If you want to use a trading bot for automated orders, a third-party tool to track your portfolio, or connect TradingView signals for auto-execution, you'll need to create a Binance API key. An API is the "communication bridge" between external programs and Binance's servers — it's what allows software to operate your account on your behalf.
What Can an API Key Do
The most common use cases:
- Quantitative trading: Bots like 3Commas and Pionex use the API to automatically buy and sell
- Portfolio tracking: Apps like CoinStats use a read-only API to sync your holdings
- Signal trading: Receive TradingView alerts and execute trades automatically
- Custom strategies: If you know programming, you can use Python or other languages to build your own trading strategies via the API
Steps to Create an API Key
- Log into Binance on the website (the App works too, but the web interface is more convenient)
- Go to "Profile" → "API Management"
- Give your API a descriptive label (e.g., "Trading Bot") for easy management later
- Click "Create API"
- Complete security verification (email + 2FA code)
- The system generates two strings: an API Key and a Secret Key
This is critical: the Secret Key is displayed only once — it cannot be viewed again after you close the page. Copy and save it immediately in a secure location (such as a password manager). If you lose the Secret Key, you'll have to delete the API and create a new one.
Permission Settings
After creation, you need to configure the API's permissions:
- Read: View account balances and trade history (view-only, safest option)
- Spot Trading: Allows spot buy/sell operations via API
- Futures Trading: Allows futures trading via API
- Withdrawal: Allows initiating withdrawals via API (strongly recommended to keep this OFF)
Only enable the minimum permissions you actually need. If you're just tracking your portfolio, "Read" is sufficient. For running a trading bot, add "Spot Trading" or "Futures Trading." Withdrawal permission should not be enabled in the vast majority of cases.
IP Whitelist — The Most Important Security Measure
After creating an API, it's strongly recommended to set up an IP whitelist, restricting API access to specific IP addresses only.
How to do it: On the API details page, click "Restrict access to trusted IPs only" and enter your server's IP address. Once set, even if the API Key is leaked, unauthorized IPs cannot use it.
If you're running a bot on a cloud server, enter the server's static IP. If you're using a local computer, look up your public IP and enter that.
Security Best Practices
Never share your API Key with anyone. Legitimate third-party tools only ask you to paste the API Key in their settings page — they will never request it through chat.
Regularly review your API list. Go to the API Management page, and if you see an API you don't recognize, delete it immediately.
Delete unused APIs promptly. When you stop using a particular trading bot, delete the corresponding API Key to reduce your exposure.
You'll need to sign up for Binance and complete identity verification before using the API.