Linking CoinAPI as a source
This source is currently in alpha. The interface and available tables may change.
The CoinAPI connector syncs cryptocurrency market data – assets, exchanges, symbols, exchange rates, and OHLCV and trade history – into PostHog, so you can analyze it alongside your product data.
Prerequisites
You need a CoinAPI account so you can create an API key. CoinAPI uses a credit/quota-based (pay-as-you-go) model with a daily credit limit, so large time-series tables can consume significant credits.
Adding a data source
- In PostHog, go to the Sources tab of the data pipeline section.
- Click + New source and click Link next to this source.
- Enter your credentials (see Configuration below) and click Next.
- Select the tables you want to sync, choose a sync method and frequency, then click Import.
Once the syncs are complete, you can start querying this data in PostHog.
When linking CoinAPI, you'll need:
- API key – create a key in the CoinAPI customer portal.
The reference tables (assets, exchanges, symbols) and exchange rates sync with just an API key. The OHLCV and trades history tables are scoped to a single market, so set the Symbol ID field (and, for OHLCV, the Period ID) to enable them.
Sync modes
Each table can be synced in one of several modes, depending on what the source supports:
- Webhook (when available) – the source pushes changes to PostHog in real time. Fastest freshness, lowest ongoing cost, and the only mode that reliably captures updates and deletes.
- Incremental – only new or updated rows are synced on each run, using a cursor field (such as an
updated_attimestamp). Cheaper than a full refresh, but deletes aren't captured. - Append only – new rows are appended using a cursor field; existing rows are never updated. Ideal for immutable, append-only tables like event logs.
- Full refresh – the whole table is reloaded on every sync. Use it when a table has no reliable cursor or when you need deletions reflected.
See sync methods for a full explanation of how each mode works and how to choose between them.
Configuration
| Option | Type | Required |
|---|---|---|
API key | password | Yes |
Exchange rate base asset | text | No |
Symbol ID | text | No |
Period ID | text | No |
Start date | text | No |
Supported tables
| Table | Description | Sync method | Incremental field | Primary key |
|---|---|---|---|---|
assets | Every asset CoinAPI tracks (cryptocurrencies and fiat), with volume and price metadata. | Full refresh | — | — |
exchanges | Every exchange CoinAPI tracks, with coverage dates and volume metadata. | Full refresh | — | — |
symbols | Every symbol (market) CoinAPI tracks across all exchanges, with its component assets. | Full refresh | — | — |
exchange_rates | Current exchange rate from the configured base asset to every other asset, one row per quote asset. | Full refresh | — | — |
ohlcv_history | Requires a Symbol ID on the source. Only syncs the configured symbol. | Incremental, Full refresh | time_period_start | — |
trades_history | Requires a Symbol ID on the source. Only syncs the configured symbol. | Incremental, Full refresh | time_exchange, time_coinapi | — |
Troubleshooting
- If you see an invalid or incorrectly formatted key error, create a new key in the CoinAPI customer portal, then reconnect.
- If access is denied, check that your CoinAPI subscription covers the data you're trying to sync, then reconnect.
If your sync is failing or data looks wrong, see the Data warehouse troubleshooting guide. If that doesn't help, contact support – we're happy to help.