Token standard
ERC-20 Token Standard
ERC-20 is a token standard that allows developers to create and issue smart contracts on the Ethereum network. Tokens made to the ERC-20 standard can have many functions such as paying for goods and services or used to represent things like loyalty rewards.
Work with ERC-20 tokens via the CryptoAPIs API
Read ERC-20 token transfers, balances, and metadata across the chains CryptoAPIs supports — through one unified REST API, with no node to run.
Token transfers
List full ERC-20 token transfer history for any token contract or address, with pagination and real-time updates.
Token balances
Read current ERC-20 token holdings for any address in a single call.
Contract metadata
Get token contract details — symbol, name, decimals, and total supply — for any supported token.
The fungible token standard
Ethereum didn't just implement the use of tokens, it’s based on them and ERC-20 is one of the most important Ethereum token standards. The ERC-20 introduces a standard for fungible tokens meaning that 1 token is and will always be equal to all the other tokens of the same kind.
ERC-721
TRC-20
TRC-721
BEP-20Frequently Asked Questions
Which blockchain does ERC-20 run on?
ERC-20 settles on Ethereum. Balances live in the contract's own ledger, not in the account's native balance, so reading an ERC-20 balance means calling the token contract rather than the address endpoint you would use for ETH.
What kind of token standard is ERC-20?
It is a fungible-token interface — every unit is interchangeable.
Can I test ERC-20 without spending real funds?
Yes — the same endpoints serve Ethereum's Sepolia testnet, so you can build and verify an integration end to end before you touch mainnet.
How do I read ERC-20 balances and transfers?
Use Address Latest for current state and recent activity — it needs no setup and answers for roughly the last 14 days. For a full history, Address History requires the address to be synced first, which then bills per address per day for as long as it stays synced.
What does reading ERC-20 data cost?
It depends on the endpoint family rather than on ERC-20 itself: single-record calls are charged per request, while list endpoints are charged per page returned, and a synced address adds a daily monitoring charge. The pricing calculator has the current per-chain figures.
Build with ERC-20 tokens on CryptoAPIs
Now that you know what ERC-20 is, integrate it: read ERC-20 token transfers, balances, and contract metadata across supported chains through one REST API.