Price Chart

Chart by TradingView

24h Volume$178.31M
7d Avg Daily$256.87M
30d Avg Daily$313.12M
365d Total$237.02B
Volume
$303.0Mavg/day
avg $303.0MMay 17May 24May 31Jun 7Jun 14

What is Chainlink?

Chainlink is a decentralized oracle network that enables smart contracts on blockchains like Ethereum to securely fetch and verify data from external sources — such as asset prices, weather feeds, and sports results. Without oracles, smart contracts are isolated from the real world; Chainlink solves this by aggregating data from multiple independent node operators who stake LINK tokens as collateral, creating economic penalties for reporting inaccurate data. Launched in 2017 by Sergey Nazarov and Steve Ellis, Chainlink has become the dominant oracle middleware layer relied upon by hundreds of DeFi protocols.

Chainlink operates as a middleware layer rather than a standalone blockchain. Its Decentralized Oracle Networks (DONs) source data from multiple premium data providers, aggregate responses off-chain, and deliver a single tamper-resistant result on-chain. The LINK token is a work token: node operators must hold LINK as collateral and receive LINK as payment for fulfilled requests, aligning incentives against data manipulation. Chainlink has expanded beyond simple price feeds into Cross-Chain Interoperability Protocol (CCIP) for token and message transfers across blockchains, and Verifiable Random Function (VRF) for provably fair randomness in gaming and NFT minting.

The primary criticism of Chainlink is partial centralization at the data-provider layer — several major DONs rely on a concentrated set of node operators, meaning a coordinated attack on those operators could corrupt feeds. Chainlink has also faced competition from newer oracle providers like Pyth Network (which uses a pull-based model favored by high-frequency DeFi) and API3, which allows data providers to run their own nodes. LINK token demand is directly tied to oracle request volume, so periods of low DeFi activity reduce fee revenue without reducing the fixed costs node operators carry.

Reviewed by the 2Bitcoins Editorial Team · Updated . Not financial advice.

Chainlink FAQ

What is a blockchain oracle and why does Chainlink need it?+

Blockchains are deterministic systems — every node must arrive at the same result from the same inputs, so they cannot natively make HTTP calls or read real-world data. An oracle is a service that fetches external data and delivers it on-chain in a verifiable way. Chainlink decentralizes this by using a network of independent nodes, each staking LINK collateral, so no single entity can corrupt the data feed without being penalized.

What is Chainlink CCIP?+

Cross-Chain Interoperability Protocol (CCIP) is Chainlink's standard for transferring tokens and arbitrary messages between different blockchains. It uses an independent Risk Management Network that monitors and validates cross-chain transactions separately from the primary lane, adding a defense layer against bridge exploits — the category responsible for the largest DeFi hacks.

How are LINK token holders compensated?+

LINK holders do not earn protocol revenue passively. LINK functions as a work token: only node operators who lock LINK as collateral and fulfill oracle requests earn fees. End users pay fees in LINK to request data, and that LINK flows to node operators. Holding LINK without running a node provides no direct yield from the protocol.

Chainlink key numbers

Price (USD)$8.1500
Market cap$5.93B
24h low / high$7.7900 → $8.1900
24h change 2.41%
7d change 3.38%
Circulating supply727.10M LINK

Where to buy Chainlink

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Buy LINK on these trusted exchanges. Ranked by our rating — based on fees, security, features, and user experience.

#1
Binance
BinancePoR
4.7
$600 bonus
World's largest exchange by volume
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4.3
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4.4
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Native Web3 wallet built into the app
Maker 0.08%|Taker 0.1%|340+ coins
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Coinbase
Coinbase
4.4
Get 40£
NASDAQ-listed, publicly regulated company
Best-in-class regulatory compliance
Simple and intuitive user interface
Maker 0.6%|Taker 1.2%|240+ coins
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Kraken
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4.5
$10 + bonus
One of the oldest and most trusted exchanges
No breach with loss of customer funds in 15 years
Strong regulatory compliance across multiple jurisdictions
Maker 0.25%|Taker 0.4%|220+ coins
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3.7
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Competitive 0.1% spot fees and low futures rates
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Maker 0.1%|Taker 0.1%|700+ coins

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Chainlink Markets

#ExchangePairPriceVolume (24h)Trust
1Binance logoBinanceLINK/USDT$8.1500$11.68M
2Coinbase Exchange logoCoinbase ExchangeLINK/USD$8.1500$3.76M
3Gate logoGateLINK/USDT$8.1500$3.73M
4OKX logoOKXLINK/USDT$8.1500$1.95M
5Bybit logoBybitLINK/USDT$8.1500$5.77M
6KuCoin logoKuCoinLINK/USDT$8.1500$7.09M
7LBank logoLBankLINK/USDT$8.1500$2.55M
8Kraken logoKrakenLINK/USD$8.1500$2.14M
9Bitget logoBitgetLINK/USDT$8.1500$1.80M
10Toobit logoToobitLINK/USDT$8.1500$3.73M
11Ourbit logoOurbitLINK/USDT$8.1500$3.36M
12MEXC logoMEXCLINK/USDT$8.1500$880.28K
13Azbit logoAzbitLINK/USDT$8.1500$10.11M
14Bitunix logoBitunixLINK/USDT$8.1500$328.66K
15BitKan logoBitKanLINK/USDT$8.1500$735.88K
16DigiFinex logoDigiFinexLINK/USDT$8.1500$827.87K
17Zoomex logoZoomexLINK/USDT$8.1600$1.73M
18WhiteBIT logoWhiteBITLINK/USDT$8.1500$3.23M
19WEEX logoWEEXLINK/USDT$8.1500$699.96K
20BingX logoBingXLINK/USDT$8.1500$561.63K