An API (Application Programming Interface) is a method for two or more computer programs to communicate with each other. An API is a way for computer systems to communicate quickly and securely while protecting your information.

API keys and private keys are credentials from exchanges used to retrieve transaction history information needed for tax calculations. It is strongly recommended to restrict permissions to help protect the API; our import instructions will show you how to do this.

FinTax only requires read-only information from the API key. Even though the key is called a “key,” it is completely safe as long as the permissions are read-only and does not pose a security risk to your account.