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.

Blockchain Ethereum
Type Fungible
Popular token Tether
Required Functions totalSupply, balanceOf, transfer, approve, allowance, transferFrom
Released 2015
Use cases Utility and Security Tokens
Explore ERC-20 APIs

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.

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ERC-20
ERC-721
TRC-20
TRC-721
BEP-20

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.

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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.

Frequently 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.