Overview

ExCcxt is an Elixir library that provides a bridge to the popular CCXT cryptocurrency trading library written in JavaScript. It allows Elixir applications to access unified APIs for multiple cryptocurrency exchanges while leveraging the extensive functionality of the CCXT library.

What is CCXT?

CCXT is a JavaScript/Python/PHP library for cryptocurrency trading and e-commerce with support for many bitcoin/ether/altcoin exchange markets and merchant APIs. It provides:

  • A unified API for 100+ cryptocurrency exchanges
  • Standardized data structures for tickers, trades, order books, and more
  • Support for both public market data and private trading operations
  • Active maintenance and regular updates

Why ExCcxt?

ExCcxt brings the power of CCXT to the Elixir ecosystem by:

  • Bridging Languages: Leveraging JavaScript's rich CCXT ecosystem while maintaining Elixir's strengths
  • Type Safety: Converting raw JavaScript responses to typed Elixir structs
  • Process Isolation: Running JavaScript in separate Node.js processes to prevent crashes
  • Concurrency: Using a NodeJS process pool for parallel exchange API calls
  • Supervision: Automatically restarting failed NodeJS processes
  • Unified Interface: Providing a single Elixir API for 100+ cryptocurrency exchanges

Architecture

ExCcxt uses a multi-layered architecture:

┌─────────────────┐    ┌──────────────────┐    ┌─────────────────┐
│   Elixir App    │───▶│    ExCcxt        │───▶│   Node.js       │
│                 │    │   (Bridge)       │    │   + CCXT        │
└─────────────────┘    └──────────────────┘    └─────────────────┘
  1. Elixir Layer: Provides the main API and handles data transformation
  2. Bridge Layer: Manages communication between Elixir and Node.js
  3. JavaScript Layer: Wraps CCXT library calls
  4. CCXT Library: Handles actual exchange communications

Supported Exchanges

ExCcxt supports all exchanges available in the CCXT library, including:

  • Binance
  • Coinbase Pro
  • Kraken
  • Bitfinex
  • Huobi
  • KuCoin
  • And 100+ more

Key Features

Public Market Data

  • Real-time ticker information
  • Historical OHLCV (candlestick) data
  • Market information and trading pairs
  • Exchange capabilities and limits

Data Types

  • Strongly typed Elixir structs
  • Automatic conversion from JavaScript objects
  • Consistent field naming (snake_case)

Process Management

  • Supervised NodeJS process pool
  • Automatic process recovery
  • Configurable pool size for concurrency

Error Handling

  • Graceful error propagation from JavaScript
  • Detailed error messages
  • Connection timeout handling

Use Cases

ExCcxt is perfect for:

  • Trading Bots: Build automated trading systems in Elixir
  • Market Analysis: Collect and analyze market data across exchanges
  • Portfolio Tracking: Monitor asset prices and portfolio performance
  • Arbitrage Detection: Compare prices across multiple exchanges
  • Research Applications: Academic and financial research projects

Next Steps