What is Decibel?
Decibel is a decentralized perpetuals exchange with a fully on-chain order book and clearinghouse. Every order is placed, matched, and settled directly on the Aptos blockchain. There’s no off-chain matching engine.| Decibel | Centralized Exchange | |
|---|---|---|
| Builder Codes | Permissionlessly earn fees from trades through your app, service, or bot | Requires broker agreements or affiliate approval |
| Custody | You hold your keys | Exchange holds your funds |
| Order matching | On-chain, transparent | Off-chain, opaque |
| Settlement | On-chain, verifiable | Internal ledger |
| Ecosystem | Composable with Aptos DeFi | Isolated |
Why Aptos?
Decibel needs a blockchain fast enough to run an on-chain order book:- Parallel execution via Block-STM. Block times under 20ms.
- Sub-second finality. Settlement in roughly 0.125 seconds.
- Move VM for type-safe contracts with formal verification support.
- Global validator set, not a handful of nodes run by one team.
Choose Your Integration Path
TypeScript SDK
Read market data, submit transactions, and manage positions with a typed
interface.
REST + WebSocket APIs
Direct API access for any language. HTTP for queries, WebSocket for
streaming.
On-Chain (Move)
Build Move modules that interact with Decibel contracts directly.
Key Concepts for Developers
Trading Account Model
Decibel uses a three-tier account model:
- Login Wallet: Your main Aptos wallet
- API Wallet: A delegated wallet for signing transactions
- Trading Account: Isolated accounts for margin and positions
Builder Codes
Applications can include a Builder Code in transactions to earn a share of trading fees. If you’re building a trading interface or bot, register a Builder Code to monetize your integration.Vault System
Vaults are on-chain smart contracts that pool capital under a single manager. Contributors deposit USDC and receive fungible share tokens. Managers trade with pooled funds and earn interval-based performance fees (0–10%, crystallized every 30–365 days). See the Vault Integration Guide for the full walkthrough.Bulk Orders for Market Makers
Other decentralized exchanges require you to cancel orders before replacing them. On Decibel, bulk orders are stateful updates. Send your new desired order state and it overwrites the previous one. No cancel transaction. No waiting. This cuts latency for market makers and saves gas.Quick Start
TypeScript Starter Kit
Place your first order using REST API and WebSocket in under 10 minutes.
Get API Keys
Create API wallet and get your bearer token
Architecture Overview
Decibel has three main components developers interact with:1. On-Chain Contracts
All trading happens on the Aptos blockchain through Move modules. Use the TypeScript SDK’sDecibelWriteDex to submit transactions.
2. REST API
The REST API provides read-only access to aggregated data. Good for dashboards, analytics, and low-frequency polling.3. WebSocket API
The WebSocket API streams real-time updates. Essential for market making and time-sensitive strategies.Guides
Vault Integration
Programmatic onchain strategy with Vaults: create, fund, activate, and
trade on behalf of contributors. Includes TypeScript and Python examples.
Bulk Orders
Efficient order management for market makers
Builder Codes
Earn fees by routing trades through your application or bot
On-Chain Reference
Detailed documentation for each transaction type:| Category | Description |
|---|---|
| Account Management | Create accounts, delegate trading, deposit/withdraw |
| Order Management | Place, cancel, and manage orders |
| Position Management | Take-profit and stop-loss orders |
| Vault Operations | Create and manage vaults |
Support
Discord
Developer community and support