Docs/Getting Started with OptionData
Getting Started with OptionData
Create an account, complete qualification, start the 14-day Pro trial, get an API key, and choose your first OptionData API workflow.
Ask ChatGPT or Claude Code
Copy this prompt, paste it into ChatGPT, Claude, Claude Code, Cursor, or Codex, then add your question. It tells the model to read our public docs first — no API key needed for that step.
You are helping me use OptionData (https://www.optiondata.io/), an OPRA-licensed U.S. equity options data API.
Before answering, fetch these public files (no login required) and treat them as the source of truth:
- https://www.optiondata.io/llms.txt — short product map (same content as https://www.optiondata.io/llm.txt)
- https://www.optiondata.io/llms-full.txt — full API reference
- https://www.optiondata.io/openapi.json — HTTP OpenAPI
Do not invent endpoints, fields, tables, or limits. Prefer `Authorization: Bearer apikey_…` for HTTP APIs. Realtime uses `wss://ws.optiondata.io` with a `token` query parameter.
Products:
- Realtime trades WebSocket: wss://ws.optiondata.io
- Historical SQL: POST https://www.optiondata.io/api/historical/sql
- Option chain: POST https://www.optiondata.io/api/option-chain
- Market structure: GET https://www.optiondata.io/api/v1/market-structure/{symbol}
I am asking about: Getting Started with OptionData
- Markdown: https://www.optiondata.io/md/getting-started/
- HTML docs: https://www.optiondata.io/docs/getting-started/
My question:
This guide takes you from a new account to your first authenticated OptionData request.
1. Create or sign in to your account
Open OptionData and sign in with your email address. OptionData sends a one-time verification code to complete authentication.
2. Complete the qualification survey
The data products are gated by a short qualification survey. Enter the invitation code supplied to you and complete the licensing attestations.
After the survey is accepted, OptionData creates your Stripe customer record and starts the 14-day Pro trial. No payment method is required to begin the trial.
3. Copy your API key
Open API Key, then select Copy. Store the key in a password manager or environment variable—never commit it to source control.
For detailed key handling and rotation, see Manage Your API Key.
The API Key page is the handoff point between account setup and your first API request.
4. Choose your first workflow
| Goal | Start here |
|---|---|
| Validate a WebSocket client | Realtime WebSocket Quickstart |
| Query historical option trades | Historical SQL Quickstart |
| Retrieve a current option chain | Option Chain Quickstart |
| Read GEX, walls, and volatility context | Market Structure Quickstart |
The same API key authenticates all four workflows. Access requires an active or trialing Pro subscription.
5. Continue after the trial
During a no-card trial, the dashboard shows how many days remain. To continue access after the trial, follow Add a Payment Method During Your Free Trial.
Review your plan, trial end date, and billing state at Billing.
What trial access includes
- Realtime WebSocket access during the trial.
- Historical SQL with responses capped at 10 rows.
- Option Chain and Market Structure access.
- The same authentication and response contracts used by active subscriptions.
If a request fails, use Troubleshoot Authentication and Access before rotating your key.