: Trigger proposal alerts when sentiment crosses a threshold
  • Risk Management Contracts: Move funds to stablecoins when volatility spikes
  • NFT Floor Price Triggers: Use sentiment and price data for automated mint/pass logic

Final Thoughts: The Future of Crypto Intelligence Is On-Chain

As Web3 matures, the ability to combine decentralized execution with centralized intelligence will define the next generation of dApps. The integration of Token Metrics Crypto API with Chainlink Functions is a major step in that direction.

Developers can now build on-chain applications that make smarter, faster, and more profitable decisions—powered by data that was once out of reach.

Whether you're a DeFi developer, a DAO engineer, or just exploring your first smart contract, this setup gives you a free crypto API to experiment with and the power of the best crypto API when you're ready to scale.

🚀 Ready to Get Started?

  • âś… Get your free Token Metrics API key
  • âś… Clone the GitHub repo and install the smart contracts
  • âś… Join the Token Metrics Dev Telegram community
  • âś… Start building intelligent, AI-powered crypto applications today

Your next-generation crypto trading bot starts here.

Crypto Basics

How Risky Are Moonshot Investments?

Token Metrics Team
8 min
MIN

 Introduction: The High Stakes of Moonshot Crypto

Moonshot investing in crypto is a double-edged sword. On one side, you have tokens that can 10x, 50x, or even 100x your portfolio. On the other side? Complete capital loss. While these asymmetric bets can lead to explosive profits, they also carry extreme risk—especially for uninformed or impulsive investors.

This guide will break down the risk landscape of moonshots: what makes them so volatile, common pitfalls to avoid, risk management strategies, and how tools like Token Metrics help reduce blind spots when betting on the next big thing.

What Makes Moonshot Investments So Risky?

Moonshots live in the outer rim of the crypto market. They are typically:

  • Low market cap (<$20M)
  • Light on liquidity
  • Not listed on major exchanges
  • Lacking product-market fit
  • Speculative or narrative-driven

These factors create an environment where price moves fast—but fundamentals are often thin. You're betting more on potential than proof.

Common Risks in Moonshot Investing

‍

‍

You must assume every moonshot has some of these risk factors — and plan accordingly.

Risk Profile: Moonshots vs. Blue Chips

‍

‍

Moonshots = high variance. Don’t treat them like stable assets.

🛡️ How to Manage Moonshot Risk (and Stay Sane)

  1. Use Proper Position Sizing
    Never allocate more than 1–3% of your total portfolio to a single moonshot.

  2. Diversify Your Moonshots
    Build a “moonshot basket” of 5–10 different bets across categories (AI, DePIN, L1s, Meme, etc).

  3. Set Clear Entry and Exit Plans
    Know your take-profit and stop-loss targets before entering.

  4. Track Vesting & Unlock Schedules
    Use tools like Token Unlocks to avoid buying before big token dumps.

  5. Don’t Fall in Love With Your Bags
    Stay objective. Exit when the narrative fades or fundamentals change.

đź§Ş Risk Evaluation Checklist

If you answer “no” to 2 or more of these, tread cautiously.

How Token Metrics Minimizes Risk Exposure

Token Metrics helps de-risk moonshots by analyzing over 80+ data points using AI and quant models:

  • Risk-adjusted momentum scores
  • Tokenomics evaluations
  • On-chain behavior analysis
  • Contract audit status
  • Community health signals
  • Bullish/Bearish alerts based on AI

You get a comprehensive view of upside and downside before making a decision.

Mental Models for Risky Investing

  • “Play with house money” – Take profits early and only risk profits.
  • “Barbell strategy” – Majority in stable assets, small % in high-risk/high-reward.
  • “Expected Value (EV)” – Even if 8/10 fail, 1 big win covers losses.
  • “Don’t chase losses” – Accept failures quickly and move on.

Moonshot investing is mental warfare. Stick to frameworks, not FOMO.

Final Thoughts: Risk is Inevitable — Manage It, Don’t Fear It

The path to 100x gains in crypto will always be riddled with landmines. But risk isn’t inherently bad — it’s the price of asymmetric upside. The real danger is unmanaged risk, impulsive decisions, and poor research.

With the right approach, the right tools, and a clear head, moonshot investing can be one of the most rewarding strategies in crypto.

Just remember: You only need to be right once.

Crypto Basics

Are Moonshots Only Meme Coins?

Token Metrics Team
8 min
MIN

Introduction: The Meme Coin Myth

When most people think “moonshot” in crypto, they think of meme coins like Dogecoin, Shiba Inu, or Pepe — volatile, viral, and often with no utility. While it’s true that meme coins have historically delivered explosive returns, they’re just one type of moonshot. In reality, some of the best moonshots are deeply technical projects with innovative real-world use cases.

In this blog, we’ll explore why moonshots go far beyond memes, the other types of high-potential assets you should be watching, and how to distinguish hype from substance in your moonshot hunt.

Why Meme Coins Became the Face of Moonshots

Meme coins dominate headlines and retail attention for good reason:

  • Low entry barriers – Often priced at fractions of a cent
  • Viral marketing – Driven by memes, humor, and community hype
  • Explosive gains – SHIB, DOGE, and PEPE all had 1,000x+ runs
  • Community-driven – Holders often act as evangelists

Because of these qualities, meme coins are often perceived as the only moonshots. But perception doesn’t equal reality.

The Reality: Many Moonshots Are Utility-Driven

Some of the most successful moonshot investments didn’t begin as memes — they were innovative, under-the-radar projects that grew into billion-dollar ecosystems:

None of these were memes — they were tech-focused moonshots.

Categories of Non-Meme Moonshots

Here are several non-meme sectors producing moonshot-level gains:

  1. AI Coins – e.g., Fetch.ai, Render, Akash
  2. DePIN (Decentralized Physical Infrastructure) – e.g., Helium, IoTeX
  3. RWAs (Real-World Assets) – e.g., Centrifuge, Goldfinch
  4. L2 & Interoperability – e.g., Starknet, Hyperlane, Axelar
  5. Privacy Coins – e.g., Namada, Secret Network
  6. Early-stage L1s – e.g., SEI, Monad

These projects combine visionary ideas with real-world applicability — and many began as stealth moonshots before going mainstream.

How to Spot Utility-Based Moonshots Early

Look for:

  • Unique narrative fit – Aligns with hot macro themes (AI, DeFi 2.0, Web3 infra)
  • Underexposed – Not yet listed on major CEXs or hyped by influencers
  • Backed by smart money – VC involvement or known crypto angels
  • Product roadmap – Testnet/Mainnet imminent or newly launched
  • Active GitHub or whitepaper – Real builders, not marketers

Meme coins may be powered by emotion — but utility moonshots are powered by execution.

Token Metrics Helps Spot Both Meme & Utility Moonshots

Token Metrics doesn’t just chase hype — it grades thousands of tokens using 80+ data points including:

  • Momentum and price trends
  • Community sentiment and buzz
  • GitHub commits and developer activity
  • Market cap ranking
  • AI-generated bull/bear signals
  • Smart contract risk analysis

This means you can discover both emerging meme coins and tech-driven moonshots based on real metrics — not just Twitter noise.

Can Meme Coins Still Be Valid Moonshots?

Yes — but they should be treated like short-term plays with proper risk management. When timed right (early launch, CEX rumor, meme trend), meme coins can 10x fast. But unlike utility tokens, meme coins often lack long-term sustainability unless they evolve (like DogeX or SHIB ecosystem).

Use tools like Token Metrics AI Signals to time entries and exits.

⚠️ Avoiding the Meme Coin Traps

‍

Don’t confuse “meme” with “momentum.” Use data.

Conclusion: The Smart Moonshot Portfolio is Diversified

If your moonshot portfolio is 100% meme coins, you're gambling. If it’s 100% early L1s with no traction, you may be stuck waiting years. Smart investors build a balanced basket that includes:

  • Memes with momentum
  • Mid-cap undervalued alts
  • Undiscovered AI, RWA, and DePIN gems
  • Fundamental plays with strong tokenomics

Meme coins are just one path to the moon — don’t miss the others.

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