What is Polygon (MATIC) - How it Works, Benefits and Use Cases

Crypto Basics

What is Polygon (MATIC) - How it Works, Benefits and Use Cases

Learn everything about Polygon (MATIC) crypto including its benefits and use cases.

Token Metrics Team

7 minutes

MIN

Index

Overview of Solana Blockchain

Polygon (formerly known as Matic Network) is a protocol for building and connecting Ethereum-compatible blockchain networks. It is designed to provide faster and cheaper transactions on the Ethereum network by using side chains and an adapted version of the Plasma framework.

It also offers a wide range of:

Smart contract solutions
Secure identity solutions, and
Wallet solutions.

History of Polygon (MATIC) Crypto

The history of Polygon Matic dates back to 2017 when the project was founded by Jaynti Kanani and Sandeep Nailwal. In 2021, the project took up a rebranding and went from Matic Network to Polygon. This was done in the light of reflecting a broader focus on providing infrastructure for a wide range of blockchain use cases.

With Polygon MATIC, users can easily create and manage their own decentralized applications, securely store and transfer assets, and even trade digital assets. With its powerful features and benefits, Polygon MATIC can be a great tool for you to leverage the power of the blockchain. Find out how it can benefit you in the best ways possible below.

Benefits of Polygon

Polygon MATIC has several benefits that make it a great blockchain solution. Here are a few of its top benefits that you need to be aware of:

Scalability - Polygon MATIC has high scalability and can support millions of users and transactions. It can also scale at a very low cost. This means that it can handle high transaction volumes and can support a large user base.
Security - Polygon MATIC is a secure platform with state-of-the-art security features. You can easily secure your data and transactions on the platform through the use of the platform’s security features.
Wide range of services and tools - Polygon MATIC offers a wide range of services and tools that can benefit different types of users. Whether you are a developer, an individual, or a business, Polygon MATIC can help you with your decentralized applications and smart contracts.
Cost-effective and scalable solutions - With Polygon MATIC, you can easily and cost-effectively deploy various decentralized applications. It also offers scalable solutions that can grow and evolve with your business.

Polygon Use Cases

E-commerce and Online Retail - The Polygon MATIC blockchain can help improve e-commerce and online retail. This is because distributed ledger technology can significantly reduce the cost of transactions and make it easier for businesses to manage their supply chain.

Supply chain management - The Polygon MATIC blockchain can also help in supply chain management. It can help track shipments and provide transparency and security across the supply chain.

Gaming - The Polygon MATIC blockchain can help improve gaming through tokenization. It can also help gamers exchange their digital assets.

Healthcare - The Polygon MATIC blockchain can help in healthcare by enabling secure and immutable record storage. It can also help in improving the efficiency of health-related apps and services.

ICO and Crowdfunding - The Polygon MATIC blockchain can help improve the ICO and crowdfunding experience. It can also help in improving the tokenization process and provide transparency.

Polygon Security Features

The Polygon MATIC blockchain is a secure and reliable blockchain solution. It uses a distributed ledger technology that is decentralized and peer-to-peer. This means that there is no single point of failure and it is not controlled by a single entity. This makes it secure and reliable. When it comes to security, the Polygon MATIC blockchain has many features.

Some of these features are discussed below:

Advanced consensus algorithms - The Polygon MATIC blockchain uses advanced consensus algorithms to verify transactions. This makes it secure and reliable. These algorithms include PBFT (Practical Byzantine Fault Tolerance), VRF (Variable Resonance), and EOS consensus.
Strong authentication method - The Polygon MATIC blockchain has a strong authentication method that makes it difficult to hack or spoof. Even if someone is able to hack into the network, they can only hack a single node and not the entire network.
Encrypted communication - The communication between the nodes on the Polygon MATIC blockchain is encrypted. This makes it difficult to hack or spoof.

Polygon (MATIC) Cost

The cost of using Polygon MATIC will depend on your usage. The more you use the platform, the higher the cost will be. You can also choose to outsource your needs and use Polygon MATIC as a service.

Here are a few things you should know about the Polygon MATIC cost:

The cost of using the Polygon MATIC blockchain platform for deploying DApps is $1499.
The cost of deploying a smart contract is $599.
The cost of deploying wallets is $499.
The cost of deploying an identity and security solution is $1199.
The cost of deploying a trading platform is $1499.

Note: These prices may have changed due to change in MATIC's price.

These are the costs of using Polygon MATIC as a service. For more details on the cost, visit their website.

Polygon Crypto Alternatives

Ethereum - Ethereum is a popular blockchain platform used for developing decentralized applications and smart contracts. It is also used for ICOs and crowdfunding.
Hyperledger - Hyperledger is another popular blockchain platform used for developing decentralized applications and smart contracts.
EOS - EOS is also a blockchain platform used for developing decentralized applications and smart contracts.
Cardano - Cardano is a scalable blockchain platform that can support large volumes of transactions.

Is Polygon (MATIC) a Good Investment?

As for whether Polygon is a good investment, it's important to remember that the cryptocurrency market is highly volatile and that investing in any cryptocurrency carries a high level of risk. It's important to do your own research and carefully consider your investment options before making any decisions.

How to Buy Polygon (MATIC) Crypto?

If you're interested in buying MATIC, you can do so on a number of cryptocurrency exchanges that offer it. Some popular options include Binance, Coinbase, and Kraken. Be sure to carefully compare the fees and features of different exchanges before choosing one to use. Below are the 5 simple steps that you can follow to get your own Polygon:

Choose a Crypto Exchange Broker
Create your account (Crypto Wallet)
Link your Bank Account to your wallet
Pick the Cryptocurrency you want to invest in
Choose your storage method

Great, but, do we know where Polygon is headed in the future?

Future of Polygon (MATIC)

It's difficult to predict the future of Polygon with certainty, but the project has gained significant traction in the cryptocurrency community and has the potential to continue growing and gaining adoption in the future. However, as with any investment, it's important to be aware of the risks and to carefully consider your options before making any decisions.

The Bottom Line

Token Metrics is happy to provide you with AI-driven market updates and information regarding the crypto world but it is you who needs to be the decision maker when it comes to your crypto investments.

Polygon (formerly Matic Network) offers innovative technology that could potentially democratize blockchain through the creation of customized, interoperable networks. While it's difficult to predict the future performance of MATIC, the project has a strong team and partnerships with well-known companies.

However, as with any cryptocurrency investment, there is a high level of risk and it's important to carefully consider all options before making any decisions. Blockchain technology is still in its early stages and it may be more profitable to invest in the technology itself rather than just the hype. It's also important to exercise caution when building a cryptocurrency portfolio.

Disclaimer: The information provided on this website does not constitute investment/trading/financial advice and you should not treat any of the website’s content as such. Token Metrics does not recommend that any cryptocurrency should be bought, sold, or held by you. Do conduct your own due diligence and consult your financial advisor before making any investment decisions. We only offer comprehensive information which may change according to time.

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Accessing Historical Crypto Data Using APIs: A Complete Guide

Token Metrics Team

MIN

Understanding price trends and market dynamics is essential for researchers, developers, and analysts working in the cryptocurrency ecosystem. The demand for actionable, reliable historical crypto data has surged as more professionals seek to power apps, AI agents, and dashboards with accurate blockchain information. But how can you easily access robust historical data—from Bitcoin’s early days to today—using an API?

Why Historical Crypto Data Matters

Historical crypto data serves multiple critical roles in the blockchain and digital asset space. It is the foundation for backtesting trading algorithms, visualizing price trends, and conducting academic or business-driven research on market cycles. Given cryptocurrencies’ rapid global growth, time series data helps users:

Identify past market regimes and volatility periods
Study correlations and performance against traditional assets
Evaluate technology adoption over time
Build and validate AI models for trend detection

Yet with thousands of coins traded across dozens of exchanges since 2009, acquiring comprehensive, accurate history is challenging without programmatic tools like APIs.

APIs 101: How Crypto Data APIs Work

An Application Programming Interface (API) acts as a bridge, allowing your software to interact with data providers’ servers in real time or on demand. For historical cryptocurrency data, APIs typically offer endpoints for retrieving:

Daily or intraday OHLC (Open, High, Low, Close) price candles
Tick-by-tick trade data for specified assets
Market capitalization, volume, and liquidity history
On-chain blockchain activity metrics (transaction count, fees, supply)

Data is returned in structured formats like JSON or CSV, ideal for integration with research notebooks, dashboards, and machine learning pipelines. API providers may cover dozens or hundreds of exchanges, aggregate data, or focus on specific subsets of assets.

Choosing the Right Crypto Data API

With a crowded crypto data landscape, selecting the best API depends on your use case and quality requirements. Consider evaluating providers by:

Coverage: Which coins, tokens, and exchanges are included? Do you need spot or derivatives data?
Granularity & History: Does the API deliver tick-level trades, minute bars, or only daily snapshots? How far back does the data go?
Reliability: Is the data validated and aggregated from trustworthy sources? What is the uptime of the API?
Pricing & Limits: Are there free tiers, rate limits, or tiered plans that support your data needs?
Special Features: Does the API include on-chain data, AI-assisted signals, or example code?

Token Metrics and a few other advanced platforms provide comprehensive coverage alongside AI-driven analytics that can integrate seamlessly with research or engineering workflows.

How to Fetch and Use Historical Data via an API

Fetching crypto history using an API typically involves several common steps:

Sign up with a data provider to obtain your API key
Review API documentation to find relevant endpoints (e.g., /historical/prices)
Send HTTP GET requests (using Python, JavaScript, etc.) with parameters such as asset symbol, time range, and granularity
Parse JSON or CSV responses into your application for visualization or analysis
Respect API rate limits and terms of use

For example, you can retrieve daily Bitcoin OHLC data from a well-documented endpoint and use it in pandas to build price charts, calculate volatility, or feed into a machine learning model. Programmatic access ensures you can automate research, power trading dashboards, or compare assets historically without manual downloads or spreadsheet wrangling.

Leveraging AI and API Tools for Crypto Analysis

Combining robust historical data APIs with AI-powered analytics unlocks new potential for crypto research. Platforms like Token Metrics utilize large datasets not just for presenting history, but for generating intelligence: pattern recognition, trading signals, anomaly detection, and fundamental scoring. By integrating API live feeds with AI models, you can:

Detect market regime shifts in real time
Build custom alerting and signal-generation bots
Enrich dashboards with sentiment, on-chain, and social indicators
Support research with up-to-date and historical context

This workflow ensures analysts, quant researchers, and builders can move from raw blockchain data to actionable insights efficiently, while focusing on accuracy and reproducibility.

Build Smarter Crypto Apps & AI Agents with Token Metrics

Token Metrics provides real-time prices, trading signals, and on-chain insights all from one powerful API. Grab a Free API Key

Frequently Asked Questions

What types of historical crypto data can I access with an API?

APIs give you programmatic access to a variety of historical data: price OHLCV (Open, High, Low, Close, Volume), order book snapshots, tick-by-tick trades, market capitalization, on-chain metrics, and more. The granularity and range depend on the specific API provider.

Are there free APIs for historical cryptocurrency data?

Yes, several APIs (including entry-level tiers from advanced providers) offer free endpoints for historical prices and market data. However, free plans may limit data granularity, history depth, or request frequency compared to paid subscriptions.

How far back do most crypto APIs provide historical data?

APIs vary: Bitcoin data typically goes back to 2010, while Ethereum and other major coins cover several years. Full coverage for all coins and smaller assets may depend on the exchange and the API provider’s archival policies.

Can I use historical crypto data APIs for machine learning or AI models?

Absolutely. Clean, granular API feeds are essential for training, validating, and deploying machine learning models for trend detection, price prediction, and anomaly analysis. Many platforms now deliver AI-ready historical crypto data to streamline these workflows.

What programming languages work best for integrating crypto APIs?

Most APIs return data as JSON or CSV, which can be fetched and handled with Python (using requests or httpx packages), JavaScript/TypeScript, Java, or Go. Providers often supply SDKs and code examples for easy onboarding.

Disclaimer

This blog post is provided for educational and informational purposes only. It does not offer investment advice or endorse any specific assets, services, or platforms. Always conduct independent research and review provider documentation before making technical or business decisions related to APIs and crypto data.

Research

How to Find the Most Accurate Crypto Price Data via API

Token Metrics Team

MIN

The search for reliable, real-time cryptocurrency price data is a common challenge for developers, analysts, and researchers in the digital asset space. With hundreds of active crypto exchanges and significant price discrepancies across platforms, choosing the right API can make or break your crypto app or data-driven workflow. But which crypto API actually delivers the most accurate price data?

Why Crypto Price Data Accuracy Matters

Whether you're building an app for portfolio tracking, algorithmic trading, DeFi analytics, or AI-powered crypto agents, precision in price feeds is critical. Inaccurate or delayed data can lead to flawed models, missed opportunities, or even compliance issues for institutional players. Since the crypto market is decentralized and fragmented, no single exchange houses the universally accepted price for Bitcoin or any other token. As a result, APIs aggregate data differently—some provide an average price across several exchanges, while others pick a primary source. How an API compiles and updates prices determines its accuracy and reliability.

The Main Types of Crypto Price APIs

Not all crypto price APIs are created equal. Understanding the different types can help you match your needs with the right provider:

Single-Exchange APIs: These offer prices directly from their own platform (e.g., Binance API). They deliver real-time trade data but reflect only that exchanges market.
Aggregator APIs: Providers like CoinGecko, CoinMarketCap, and Token Metrics collect and average prices from dozens (sometimes hundreds) of exchanges. This approach can minimize outliers and boost overall reliability, but latency or exchange coverage gaps may affect accuracy.
Premium APIs: Platforms focused on institutional users (e.g., Token Metrics, Kaiko, CryptoCompare) often offer robust methodologies for handling outliers, wash trading, and thin liquidity. These APIs tend to document their data curation processes more thoroughly.

When choosing a crypto price API, consider whether you need spot pricing, historical data, liquidity-weighted averages, or normalized feeds for your use case.

Evaluating API Price Accuracy: Key Criteria

Comparing API providers involves more than just looking at their exchange list. Here are the most important variables to assess:

Data Sources and Coverage: Does the API include top-tier global exchanges, and how frequently is this list updated as markets evolve?
Aggregation and Calculation Methods: Is the price simply the last trade, a weighted average, or an advanced formula that discounts unreliable exchanges or outliers?
Update Frequency / Latency: How close is the reported price to real-time market activity? Lower latency is crucial for traders and automated agents.
Transparency: Are methodologies documented? Can you verify how average prices are computed or how data integrity is ensured?
Auditability and Error Handling: Does the API have systems to flag and fix suspicious data or sudden anomalies?

Many serious projects also look for compliance features, such as market surveillance and anti-manipulation policies, though this is more relevant for enterprise integrations than hobby projects.

Leading Crypto APIs for Accurate Price Data

Based on public documentation, developer feedback, and recent reliability tests, here are five of the most widely used crypto price APIs and how they address accuracy:

Token Metrics API: Offers real-time prices across thousands of cryptocurrencies, with liquidity-weighted methodologies and AI-enhanced outlier detection. Provides transparency through robust API docs and supports custom integrations for advanced users.
CoinGecko API: A popular free-to-use aggregator, drawing prices from more than 800 exchanges. Employs volume- and liquidity-weighted averages to offer a reasonably accurate view of the market.
CoinMarketCap API: One of the oldest aggregators, it pulls data from major global exchanges, filtering for reliability. Offers both free and paid tiers.
CryptoCompare API: Geared towards institutions, with configurable price aggregation formulas and high-tier exchange sources.
Kaiko API: Provides institutional-grade data with sophisticated error handling, audit trails, and low-latency feeds—ideal for enterprise AI models and trading systems.

No single provider is the "ultimate source"—trade-offs between speed, coverage, and cost exist. For most AI, DeFi, or advanced analytics projects, combining a trusted aggregator (like the Token Metrics API) with cross-references from single-exchange feeds offers a best-practice approach to price accuracy.

Tips for Using Crypto APIs in Your Projects

To ensure the highest price accuracy in your crypto app or data science workflow, keep these best practices in mind:

Cross-Verify Price Feeds: Dont rely on a single API for critical operations. Compare outputs from multiple top providers, especially during volatile market swings.
Understand Latency Constraints: Even the fastest APIs can be delayed by network latency or exchange downtime. For algorithmic trading, look for WebSocket feeds over basic REST endpoints.
Monitor API Status: Use dashboard tools and status pages to watch for outages or updates to exchange listings, both of which can temporarily affect price accuracy.
Leverage AI/ML Tools: Consider APIs that integrate machine learning, not just for data aggregation but also for anomaly detection, order book analytics, and risk reporting.
Review Documentation: Always delve into the providers API docs and update policies; transparent documentation signals a commitment to quality.

Ultimately, the API you choose should align with your use case—whether that's an AI-powered agent making split-second decisions, a portfolio dashboard for long-term holders, or a research tool tracking historical price shifts at scale.

Build Smarter Crypto Apps & AI Agents with Token Metrics

Token Metrics provides real-time prices, trading signals, and on-chain insights all from one powerful API. Grab a Free API Key

What is a crypto price API?

A crypto price API is a programmatic interface that allows apps and tools to access up-to-date digital asset price data from exchanges and aggregators. Developers use these APIs to retrieve spot prices, historical data, and market statistics, improving the responsiveness and accuracy of crypto-enabled products.

How do crypto APIs ensure price accuracy?

Most aggregator APIs use liquidity- and volume-weighted averages from multiple exchanges to provide representative prices. Leading providers employ filters to exclude abnormal data, detect outliers, and update the source list regularly to reflect top-performing exchanges. Documentation should always be reviewed for each provider's methodology.

Which API is best for research versus trading?

For research, broad coverage and rich historical data (e.g., CoinGecko, Token Metrics) are important. For trading, prioritized speed, low-latency feeds (such as those from Token Metrics, Kaiko, or direct exchange APIs), and advanced analytics/tooling are key. Many professionals use both types: one for research, and one for live trading signals.

Are free crypto price APIs reliable?

Free APIs can provide reasonably accurate prices, especially for widely traded assets like Bitcoin and Ethereum. However, they may offer lower rate limits, slower updates, or less historical depth than premium options. For critical or business applications, upgrading to a paid plan with greater support and data guarantees is advisable.

How frequently are prices updated on most APIs?

Update frequency varies: some APIs refresh data every few seconds, while others provide real-time data through streaming (WebSocket) feeds. For fast-moving markets, always check the provider's documentation for precise update intervals.

Disclaimer

This article is for informational and educational purposes only and does not constitute financial or investment advice. Always conduct your own research and consult a qualified professional for guidance specific to your situation.

Research

Exploring Crypto APIs: Types of Data You Can Access

Token Metrics Team

MIN

The explosion of digital assets has fueled a new era of on-demand data analysis, making crypto APIs essential for enthusiasts, developers, and analysts alike. But what kinds of information can you actually unlock using a crypto API, and how can this data power smarter apps or research?

Real-Time Crypto Prices and Market Snapshots

One of the most popular uses for a crypto API is accessing real-time pricing data. APIs enable you to pull the latest prices for thousands of cryptocurrencies across multiple exchanges instantly. This information is foundational for market analysis, digital asset tracking, and powering portfolio dashboards.

Spot Prices: The current buy and sell price for a cryptocurrency.
Volume: The amount traded within a particular time period.
Market Cap: Calculated by multiplying the price by circulating supply.
Highs/Lows: Highest and lowest prices over different intervals (e.g., 24-hour range).

Most leading APIs, such as the Token Metrics API, offer live pricing feeds for efficient decision-making and data integration.

Deep-Dive: Historical Price and Volume Data

Reliable historical data is key to uncovering trends, backtesting strategies, and building machine learning models. Crypto APIs typically allow you to pull:

Tick-level Data: Every trade or price change, often down to milliseconds.
OHLCV Data: Open, High, Low, Close, Volume over set intervals (minute, hour, day, etc.).
Aggregated Statistics: Average prices, moving averages, and other calculated metrics.

Historical endpoints help quant researchers and developers build accurate visualizations and statistical models. For instance, analyzing 365 days of closing prices can reveal volatility patterns or market cycles.

Order Book Depth and Market Liquidity Insights

Order book data provides the pulse of live trading activity, revealing granular details about market depth and liquidity. With a crypto API, you can access:

Bid/Ask Orders: See active buy (bid) and sell (ask) orders, including sizes and prices.
Order Book Snapshots: Full snapshots of orders at a moment in time or real-time streaming updates.
Depth Charts: Visualize how deep the market is at different price levels.

Order book access is crucial for algorithmic trading, slippage estimates, and evaluating liquidity. Some APIs even support aggregated order books across several exchanges for more complete market intelligence.

Live Trades, Transactions, and Ticker Data

In addition to static prices, many crypto APIs deliver real-time trade and ticker data. This includes:

Ticker Streams: Continuous feeds of price and volume changes for multiple assets.
Trades Feed: A chronological record of every executed trade—useful for volume analysis and pattern recognition.
Trade Metadata: Additional details like trade size, buyer/seller side, and unique trade IDs.

Use cases range from powering trading bots to feeding AI-driven analytics or anomaly detection systems. This granularity allows a deeper understanding of real-time market sentiment.

Access to On-Chain and Blockchain Analytics

Beyond market data, advanced crypto APIs now offer direct access to blockchain or on-chain data. Developers and analysts gain the ability to:

Monitor Wallet Balances & Activity: Track transactions, wallet holdings, and token movements.
Analyze Smart Contracts: Fetch function calls, execution outcomes, and contract metrics.
Identify Network Metrics: Including block times, hash rates, gas fees, and validator stats.

Such on-chain analytics underpin advanced research, compliance processes, and fraud detection strategies. APIs that aggregate insights across multiple blockchains add significant value for multi-asset and multi-chain projects.

Build Smarter Crypto Apps & AI Agents with Token Metrics

Token Metrics provides real-time prices, trading signals, and on-chain insights all from one powerful API. Grab a Free API Key

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the most common data provided by crypto APIs?

Most crypto APIs supply real-time prices, trading volume, order books, and historical price/volume data. Some also cover blockchain transactions and wallet-level insights—useful for a range of research and app development scenarios.

Can I get data from multiple exchanges with one API?

Leading crypto APIs aggregate data from various exchanges, allowing developers and analysts to access consolidated prices, order books, and liquidity. Aggregated APIs minimize discrepancies and broaden coverage.

How far back does historical crypto data go in APIs?

The available historical depth varies; top APIs like Token Metrics offer years of daily price data, with some offering tick-level data spanning months or years. Always review documentation for specific asset or interval support.

Why is programmatic access to crypto data important?

APIs allow for automated retrieval, filtering, and analysis of large datasets—enhancing research, powering trading robots, building dashboards, or supporting AI-driven models with up-to-date, reliable information.

What are practical uses for on-chain data from APIs?

On-chain data enables compliance monitoring, wallet tracking, DeFi analytics, NFT research, contract auditing, and forensic investigations. Modern APIs help analysts and businesses stay agile amid evolving blockchain trends.

Disclaimer

This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute investment, financial, legal, or tax advice. Cryptocurrency markets are volatile and involve risks. Always conduct your own research before making decisions or building applications based on crypto data.

Token Metrics Media LLC is a regular publication of information, analysis, and commentary focused especially on blockchain technology and business, cryptocurrency, blockchain-based tokens, market trends, and trading strategies.

Token Metrics Media LLC does not provide individually tailored investment advice and does not take a subscriber’s or anyone’s personal circumstances into consideration when discussing investments; nor is Token Metrics Advisers LLC registered as an investment adviser or broker-dealer in any jurisdiction.

Information contained herein is not an offer or solicitation to buy, hold, or sell any security. The Token Metrics team has advised and invested in many blockchain companies. A complete list of their advisory roles and current holdings can be viewed here: https://tokenmetrics.com/disclosures.html/

Token Metrics Media LLC relies on information from various sources believed to be reliable, including clients and third parties, but cannot guarantee the accuracy and completeness of that information. Additionally, Token Metrics Media LLC does not provide tax advice, and investors are encouraged to consult with their personal tax advisors.

All investing involves risk, including the possible loss of money you invest, and past performance does not guarantee future performance. Ratings and price predictions are provided for informational and illustrative purposes, and may not reflect actual future performance.

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