> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.whitebit.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.
# Spot Trading Quickstart
> Place a first spot trade on WhiteBIT — check balance, create a limit order, and cancel the order — in under 5 minutes.
Place a limit order on BTC\_USDT against the live orderbook with HMAC-SHA512 signing. The four-step block below uses a price far below market, so the order opens but does not fill — safe for testing without risking a fill.
## Prerequisites
* A WhiteBIT account ([register](https://whitebit.com/auth/register))
* An API key with **Trading** permission ([create one](https://whitebit.com/settings/api))
* Funds in the **Trade** balance (transfer from Main balance if needed — see [Balances & Transfers](/concepts/balances))
* Familiarity with HMAC-SHA512 signing — see [Authentication](/api-reference/authentication)
WhiteBIT has no public testnet or sandbox. All orders execute against the live orderbook.
For risk-free practice, use Demo Tokens (DBTC/DUSDT) — activate from the
[WhiteBIT Codes page](https://whitebit.com/codes). For real-asset testing,
use minimum order sizes and cancel test orders after verification.
Verify available funds before placing an order.
```bash theme={"theme":{"light":"github-light","dark":"github-dark"}}
# See /api-reference/authentication for signing details.
curl -X POST https://whitebit.com/api/v4/trade-account/balance \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-H "X-TXC-APIKEY: YOUR_API_KEY" \
-H "X-TXC-PAYLOAD: YOUR_PAYLOAD" \
-H "X-TXC-SIGNATURE: YOUR_SIGNATURE" \
-d '{"ticker":"USDT","request":"/api/v4/trade-account/balance","nonce":1700000000000}'
```
```python theme={"theme":{"light":"github-light","dark":"github-dark"}}
import base64
import hashlib
import hmac
import json
import time
import requests
API_KEY = "YOUR_API_KEY" # Replace with actual API key
API_SECRET = "YOUR_SECRET" # Replace with actual API secret
BASE_URL = "https://whitebit.com"
def send_request(path, data=None):
if data is None:
data = {}
data["request"] = path
data["nonce"] = int(time.time() * 1000)
data_json = json.dumps(data)
payload_b64 = base64.b64encode(data_json.encode()).decode()
signature = hmac.new(
API_SECRET.encode(), payload_b64.encode(), hashlib.sha512
).hexdigest()
headers = {
"Content-Type": "application/json",
"X-TXC-APIKEY": API_KEY,
"X-TXC-PAYLOAD": payload_b64,
"X-TXC-SIGNATURE": signature,
}
return requests.post(BASE_URL + path, headers=headers, data=data_json).json()
# Check USDT balance
balance = send_request("/api/v4/trade-account/balance", {"ticker": "USDT"})
print(balance)
```
**Expected response:**
```json theme={"theme":{"light":"github-light","dark":"github-dark"}}
{
"USDT": {
"available": "1000.00",
"freeze": "0"
}
}
```
`available` = funds ready for trading. `freeze` = funds locked in active orders.
The cURL examples show request structure with placeholder headers. For a runnable signing implementation, use the Python tab or the [API Quick Start Helper](https://github.com/whitebit-exchange/api-quickstart) library (Python, Go, PHP, Node.js, and more).
For Go and PHP examples, see [SDKs](/sdks).
Create a limit buy order on BTC\_USDT. Set the price well below the current market price to avoid immediate execution — the order remains open for safe testing.
```bash theme={"theme":{"light":"github-light","dark":"github-dark"}}
# Set price well below current market to prevent execution.
curl -X POST https://whitebit.com/api/v4/order/new \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-H "X-TXC-APIKEY: YOUR_API_KEY" \
-H "X-TXC-PAYLOAD: YOUR_PAYLOAD" \
-H "X-TXC-SIGNATURE: YOUR_SIGNATURE" \
-d '{"market":"BTC_USDT","side":"buy","amount":"0.0001","price":"30000","request":"/api/v4/order/new","nonce":1700000000000}'
```
```python theme={"theme":{"light":"github-light","dark":"github-dark"}}
order = send_request("/api/v4/order/new", {
"market": "BTC_USDT",
"side": "buy",
"amount": "0.0001",
"price": "30000" # Well below market — adjust if needed
})
print(order)
orderId = order.get("orderId")
print(f"Order ID: {orderId}")
```
**Expected response:**
```json theme={"theme":{"light":"github-light","dark":"github-dark"}}
{
"orderId": 12345678,
"clientOrderId": "",
"market": "BTC_USDT",
"side": "buy",
"type": "limit",
"timestamp": 1700000000.000,
"amount": "0.0001",
"price": "30000",
"...": "..."
}
```
Request fields: `market` (trading pair), `side` ("buy" or "sell"), `amount` (quantity in the base asset), `price` (limit price in the quote asset). Optional: `clientOrderId` (custom identifier), `stp` (self-trade prevention mode).
Verify the newly placed order appears in the active orders list.
```bash theme={"theme":{"light":"github-light","dark":"github-dark"}}
curl -X POST https://whitebit.com/api/v4/orders \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-H "X-TXC-APIKEY: YOUR_API_KEY" \
-H "X-TXC-PAYLOAD: YOUR_PAYLOAD" \
-H "X-TXC-SIGNATURE: YOUR_SIGNATURE" \
-d '{"market":"BTC_USDT","request":"/api/v4/orders","nonce":1700000000000}'
```
```python theme={"theme":{"light":"github-light","dark":"github-dark"}}
active_orders = send_request("/api/v4/orders", {"market": "BTC_USDT"})
print(f"Active orders: {len(active_orders)}")
for o in active_orders:
print(f" Order {o['orderId']}: {o['side']} {o['amount']} @ {o['price']}")
```
**Expected response (trimmed):**
```json theme={"theme":{"light":"github-light","dark":"github-dark"}}
[
{
"orderId": 12345678,
"market": "BTC_USDT",
"side": "buy",
"amount": "0.0001",
"price": "30000",
"...": "..."
}
]
```
Cancel the limit order using the `orderId` returned in Step 2.
```bash theme={"theme":{"light":"github-light","dark":"github-dark"}}
curl -X POST https://whitebit.com/api/v4/order/cancel \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-H "X-TXC-APIKEY: YOUR_API_KEY" \
-H "X-TXC-PAYLOAD: YOUR_PAYLOAD" \
-H "X-TXC-SIGNATURE: YOUR_SIGNATURE" \
-d '{"market":"BTC_USDT","orderId":12345678,"request":"/api/v4/order/cancel","nonce":1700000000000}'
```
```python theme={"theme":{"light":"github-light","dark":"github-dark"}}
cancel = send_request("/api/v4/order/cancel", {
"market": "BTC_USDT",
"orderId": orderId
})
print(cancel)
```
**Expected response:**
```json theme={"theme":{"light":"github-light","dark":"github-dark"}}
{
"orderId": 12345678,
"market": "BTC_USDT",
"side": "buy",
"amount": "0.0001",
"price": "30000",
"...": "..."
}
```
The response confirms the canceled order details. The previously frozen funds return to the available Trade balance.
To verify canceled orders later, query the [order history](/api-reference/spot-trading/query-executed-order-history) endpoint.
The Trade balance now reflects the returned funds.
**Trade balance vs Main balance** — WhiteBIT separates funds into Main balance (deposits, withdrawals) and Trade balance (order placement). An explicit transfer moves funds between balances; the API never draws from Main balance automatically. When a limit order is accepted, the required funds move from `available` to `freeze` in the Trade balance — after cancellation, `freeze` returns to zero and `available` is restored. Details: [Balances & Transfers](/concepts/balances).
## What's next
Open a first leveraged position with up to 100x leverage.
Explore all 6 order types including Stop-Limit and Bulk-Limit.
REST and WebSocket together — order placement, kill-switch heartbeat, fill monitoring, reconnect logic, and a grid-bot worked example.