> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://gitbook-docs.coinmetrics.io/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://gitbook-docs.coinmetrics.io/access-our-data.md).

# Access Our Data

There are several ways to get Coin Metrics real-time and historical network, market, and index data. They differ in how much code you write, how much data moves at once, and how soon you see a new observation. Most customers use more than one. An API suits interactive and real-time work. Cloud Delivery or the Data Downloader suit volumes that make repeated API calls impractical.

## Choose an access method

<table data-full-width="true"><thead><tr><th>Method</th><th>Use it when</th><th>You need</th><th>Documentation</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td>Python API Client</td><td>You work in Python and want results as <code>pandas</code> or <code>polars</code> DataFrames, with paging, typing, and parallel fetching handled for you</td><td>An API key and <code>pip install coinmetrics-api-client</code></td><td><a href="https://docs.coinmetrics.io/python-api-client">Python API Client</a> ↗</td></tr><tr><td>REST / HTTP API</td><td>You work in another language, or you are building a service that queries a specific slice on demand</td><td>An API key</td><td><a href="https://docs.coinmetrics.io/api-reference">API Reference</a> ↗</td></tr><tr><td>WebSocket API</td><td>You want observations pushed as they happen rather than polling for them</td><td>An API key</td><td><a href="/tutorials-and-examples/user-guides/how-to-use-websockets.md">How To Use Websockets</a></td></tr><tr><td>Cloud Delivery</td><td>You want whole datasets, multi-year, landed in your own object storage or warehouse</td><td>An Amazon S3 or Snowflake account, plus provisioning by your account manager</td><td><a href="/access-our-data/cloud-delivery.md">Cloud Delivery</a></td></tr><tr><td>Data Downloader</td><td>You want a file now and would rather not write code</td><td>An API key</td><td><a href="/access-our-data/data-downloader.md">Data Downloader</a></td></tr><tr><td>Charting Tool</td><td>You are exploring visually and want the data behind a chart as CSV or Excel</td><td>An account login</td><td><a href="/data-visualization/charting-tool.md#downloading-data">Charting Tool</a></td></tr><tr><td>Google Sheets</td><td>You want a spreadsheet that refreshes itself from a saved query</td><td>An API key</td><td><a href="/tutorials-and-examples/user-guides/exporting-data.md#google-sheets">How To Export Data</a></td></tr></tbody></table>

The Python client, the Data Downloader, and the Google Sheets integration are all built on the API, so they inherit its rules. The [API Reference](https://docs.coinmetrics.io/api-reference) documents every endpoint from the OpenAPI specification, alongside [API Conventions](https://docs.coinmetrics.io/api-reference/api-conventions), [Authentication](https://docs.coinmetrics.io/api-reference/authentication), [Rate limits](https://docs.coinmetrics.io/api-reference/rate-limits), and the [Backward Compatibility Policy](https://docs.coinmetrics.io/api-reference/backward-compatibility).

## Related

* [Getting Started with Coin Metrics Data](/getting-started.md): set up an API key and make a first request.
* [Coverage](/service-and-support/coverage.md): check which assets and markets your API key can query before you build a query.
* [Status Page](/service-and-support/status-page.md): service health, and the notices that tell you when history you already pulled has been recalculated.
* [Python API Client Walkthrough](/tutorials-and-examples/tutorials/walkthrough_community.md): a worked notebook covering the client against Community data.
* [How To Use the Coin Metrics API Efficiently](/tutorials-and-examples/user-guides/how-to-use-the-coin-metrics-api-efficiently-http.md): query patterns that keep large pulls fast.


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