Bollinger Bands API
The Bollinger Bands API returns the upper, middle and lower bands for any crypto pair, stock or forex symbol. Bollinger Bands wrap price in a volatility envelope — expanding in volatile markets and contracting in quiet ones. Get all three bands in one JSON call with a customisable period and standard-deviation setting.
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Code samples: Node · Python · PHP · cURL →[GET] https://v2.taapi.io/indicator/bbands
Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY
?exchange=binance
&symbol=BTC/USDT
&timeframe=1h
{
"valueUpperBand": [69420.50],
"valueMiddleBand": [67854.30],
"valueLowerBand": [66288.10],
"timestamp": [1718233200]
}
What is Bollinger Bands?
Bollinger Bands, developed by John Bollinger in the 1980s, consist of a middle band (a simple moving average) and two outer bands placed a set number of standard deviations above and below it. As volatility increases, the bands widen; as volatility falls, they contract. This makes Bollinger Bands a self-adjusting volatility measure — the bands represent a statistical range where price is expected to trade roughly 95% of the time (with the default 2 standard-deviation setting).
Bollinger trading strategies
Bollinger Band squeeze
When the bands contract to a very narrow range (the 'squeeze'), it signals a period of low volatility that historically precedes a large directional move. Combine the squeeze with volume or MACD direction to anticipate the breakout.
Band touch & reversal
In a ranging market, price touching the upper band is a potential sell signal; touching the lower band is a potential buy. Use RSI to confirm the signal — a band touch with RSI overbought/oversold is far more reliable.
Trend riding with the bands
In a strong uptrend, price can 'walk the upper band' — repeatedly touching or exceeding it without reverting. Similarly in downtrends. If price consistently hugs one band, it signals strong momentum, not a mean-reversion opportunity.
Customising Bollinger Bands
Two key parameters: 'period' (default 20) and 'stddev' (number of standard deviations, default 2). Wider deviations (2.5–3) reduce the number of touches but make each one more significant. For scalping on shorter timeframes, some traders use period=10 with stddev=1.5 to tighten the bands.
See all parameters in the docs →Frequently asked questions
What does the Bollinger Bands API return?
The bbands endpoint returns three values: 'valueUpperBand' (upper band), 'valueMiddleBand' (middle SMA), and 'valueLowerBand' (lower band). All three are price values for the requested symbol, exchange, and interval.
What is the Bollinger Band squeeze?
A squeeze occurs when the upper and lower bands are unusually close together — indicating low volatility. It often precedes a significant price move. You can detect a squeeze by comparing the current band width (upper - lower) to historical band widths.
What period and stddev should I use?
The standard setting is 20-period SMA with 2 standard deviations — used by the vast majority of traders. For shorter-term signals, period=10 or 14 with stddev=1.5–2 can work. For longer-term analysis, period=50 with stddev=2.
Can I get historical Bollinger Bands data?
Yes. Use the 'results' parameter to return Bollinger Bands across the past N candles, or 'backtrack' for a specific historical candle. All three band values are returned for each candle.
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Building with the Bollinger Bands API?
The developer documentation covers the full technical reference: the /bbands endpoint, every parameter, the response schema, rate limits, bulk queries and ready-to-run samples in Node.js, Python, PHP and cURL.
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