Quickstart

By the end of this guide you will have:

An API key (or OAuth token)
A working call against the ChainStream REST API
A working call against the ChainStream SDK, CLI and MCP Server
A clear pointer to whichever surface — REST, GraphQL, WebSocket, Kafka, SDK, CLI, MCP — best fits your workload

Estimated time: 5 minutes.

Prerequisites

A ChainStream account. Sign up here if you do not have one yet.

1. Get your API key

Open the ChainStream Dashboard.
Go to Applications.
Click Create New App.
Copy the generated API Key (it starts with cs_live_…).

An API key is the fastest way to authenticate. For machine-to-machine scenarios use the OAuth 2.0 client-credentials flow described in API Keys & OAuth.

2. Make your first request

This example fetches metadata for Wrapped SOL on Solana. Pick the interface that matches how you will integrate.

cURL
SDK (TypeScript)
CLI
MCP (AI agent)
OAuth 2.0 (JWT)

curl "https://api.chainstream.io/v2/token/solana/So11111111111111111111111111111111111111112/metadata" \
  -H "X-API-KEY: your_api_key"

import { ChainStreamClient } from "@chainstream-io/sdk";

const cs = new ChainStreamClient({ apiKey: "your_api_key" });

const token = await cs.token.getToken(
  "So11111111111111111111111111111111111111112",
  "solana",
);

console.log(token.name, token.symbol, token.decimals);

See all SDKs for Python, Go and Rust equivalents.

# Runs with no install — npx will fetch the latest CLI.
npx @chainstream-io/cli token info \
  --chain solana \
  --address So11111111111111111111111111111111111111112

On first run the CLI prompts for your key. You can also set it explicitly:

npx @chainstream-io/cli config set --key apiKey --value your_api_key

CHAINSTREAM_API_KEY=your_api_key npx @chainstream-io/mcp

Then ask your agent “What is the SOL token on Solana?” — it will call the right tool.For Claude, Cursor and ChatGPT configuration see MCP Server Setup.

For OAuth 2.0 Client Credentials:

curl -X POST "https://dex.asia.auth.chainstream.io/oauth/token" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "client_id": "YOUR_CLIENT_ID",
    "client_secret": "YOUR_CLIENT_SECRET",
    "audience": "https://api.dex.chainstream.io",
    "grant_type": "client_credentials"
  }'

curl "https://api.chainstream.io/v2/token/solana/So11111111111111111111111111111111111111112/metadata" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_ACCESS_TOKEN"

Response

{
  "chain": "solana",
  "address": "So11111111111111111111111111111111111111112",
  "name": "Wrapped SOL",
  "symbol": "SOL",
  "decimals": 9,
  "imageUrl": "https://raw.githubusercontent.com/solana-labs/token-list/main/assets/mainnet/So11111111111111111111111111111111111111112/logo.png",
  "tokenCreatedAt": 1710417600000
}

Field	Type	Description
`chain`	string	Blockchain identifier, lowercase.
`address`	string	Token contract address.
`name`	string	Human-readable token name.
`symbol`	string	Ticker symbol.
`decimals`	integer	Token decimals.
`imageUrl`	string	Canonical logo URL (may be null).
`tokenCreatedAt`	integer	Creation timestamp (ms).

3. Pick the right access method

You just made a single request/response call. Real integrations usually need more than that.

REST API

On-demand lookups — tokens, wallets, pools, trades, compliance.

GraphQL

Flexible analytical queries over the full chain-data cube.

WebSocket

Sub-second pushes for live UIs and browser apps.

Kafka Streams

Exactly-once delivery into backends, indexers and trading engines.

SDKs

TypeScript, Python, Go, Rust — typed clients with auth built in.

CLI

Scripting, CI/CD and pay-per-call access for AI agents.

Troubleshooting

401 Unauthorized

Confirm X-API-KEY or Authorization: Bearer … header is present and spelt correctly.
Regenerate a key if yours was rotated.
For OAuth, check the token hasn’t expired (default TTL is 1 hour).

429 Too Many Requests

You hit your plan’s rate limit. Free plans start at 10 req/s; upgrade or back off exponentially. See Plans & Units.

How do I query other chains?

Use the chain identifier in the URL: solana, ethereum, bsc, base, polygon, arbitrum, optimism, avalanche, zksync, tron. Full list in Supported Chains.

Next steps

Browse the data catalog

Every dataset we publish, with coverage and refresh rates.

Start a real-time stream

Subscribe to live trades, prices, transfers and pool events.

Run compliance checks

KYT and KYA on transfers, withdrawals and counterparties.

Build an AI agent

Connect Claude, Cursor or ChatGPT via MCP + Agent Skills.

Data Products

Access Methods

AI Agents

Compliance (KYT/KYA)

Tutorials

Recipes

Platform

Ecosystem

Reference

Prerequisites

1. Get your API key

2. Make your first request

Response

3. Pick the right access method

REST API

GraphQL

WebSocket

Kafka Streams

SDKs

CLI

Troubleshooting

Next steps

Browse the data catalog

Start a real-time stream

Run compliance checks

Build an AI agent

Data Products

Access Methods

AI Agents

Compliance (KYT/KYA)

Tutorials

Recipes

Platform

Ecosystem

Reference

​Prerequisites

​1. Get your API key

​2. Make your first request

​Response

​3. Pick the right access method

REST API

GraphQL

WebSocket

Kafka Streams

SDKs

CLI

​Troubleshooting

​Next steps

Browse the data catalog

Start a real-time stream

Run compliance checks

Build an AI agent

Prerequisites

1. Get your API key

2. Make your first request

Response

3. Pick the right access method

Troubleshooting

Next steps