Getting Started

This page covers the smallest useful integration with the Free DefiLlama API. No API key is required for the operations used here. For Pro configuration and access, continue with Authentication and Configuration.1

Install

The module targets Go 1.22 and newer. Add the current release to an application with:

go get github.com/tigusigalpa/defillama-go

Import the package with an explicit alias when desired:

import defillama "github.com/tigusigalpa/defillama-go"

Make a first request

Create one Client during application setup, then pass a request-scoped context to each API call. The following example retrieves the protocol list and guards both construction and the network request.

ctx, cancel := context.WithTimeout(context.Background(), 15*time.Second)
defer cancel()

client, err := defillama.New(defillama.WithTimeout(10 * time.Second))
if err != nil {
    return fmt.Errorf("create DefiLlama client: %w", err)
}

protocols, err := client.TVL().GetProtocols(ctx)
if err != nil {
    return fmt.Errorf("list protocols: %w", err)
}
for _, protocol := range protocols[:min(3, len(protocols))] {
    fmt.Printf("%s: $%.0f TVL\n", protocol.Name, protocol.TVL)
}

New validates configuration but does not contact the network. A constructed client is safe to share between goroutines. The context passed to GetProtocols controls the request deadline and cancellation.1

Use service accessors

The client organizes operations by data domain. An accessor returns a client-owned service value; applications normally retain the top-level Client, not individual service instances.

Accessor	Typical first call	Data domain
TVL()	GetProtocols(ctx)	Protocols, chains, TVL, and TVL metrics.
Prices()	GetCurrentPrices(ctx, coins)	Current and historical token prices.
Stablecoins()	GetStablecoins(ctx, opts)	Stablecoin supply, charts, and prices.
Yields()	GetPools(ctx)	Free pool data and Pro earn/borrow data.
Volumes()	GetDEXOverview(ctx, opts)	DEX, options, open-interest, and derivatives data.
Fees()	GetOverview(ctx, opts)	Fee and revenue overview/summary data.
Bridges()	GetBridges(ctx, opts)	Pro bridge records, volumes, and transactions.
RWA()	GetCurrentAssets(ctx)	Pro real-world asset data.

The remaining accessors—such as Ecosystem(), Treasury(), Equities(), and PreIPO()—are documented in Pro API. The full list is in API Reference.

Identifiers and time values

Use the identifier expected by the underlying DefiLlama endpoint. The library path-escapes each path parameter and joins a slice of coin identifiers with commas. It does not translate human-friendly names to protocol slugs, token addresses, or chain identifiers.1

Input	Expected form	Example
Protocol	DefiLlama protocol slug	aave
Chain	DefiLlama chain name	Ethereum
Token	chain:address	ethereum:0xA0b86991c6218b36c1d19D4a2e9Eb0cE3606eB48
CoinGecko asset	coingecko:id	coingecko:bitcoin
Time	Unix timestamp in seconds	time.Now().UTC().Unix()

For example, request a historical price at a fixed instant:

at := time.Date(2025, time.January, 1, 0, 0, 0, 0, time.UTC).Unix()
prices, err := client.Prices().GetHistoricalPrices(ctx,
    []string{"coingecko:ethereum"},
    at,
)
if err != nil {
    return err
}
fmt.Println(prices["coingecko:ethereum"].Price)

Running the repository example

After cloning the repository, run the checked Free API example from its root directory:

go run ./examples/basic

The example makes live API calls. The test suite does not: it uses local httptest servers and needs neither network access nor an API key.2

Next steps

Use Protocols and TVL to explore the Free TVL endpoints, or Token Prices to retrieve token prices. Configure a key before calling a Pro-only method; otherwise the SDK returns *defillama.ProAPIKeyRequiredError locally, before building a request.1

References