In this simple guide, we will learn how to fetch the current market price for a list of cryptocurrency pairs by connecting to the Coinbase API in Airtable.
Coinbase is a cryptocurrency exchange platform which provides free market data via their API. Data Fetcher is a free Airtable extension that connects Airtable to other platforms.
Data Fetcher's Coinbase Airtable integration lets us import crypto prices from the Coinbase API in Airtable with no-code by following the steps below.
Create Coins Table
Create a table in your base called 'Coins'. Change the name of the primary field to 'Symbol' and add the trading pairs you want to import currency data for. In this example, we are going to use: BTC-USD (i.e. Bitcoin to US Dollars), ETH-USD (i.e. Ethereum to US Dollars) and ADA-USD (i.e. Cardano to US Dollars).
Please note that the currency pairs always need a - in between e.g. 'BTC-USD'. You can find out more about crypto trading pairs here.
Install Data Fetcher
Install Data Fetcher from the Airtable marketplace and sign up for a free Data Fetcher account by entering a password and clicking 'Sign up for free'. You can also use your Google account. If you already have a Data Fetcher account use the 'Have an account?' text in the bottom left of the screen to log in.
Connect Airtable to the Coinbase API
Requests in Data Fetcher are how you import data into or send data from your Airtable base. Click 'Create your first request' on the home screen of the Data Fetcher extension.
On the create request screen in Data Fetcher, for Application, select 'Coinbase' to use the Coinbase Airtable integration.
For Endpoint, select 'Get current market price for a currency pair'.
For this example, (or any other endpoint where you obtain a currency price), you don't need to set up authorization. Therefore leave Authorization Type set to 'None'.
Enter a Name for your request, e.g. 'Current Market Prices'. Then click 'Save & Continue'.
Please note; other endpoints (such as 'List transactions or 'List buys') do require authorization. To do this, you'd need to change Authorization Type to 'OAuth' and click '+ New Coinbase connection'. You'll then be prompted to sign into your Coinbase account and authorize Data Fetcher access to communicate with Coinbase.
In order to use the values in the Airtable 'Symbol' field when importing from Coinbase, under Symbol, click the + button to insert a reference to your table.
For Table select 'Coins' and for Field select 'Symbol', then click 'Confirm.
Under Currency pair you will now see a reference to your output table.
Select the Output Table & View you want to import your currency data into.
Click 'Save & Run'.
Data Fetcher will run this request between Coinbase and Airtable then the Response field mapping modal will open. This is where we can map the fields from Coinbase to your fields in Airtable.
Keep the 'Amount' field selected but filter out the 'Base' and 'Currency' fields. Set the 'Amount' field type to 'Currency' using the dropdown next to the field name.
Click 'Save & Run'.
Data Fetcher will create the new 'Amount' field and import each cryptocurreny price from Coinbase for the currency pairs in the 'Coins' table.
Connect Airtable to Coinbase Automatically
At the moment, you'd need to manually run your Data Fetcher request to import any updates to these cryptocurrency prices. It is possible to run the Coinbase Airtable integration automatically at regular intervals using Data Fetcher's paid scheduling feature.
You will need to upgrade your account to this. In Data Fetcher, scroll to Schedule and click 'Upgrade'.
Choose a plan from the different options depending on your needs and enter your payment details.
Back in Data Fetcher, click 'I've done this'.
Under Schedule click '+ Authorize'.
A window will open where you can authorize the Airtable bases you want Data Fetcher to have access to.
We recommend selecting 'All current and future bases in all current and future workspaces' to avoid any issues with unauthorized bases in the future.
Click 'Grant access'.
In Data Fetcher, you'll now see Schedule this request is toggled on.
Select a schedule for the Coinbase Airtable integration based on intervals of 'Minutes', 'Hours', 'Days' or 'Months'. Click 'Save', and changes to the cryptocurrency prices will automatically import on your chosen schedule. Do be aware, exchange rates for cryptocurrency fluctuate, so the price is only correct for seconds at a time.
Track Cryptocurrency in Airtable
We can also use our table of currency prices to track Bitcoin or other cryptocurrency prices then track the market value of a portfolio using Airtable. Take a look at this tutorial on how to build a simple crypto tracker using Airtable.
