Retrieving Historical Balance of a Bitcoin Address via Web Scraping and APIs

As we explore the world of cryptocurrency, understanding how to access historical data on balances can be crucial for traders, researchers, and enthusiasts. In this article, we’ll delve into two primary methods: web scraping using JSON-RPC and exploring available APIs and blockchain platforms that provide such data.

Web Scraping via JSON-RPC

JSON-RPC is a standard protocol used by cryptocurrency exchanges to retrieve block data. However, it also allows for the retrieval of balance information on individual addresses, including Bitcoin. To access this data from a JavaScript environment like Node.js or Python, you’ll need to:

Step 1: Set up a Web Scraper

Use a library like jshttp or axios to make HTTP requests to the JSON-RPC endpoint provided by the cryptocurrency exchange (e.g., Binance). For example, using jshttp in Node.js:

const jshttp = require('jshttp');




// Set up your JSON-RPC endpoint URL and credentials


const rpcUrl = '


const apiKey = 'YOUR_API_KEY';


const apiSecret = 'YOUR_API_SECRET';




// Construct the API request to retrieve balance information


const requestOptions = {


  method: 'GET',


  headers: {


    'Content-Type': 'application/json',


  },


  params: {


    'method': 'ETH_balanceOfAddress',


    'address': '0x...yourBitcoinAddress', // Replace with your Bitcoin address,


    'api_key': apiKey, // Your API key


    'api_secret': apiSecret, // Your API secret


    'timestamp': Math.floor(Date.now() / 1000), // Timestamp in seconds since the Unix epoch


  },


};




const options = {


  method: 'POST',


  url: rpcUrl + 'orders',


  headers: {


    'Content-Type': 'application/json',


  },


  body: JSON.stringify(requestOptions),


};




jshttp.request(options, (response) => {


  // Handle response data


  console.log(response.body);


});

Replace YOUR_API_KEY and YOUR_API_SECRET with your actual API credentials.

Step 2: Parse the Response

Once you receive a response from the JSON-RPC endpoint, parse the response to extract the balance information. You’ll need to decode the JSON data using the same library (e.g., JSON.parse) or parse it manually if possible.

const responseBody = response.body;


if (responseBody === null) {


  console.log('Error parsing response body');


} else {


  const balanceData = JSON.parse(responseBody);


  console.log(Bitcoin balance: ${balanceData.balance});


}

Historical Data Retrieval

To retrieve historical data, you can modify the timestamp parameter to fetch balances at different points in time. However, be aware that the cryptocurrency market is highly volatile, and retrieving balances too frequently may result in excessive network load.

Alternative Methods

For more accurate and reliable historical balance retrieval:

  • Blockchain APIs: Utilize official blockchain APIs like [CoinMarketCap]( [CryptoCompare]( or [CoinGecko]( to fetch historical balances. These APIs provide more comprehensive and up-to-date data.

  • Web Scraping with Libraries: Leverage libraries like axios in Node.js (as shown above) or Python’s requests library along with a web scraping framework like BeautifulSoup.

  • API Calls from Cryptocurrency Exchanges: Many cryptocurrency exchanges, such as Binance, provide APIs for retrieving balance information and historical data.

Conclusion

While JSON-RPC provides an accessible way to retrieve balance information on individual addresses, be cautious when using excessive API requests due to market volatility.

decentralised exchange volatility

دسته‌ها: CRYPTOCURRENCY