Alpha Vantage API

⭐ Beginner's Pick Finance / API Key Intermediate HTTPS CORS
25 API calls/day (free tier)

Overview

Alpha Vantage delivers free real-time and historical stock, forex, and cryptocurrency data through a simple REST API. You only need a free API key to access end-of-day prices, technical indicators, and fundamental data for thousands of stocks. It is one of the most beginner-friendly financial data APIs available, with extensive documentation and code examples.

💡

Beginner Tip

Use the TIME_SERIES_DAILY function to get daily stock prices — it is the simplest starting point. The free tier allows 25 requests per day, so cache results locally to avoid hitting the limit quickly.

Available Data

Latest close price for IBM
Volume
stock price and symbol
open/close/high/low values
market cap
historical price data

Example Response

JSON Response
{
  "status": "success",
  "data": {
    "result": "Data from Alpha Vantage",
    "description": "Realtime and historical stock data",
    "timestamp": "2025-01-15T10:00:00Z"
  }
}

Field Reference

Meta Data["2. Symbol"] The stock ticker symbol for the returned data
Meta Data["3. Last Refreshed"] Date of the most recent data point in the response
Time Series (Daily)[date]["1. open"] Opening price on that trading date
Time Series (Daily)[date]["4. close"] Closing price on that trading date
Time Series (Daily)[date]["5. volume"] Number of shares traded on that date

Implementation Example

// Get daily stock prices (OHLCV)
const url = "https://www.alphavantage.co/query?function=TIME_SERIES_DAILY&symbol=IBM&apikey=YOUR_API_KEY";

const response = await fetch(url);
if (!response.ok) throw new Error(`Request failed: ${response.status}`);
const data = await response.json();

const timeSeries = data['Time Series (Daily)'];
const latestDate = Object.keys(timeSeries)[0];
const latestData = timeSeries[latestDate];

console.log(`Latest close price for IBM: $${latestData['4. close']}`);
console.log(`Volume: ${latestData['5. volume']}`);

What Can You Build?

Note: These code examples are AI-generated and unverified. Always refer to the official API documentation for accurate usage.

Common Errors & Troubleshooting

Thank you for using Alpha Vantage in response body Rate limit exceeded on the free tier (25 requests per day)
Wait until the next day or upgrade to a premium plan; cache responses to reduce API calls
Invalid API call error message Missing required parameters or wrong function name
Check that function, symbol, and apikey are all present and spelled correctly in the query string
Empty Time Series object Querying a ticker that Alpha Vantage does not support
Verify the stock symbol exists; use common symbols like IBM, AAPL, or MSFT to confirm your setup is working

Matrix Score Breakdown

🌐 Reachability 30/30
⚡ Speed 5/20
🔒 Security 15/15
🛠 Developer XP 17/20
✓ Reliability 10/15

Partially tested on Apr 5, 2026

Technical Specifications

Auth API Key
HTTPS REQUIRED
CORS YES
Category Finance
Difficulty Intermediate
Verified: 2026-04-04

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Recipes Using Alpha Vantage

Build something with this API. Each recipe includes step-by-step instructions and code outlines.

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