Integrating with the BetPro Exchange API opens up a world of possibilities for developers. You can build custom trading apps, analytics tools, algorithmic trading bots, and more. However, API integration can also be tricky if you don’t know the ins and outs.
In this guide, I’ll share 15+ tips and tricks I’ve learned from my own experience integrating different applications with the BetPro Exchange API. Follow these recommendations and you’ll be able to integrate faster and avoid common pitfalls.
Learn the Core API Functions
Before diving into an integration project, take time to thoroughly learn the core API capabilities. Refer to the documentation and experiment with the sandbox environment to get comfortable.
Understand key functions like:
- Placing and managing orders
- Streaming real-time market data
- Handling order execution reports
- Managing your trading account
Knowing the fundamentals will make every other aspect of integration smoother.
Use the Sandbox Extensively When Testing
The BetPro Exchange provides a sandbox testing environment identical to the production exchange, except you’re using fake money.
Make the sandbox your friend and use it extensively when prototyping and testing. Place fake trades, stream data, and try different API usage scenarios.
This will help uncover integration issues before you go live with real money. It’s always better to break things in the sandbox when there are no financial consequences!
Check Error Messages Thoroughly
The BetPro API uses standard HTTP response codes like 400 for bad requests and 500 for internal server errors.
But for validation and business logic errors, the API returns custom error messages with codes specific to each failure case.
Always check error formats and codes returned by the API. Compare against the documentation to understand exactly why each request failed.
Logging error details is crucial for diagnosing problems and handling failures gracefully in your application.
Use Sequential Order IDs
Every order placed through the API requires a unique ID set by your application. I recommend using sequential integers:
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order_1, order_2, order_3 etc
Sequential IDs make order management easier versus random strings or UUIDs. You can instantly know the total number of orders placed and easily pull management history.
Use the numeric order ID naming convention from the start of your integration.
Align Streaming to Your UX
The BetPro API offers a streaming WebSocket connection that pushes real-time market data to your application.
Choose streaming carefully based on your app’s user experience (UX) needs:
- Stream incremental ticks for high-frequency algorithmic trading
- Stream order book deltas for exchange-like interfaces
- Stream periodic snapshots for portfolio tracking apps
Align stream settings, connection handling, and data processes to deliver the right UX.
Rate Limit Requests
The BetPro Exchange enforces API request rate limits to protect exchange infrastructure. Here are the core limits:
- Private endpoints: 180 requests per 60 seconds
- Public endpoints: 100 requests per 10 seconds
Put in the work to handle rate limiting properly:
- Track request counts in your application
- Implement wait-retry logic if you hit the limit
- Queue non-time-sensitive requests
Poorly handled rate limits will wreck your app’s reliability. Do this right from the start.
Check Balance Frequently
Before placing each order through the API, get an updated balance check.
Why?
Race conditions.
Your account balance can change at any time based on order executions. Other apps may also modify the balance.
Always validate you have enough funds before trying to place an order.
This simple check avoids surprise failures due to balance issues.
Implement Idempotency
Unexpected failures and network glitches can cause issues like duplicate order submissions.
To counter this, make your order placement idempotent. This means code that tolerates the API being called multiple times with the same data:
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if (order_exists(order_id)) { return success } else { submit_order(details) }
Idempotent order submission prevents unintended duplicates and keeps your account safe.
Mock Dependent Systems
Will your app rely on external systems beyond the BetPro Exchange API? Examples:
- Payment gateways
- User databases
- External machine learning models
Mock out dependencies when possible for easier testing.
You can fake responses from payment or database systems to prototype exchange functionality faster. Swap in real dependencies later after core trading logic works.
Check Order Status Proactively
After placing orders via the API, proactively check status using the get_order endpoint.
Don’t just wait for execution reports. Explicitly check order status every 60 seconds or so while live.
This helps catch issues like partial fills or orders stuck due to technical problems. You can retry or alert users if needed.
Don’t leave order status to chance! Poll regularly.
Implement Circuit Breakers
Protect your application from cascading failures using circuit breaker patterns.
For example, stop outbound requests after hitting a threshold of errors from the BetPro API.
This prevents infinite retry loops, runaway resource usage, downstream issues for users, and more.
Circuit breakers create safety hatches for unreliable connections.
Notify Users of Failures
Despite your best efforts, some API requests will fail unexpectedly. These could be intermittent exchange issues, network blips, bad inputs, and more.
Notify your users programmatically if core actions fail, like order placement rejections or data stream disconnects.
Send an email, SMS alert, or in-app warning explaining the failure and next steps.
Transparency reduces user confusion and complaints when problems occur.
Confirm Order Completions
The BetPro API sends real-time order execution reports as trades occur.
However, also confirm completed orders status explicitly. Call get_order to check reported orders have expected filled quantities and status set to CLOSED.
Don’t assume execution reports tell the full story. Verify completed orders independently.
This avoids edge cases like partial fills or stranded open orders you assumed were fully closed.
Distribute API Keys Smartly
With BetPro, you can generate separate API keys for different apps, users, or microservices.
Use key distribution thoughtfully:
- Assign keys with tight permission scopes
- Regenerate keys regularly
- Revoke compromised keys ASAP
Following API key best practices enhances security and minimize risks.
Implement Bulk Creator Limits
If allowing customers to create bulk orders via your app, implement creator limits to prevent abuse.
For example, restrict non-administrator users to:
- Maximum 5 open orders at once
- 100 orders per day
- $5,000 maximum exposure
Override limits for VIP customers if desired, but apply conservative defaults.
Creator limits prevent runaway order volumes that could disrupt your operations.
Cache Shared Reference Data
The BetPro API provides large reference data sets like instrument details, exchange fees, company details, and more.
This data changes infrequently. Cache it locally or in a high-performance cache like Redis to avoid redundant API calls.
Caching improves app speed while reducing API traffic costs. Refresh caches once per session or if you receive update notifications.
Use WebSockets Where Possible
BetPro supports both REST API and WebSocket connections.
Prefer WebSocket integrations if you can due to performance benefits:
- Lower latency data delivery
- Efficient compressed streams
- Persistent connections
For high-speed trading algorithms or exchange interfaces, WebSockets should be your default choice.
Fall back to REST APIs for simpler apps or unreliable network environments.
Submit Orders Asynchronously
Apps often follow a synchronous flow:
- Get market data
- Submit order based on latest data
This tightly couples data feeds with order creation.
Decouple these actions for reliability. Consume stream data asynchronously and queue desired orders for later submission by a separate process.
This way connection drops or slow data packets won’t directly block order creation. Your queues smooth out failures.
Async submission also aids idempotency and handling rate limits.
Conclusion
Congratulations on choosing to integrate with the industry-leading BetPro Exchange API. Whether you’re building trading algorithms, portfolio dashboards, or custom interfaces, the tips above will help you integrate securely, efficiently, and successfully.
Remember:
- Leverage the sandbox to catch bugs early
- Track API errors meticulously
- Mind connection limits and implement queues
- Separate data streaming from order creation
- Watch order status closely after submission
- Notify users automatically of failures
Following best practices for robust API integrations will streamline your development and deliver reliable, production-ready applications.
If you have any other questions on BetPro Exchange API integrations, contact their award-winning support team 24/7 for assistance.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are some common BetPro API pitfalls?
Common pitfalls include poor error handling, ignoring rate limits, assuming orders completed successfully, racing conditions around balances, and not using the sandbox environment enough before launching.
Does BetPro offer API client libraries?
Yes, BetPro provides official API client libraries for popular languages like Python, JavaScript, Java, C#, and Go. Use these libraries to speed up development.
Is historical testing data available?
BetPro allows clients to purchase historical tick-level order book snapshots for backtesting algorithms. Sample daily data sets are also available.
Can I integrate BetPro with external databases?
Absolutely! Sync BetPro account details, orders, positions, etc. to external databases or data warehouses to enable custom analyses.
Does BetPro notify API clients of system status issues?
Yes, BetPro has a status page at http://status.betproapi.com that provides live system status. Subscribe to updates via SMS, email or other channels.