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External Indicators

External Indicators pull historical data from third-party APIs for use in backtesting. They let you test strategies against data that isn't available on the exchange — market sentiment, on-chain metrics, economic indicators, or any API that returns time-series data.

External Indicators vs External Sources

External Indicators provide historical data arrays for backtesting. They fetch a range of past values.

External Sources provide a single live value that updates periodically for running strategies. See the External Sources page.

Adding an external indicator​

  1. Open the Indicators panel in the right sidebar
  2. Click + External Indicator
  3. Fill in the configuration fields (described below)
  4. Click Test Connection to verify your setup
  5. Save the indicator

Configuration fields​

Indicator Name. A label for this data source (e.g. "Fear & Greed Index").

Historical Data URL. The API endpoint that returns historical data. Use placeholders for date range and pagination:

  • {start_date} — replaced with the backtest start date
  • {end_date} — replaced with the backtest end date
  • {limit} — replaced with the number of data points requested

Example: https://api.example.com/history?start={start_date}&end={end_date}&limit={limit}

Auth Header Name. If the API requires authentication, the header name (e.g. X-CMC_PRO_API_KEY, Authorization). Leave blank for public APIs.

API Key. The authentication key value. Leave blank for public APIs.

Value JSONPath. A JSONPath expression pointing to the data values in the API response. Example: $.data[*].value

Timestamp JSONPath. A JSONPath expression pointing to the timestamps. Example: $.data[*].timestamp

Timestamp Format. How the API returns timestamps: ISO (e.g. 2026-01-15T00:00:00Z) or Unix (e.g. 1736899200).

Date Format for URL. How dates should be formatted in the URL placeholders: ISO or Unix.

Testing your configuration​

Click Test Connection before saving. This makes a sample API call and verifies that:

  • The URL is reachable
  • Authentication works (if configured)
  • The JSONPath expressions find valid data in the response

Using in backtests​

Once saved, the external indicator appears as a block in the Indicators category of the strategy builder. You can use it like any other indicator — compare its value against thresholds, combine it with price data, or use it as a condition for trades.

The backtester will fetch the historical data for the backtest date range and align it with the candle data timeline.

warning

Backtest results using external indicators depend entirely on the third-party API providing accurate historical data for your date range. Some APIs limit how far back you can query, return incomplete data for older periods, or may change their data format without notice. If the API doesn't return data for part of your backtest period, those candles will have no indicator value and your strategy may behave differently than expected.

Always verify that your external data source covers the full backtest date range before drawing conclusions from the results.