Coinbase Advanced Trade Python SDK

Warnings

• breaking Package name is 'coinbase-advanced-py' but import is 'from coinbase.rest import RESTClient'. The 'coinbase' PyPI package is a completely different old SDK (Coinbase Commerce). Do not confuse them.
  Fix: pip install coinbase-advanced-py; from coinbase.rest import RESTClient
• breaking Coinbase Pro (cbpro) discontinued. All LLM and tutorial code using cbpro or the old Coinbase Pro API is broken. Migrate to coinbase-advanced-py.
  Fix: pip install coinbase-advanced-py. Migration guide at docs.cdp.coinbase.com
• breaking CDP API keys use EC private key format (PEM). Old HMAC-based API keys (key + secret string) are not compatible with coinbase-advanced-py. Must generate new CDP keys.
  Fix: Generate CDP API key from developer.coinbase.com — downloads a JSON file with name and privateKey fields.
• gotcha client_order_id must be unique per order. Setting to empty string '' auto-generates a UUID. Reusing the same client_order_id for different orders causes idempotent rejection.
  Fix: Use client_order_id='' for auto-generation, or generate your own UUID.
• gotcha quote_size (in USD) vs base_size (in BTC) for market orders. market_order_buy uses quote_size to buy X dollars of crypto. market_order_sell uses base_size to sell X units of crypto.
  Fix: Buy $10 of BTC: quote_size='10'. Sell 0.001 BTC: base_size='0.001'.

Install

• pip install coinbase-advanced-py Python

Imports

• RESTClient

  from coinbase.rest import RESTClient
  import os
  
  # CDP API key format — EC private key
  client = RESTClient(
      api_key='organizations/{org_id}/apiKeys/{key_id}',
      api_secret='-----BEGIN EC PRIVATE KEY-----\nYOUR KEY\n-----END EC PRIVATE KEY-----\n'
  )
  # Or from key file downloaded from Coinbase CDP dashboard
  client = RESTClient(key_file='path/to/cdp_api_key.json')
  
  # List accounts
  accounts = client.get_accounts()
  print(accounts.to_dict())
  
  # Place market buy order
  order = client.market_order_buy(
      client_order_id='',  # empty string = auto-generate
      product_id='BTC-USD',
      quote_size='10'  # $10 worth of BTC
  )

  Import is 'from coinbase.rest import RESTClient' — install is 'coinbase-advanced-py'. The 'coinbase' PyPI package is a different, old package. CDP keys use EC private key format, not HMAC.

Quickstart

Coinbase Advanced Trade Python SDK — accounts, product info, and market order.

# pip install coinbase-advanced-py
from coinbase.rest import RESTClient

# From CDP dashboard: Advanced Trade API key
client = RESTClient(key_file='cdp_api_key.json')

# Get accounts
accounts = client.get_accounts()
for acct in accounts['accounts']:
    print(acct['name'], acct['available_balance']['value'])

# Get BTC-USD product info
product = client.get_product(product_id='BTC-USD')
print(product['price'])

# Place market buy ($10 of BTC)
order = client.market_order_buy(
    client_order_id='',  # auto-generate
    product_id='BTC-USD',
    quote_size='10'
)
print(order['success'])