Walletwasabi: SmartBit is dead

[nopara73]

SmartBit is dead for weeks now. There is no reason to wait for them to get their house in order. I think it's time to change the API calls to something else, more reliable, like blockcstream.info if we can?

[MaxHillebrand]

cACK for blockstream.info.

[nopara73]

Does blockstream.info has an exchange rate API? If I'm right, we don't use SmartBit for anything else.

[MaxHillebrand]

afaik, the cryptocurrency data feed is one of Blockstream's core business models.

[kiminuo]

What is the current situation?

• URL: https://smartbit.com.au - does not work for me due to SSL issue.
• https://api.smartbit.com.au/v1/ - very very slow.

I was not able to find any twitter account or something of the company to find out what happens with their API.

What services are out there?

blockchain.com

Actually, Wasabi already uses that! I was not aware of that (name is different in souce code) so I have researched it a bit. Based on this, I kind of think. It may actually replace SmartBit API as it provides aggregated price from major bitcoin exchanges. It looks like a robust service too.

• Docs: https://www.blockchain.com/api/exchange_rates_api

• API point: https://blockchain.info/ticker - ticker info, nice JSON with latest prices. They do not specify where does the price come from. Only "Currency data from the major bitcoin exchanges."

• https://www.blockchain.com/legal/api-terms - terms

  • Free of charge.
  • permits: "Retrieve current Bitcoin market prices" (no API key is needed)
  • forbids: "You shall not make requests to the API that are, in our sole discretion, excessive;" ... not sure how to quantify that. How many Wasabi users are there actually? :-)
  • > 5. Display of Blockchain Content. You may only display the Blockchain Content in accordance with the following guidelines: You shall not under any circumstances display or cause another to display specific Blockchain User information in a Public Display; provided however, You may provide specific Blockchain User information to the Blockchain User for Private Display for such Blockchain User. "Public Display" is defined as the display of the Blockchain Content to anyone other than the owner, originator, creator, or developer of such content. "Private Display" is defined as the display of the Blockchain Content to a particular Blockchain User relating only to such Blockchain User's Blockchain activities;
  • I think that Wasabi Wallet represents "private display" as the information is shown only to given user. Thoughts?
  • They do not support testnet.

blockstream.com

• https://www.blockstream.com/cryptofeed/
  
  
  
  • Only paid version.
  
  
  • It looks like the data are top notch but it's not actually something we need. Reasonably precise data are good enough for us, aren't they?
  
  
  • It does not make too much sense to me to use this unless there is some strong reason I don't know about.
  
  

BitPay.com

• Docs:
  
  
  
  • https://bitpay.com/api/#rest-api-resources-rates
  
  
  • https://bitpay.com/api/#rest-api-making-requests
  
  
• API point: https://bitpay.com/api/rates (public end point, no authentication token required)
• Legal terms: I can't find it.
• Github: https://github.com/bitpay/csharp-bitpay-client (we will need our own code).

-> Currently, I think it would be nice to swap SmartBit with Blockchain.com and implement BitPay.com API so that the number of exchange rate providers stays the same.

@molnard @nopara73 @lontivero Any thoughts on this selection process?

[lontivero]

That's precisely what my PR does: https://github.com/zkSNACKs/WalletWasabi/pull/4081/files
It promotes blockchain.info as first source, adds two extra provider for backup (bitstamp and coingecko) and move smartbit at the tail of the providers.

[kiminuo]

Hm. Not sure why David assigned me then. I have missed that :-(

[yahiheb]

Hm. Not sure why David assigned me then. I have missed that :-(

@kiminuo You have done a well detailed summary which is useful, great job.

[lontivero]

Closed by https://github.com/zkSNACKs/WalletWasabi/pull/4081