CLOB Connector Standards

Article Hummingbot docs

Summary

The document explains how Hummingbot connectors provide a common interface to exchanges that use central limit order books. The interface covers order placement and cancellation as well as order book data, while exchange-specific code handles differences between individual APIs. It distinguishes spot connectors from perpetual futures connectors and describes how the standards let strategies and scripts work across supported markets with fewer exchange-specific changes.

It also outlines connector maintenance and development: maintainers handle bugs and API changes, and new connectors can be contributed through the project's governance process. A table lists supported exchanges and indicates which have spot or perpetual connectors and which are partners. The document says partner connectors receive priority for fixes, so listed connectors may differ in reliability and maintenance. It is primarily an overview of software integration and support status, not a trading method or evidence-based comparison of exchange quality. The connector list and maintenance situation may change over time.

Key ideas

CLOB connectors provide standardized order and order book functions across exchanges with central limit order books.
Spot and perpetual futures connectors follow separate standards and serve different market types.
Exchange-specific implementation handles differences in individual APIs.
Strategies can use supported spot and perpetual markets through common interfaces.
Connector reliability depends in part on ongoing maintenance and exchange API updates.

Tags

Crypto Execution Market microstructure Perpetual futures Spot markets

Full text

# clob


CLOB (Central Limit Order Book) connectors integrate into a CLOB exchange's WebSocket API, enabling standardized order placement/cancellation and order book data fetching from the perspective of Hummingbot strategies. These connectors work with both centralized exchanges (CEX) and decentralized exchanges (DEX) that utilize a central limit order book model. 

Each connector is customized for a particular exchange's idiosyncrasies to enable this level of standardization, so they should ideally have a maintainer, whose role is to ensure consistent performance by fixing bugs, incorporating API updates, and other ongoing work.

### CLOB Connector Types

Currently, Hummingbot supports two CLOB connector standards, each which define how the code encapsulated in a connector folder should offer standardized API endpoints and hook into the Hummingbot client.

* **CLOB Spot**: WebSocket-based connectors to an exchange's spot order book-based markets. Each connector is a folder in the [`hummingbot/connector/exchange`](https://github.com/hummingbot/hummingbot/tree/master/hummingbot/connector/exchange) folder.

* **CLOB Perp**: WebSocket-based connectors to an exchange's perpetual futures order book-based markets. Each connector is a folder in the [`hummingbot/connector/derivative`](https://github.com/hummingbot/hummingbot/tree/master/hummingbot/connector/derivative) folder. By convention, these connector names end in `_perpetual`.

These connector standards allow users to create [Strategies](../strategies/index.md) and [Scripts](../strategies/scripts/index.md) that can operate on different spot and perpetual markets without modification.

### Current CLOB Connectors

Here are the CLOB connectors currently in the codebase. Note that the Foundation prioritizes fixes for connectors from exchanges that are [sponsors or partners](../about/sponsors.md), so they tend to be more reliable and better maintained.

| Exchange                                | Foundation Partner | Spot | Perp | Connector Guide |
|-----------------------------------------|-------------------|------|------|----------------|
| [Binance](../exchanges/binance/index.md)           | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | [Guide](../blog/posts/using-binance-with-hummingbot/index.md) |
| [Bitmart](../exchanges/bitmart/index.md)           | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |  |
| [Derive](../exchanges/derive/index.md)             | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | [Guide](../blog/posts/using-derive-with-hummingbot/index.md) |
| [Evedex](../exchanges/evedex/index.md)             |  |  | ✓ |  |
| [dYdX](../exchanges/dydx.md)                 | ✓ | | ✓ | [Guide](../blog/posts/dydx-v4-connector/index.md) |
| [Gate.io](../exchanges/gate-io/index.md)           | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |  |
| [HTX](../exchanges/htx/index.md)                 | ✓ | ✓ |  |  |
| [Kucoin](../exchanges/kucoin/index.md)             | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |  |
| [OKX](../exchanges/okx/index.md)                   | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |  |
| [XRPL](../exchanges/xrpl.md)                       | ✓ | ✓ |  | [Guide](../blog/posts/using-xrpl-with-hummingbot/index.md) |
| [Architect](../exchanges/architect/index.md)       |  |  | ✓ |  |
| [Aevo](../exchanges/aevo/index.md)         |  | ✓ |  |  |
| [Backpack](../exchanges/backpack/index.md)         |  | ✓ | ✓ |  |
| [BingX](../exchanges/bing_x/index.md)              | | ✓ |  | |
| [Bitstamp](../exchanges/bitstamp/index.md)         |  | ✓ |  |  |
| [Bitrue](../exchanges/bitrue.md)                   |  | ✓ |  |  |
| [Bitget](../exchanges/bitget/index.md)         | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |  |
| [Bybit](../exchanges/bybit.md)                     | | ✓ | ✓ |  |
| [BTC Markets](../exchanges/btc-markets.md)         |  | ✓ |  |  |
| [Coinbase](../exchanges/coinbase.md)               |  | ✓ |  |  |
| [Dexalot](../exchanges/dexalot.md)           | | ✓ | ✓ | [Guide](../blog/posts/using-dexalot-with-hummingbot/index.md) |
| [Kalshi](../exchanges/kalshi/index.md)             |  |  | ✓ |  |
| [Kraken](../exchanges/kraken/index.md)             |  | ✓ |  |  |
| [Lambdaplex](../exchanges/lambdaplex.md) | | ✓     | | | 
| [Lighter](../exchanges/lighter/index.md)                 |  | ✓ | ✓ |  |
| [MEXC](../exchanges/mexc/index.md)                 |  | ✓ |  |  |
| [NDAX](../exchanges/ndax.md)                       |  | ✓ |  |  |
| [Pacifica](../exchanges/pacifica/index.md)             |  |  | ✓ |  |
| [Decibel](../exchanges/decibel/index.md)               |  |  | ✓ |  |
| [GRVT](../exchanges/grvt/index.md)                     |  |  | ✓ |  |
| [Foxbit](../exchanges/foxbit/index.md) | | ✓ |  |  |

### Building CLOB Connectors

The Notion templates below summarize the file and functionalities needed to build the latest spot and perpetual connectors standards and support V2 Strategies:

* [Spot Connector v2.1 Notion Template](https://hummingbot-foundation.notion.site/Spot-Connector-v2-1-1cc43830938445c9974f43ef861d59f1): Use this template to build `CLOB spot` connectors that conform 
* [Perp Connector v2.1 Notion Template](https://hummingbot-foundation.notion.site/Perp-Connector-v2-1-57d8391eb54c40929f77067355fd551e): Use this template to build `CLOB perp` connectors that conform 

See [Building Connectors](connectors/build.md) for more information.

If the exchange is not yet supported by Hummingbot, you can submit a governance proposal for it to be included. New connectors may be contributed by community members via [Hummingbot Governance Proposals (HGP)](../about/proposals.md), which require a pull request with the connector code to the Hummingbot Github repo, along with a minimum HBOT balance to create.

Shown in full with attribution under the source's licence. Licence: Apache-2.0

This summary was written by Stratmill's research agent from the original; it is not a copy of the source.

How Hummingbot Standardizes Spot and Perpetual CLOB Connectors

Summary

Key ideas

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