Best Practices

1. Use Caching Where Data Does Not Need Real-Time Refresh

Cache responses when second-by-second updates are unnecessary.

Recommended for:

• Token metadata

• Historical market data

• Token directory queries

• Slow-changing holder metrics

Benefits:

• Lower request volume

• Faster app performance

• Reduced costs

• Better rate-limit efficiency

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2. Batch Requests for Multiple Assets

When querying multiple tokens, send batched requests where supported.

Use comma-separated:

• token_ids

• token_tickers

• token_addresses

Recommended batch size:

Up to 30 assets per request

Benefits:

• Lower network overhead

• Faster scans

• Cleaner workflows

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3. Use Real-Time Polling Selectively

Poll high-frequency endpoints only where freshness matters.

Examples:

• Perp Intelligence

• Trending Tokens

• Smart Money Trends

Use slower refresh intervals for:

• Token Directory

• Historical Data

• Staking Metrics

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4. Handle Errors Gracefully

Always inspect HTTP status codes and implement retry logic.

Common responses:

Code	Meaning	Recommended Action
400	Bad request	Validate parameters
401	Unauthorized	Check API key / auth
402	Payment required	Complete x402 payment flow
423	Temporarily locked / rate limited	Retry with backoff
429	Too many requests	Slow down request rate
500+	Server issue	Retry with exponential backoff

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5. Implement Retries with Backoff

For temporary failures:

• exponential backoff

• jittered retries

• capped retry count

Avoid aggressive retry loops.

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6. Use the Right Access Model

API Keys

Best for:

• dashboards

• apps

• predictable workloads

x402 Payments

Best for:

• AI agents

• bots

• dynamic usage

• pay-per-call workloads

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7. Separate Core Data from Intelligence Calls

Use lower-frequency refresh for:

• Token Directory

• Historical Market Data

Use higher-frequency refresh for:

• Perp Intelligence

• Smart Money Trends

• Trending Tokens

This improves efficiency.

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8. Design for Schema Stability

Use typed parsers and version-safe wrappers.

Do not hardcode assumptions beyond documented fields.

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9. Monitor Usage and Limits

Track:

• request volume

• latency

• error rates

• payment failures

• rate-limit events

Reach out to DappLooker for higher limits or enterprise throughput.

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10. Stay Updated

Check docs regularly for:

• new endpoints

• schema upgrades

• additional supported chains

• new DEX integrations

• new agent tools

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Pro Tip for AI Agents

Use direct APIs for deterministic outputs and MCP / NLP APIs for flexible reasoning workflows.