Upbit Trading Bot in Python

This guide shows how to build a Upbit trading bot in Python with LumiBot, for both AI agent trading and algorithmic trading. LumiBot connects to Upbit through CCXT, the open source library that talks to more than 100 crypto exchanges. You will create a Upbit account and API key, connect it, and run two examples: a simple algorithmic trading bot and an agentic trading bot where an AI agent makes the calls.

Upbit at a glance

CCXT exchange id

upbit

Markets

Spot

Testnet (sandbox)

No

Credentials

API key, API secret

Live data streams

prices, order book, trades, candles, your orders, your balance

CCXT request spacing

about 50 ms between requests

Official site

https://upbit.com

API docs

https://docs.upbit.com/kr

Fees

https://upbit.com/service_center/guide

What is Upbit?

Upbit is a spot crypto exchange. Its Open API covers market prices and candles, plus orders, balances, deposits and withdrawals for your own account.

Sign up for Upbit

  1. Create an Upbit account.

  2. Finish customer verification (identity check). Upbit only lets you make an API key after this step.

  3. Turn on two-channel authentication (2FA). Upbit’s global sites call this reaching security level 2.

Open a Upbit account

Create a Upbit API key

  1. Log in on the Upbit PC website. API keys cannot be made in the app.

  2. Go to My Page, then Open API Management (https://upbit.com/mypage/open_api_management).

  3. Pick the permissions for the key (see below) and enter the public IP address of the machine that runs your bot. A fixed (static) IP works best.

  4. Agree to the data notice and click the button to issue the Open API key.

  5. Finish the two-channel authentication check.

  6. Copy the Access Key and Secret Key. Upbit shows the Secret Key only once.

Which permissions to turn on: Turn on View Account (asset lookup), View Orders and Make Orders. Upbit asks for an allowlisted IP address when Make Orders is on. Leave Withdraw off. A bot never needs to move money out of your account.

Warning

Never turn on withdrawals for a Upbit trading bot key. Bind the key to your server’s IP address when Upbit lets you, keep the secret out of your code and out of Git, and delete the key if it ever leaks.

Connect Upbit to LumiBot

The simplest way: put these lines in a .env file next to your strategy. LumiBot loads the file, sees TRADING_BROKER=upbit and connects to Upbit for you, so your strategy needs no broker code.

TRADING_BROKER=upbit
UPBIT_API_KEY=your_apiKey
UPBIT_API_SECRET=your_secret

LumiBot reads exactly the fields CCXT needs for Upbit (apiKey, secret). If one is missing, LumiBot stops at start-up and names the variable you still need.

You can also build the broker in code. This is handy when one script talks to more than one exchange, or when you need extra CCXT options. The keys in the config are CCXT’s own credential names for Upbit:

import os

UPBIT_CONFIG = {
    "exchange_id": "upbit",
    "apiKey": os.environ.get("UPBIT_API_KEY"),
    "secret": os.environ.get("UPBIT_API_SECRET"),
    "sandbox": False,  # no sandbox for this exchange
}

from lumibot.brokers import Ccxt

broker = Ccxt(UPBIT_CONFIG)
# then: MyStrategy(broker=broker, ...)

Either way, LumiBot turns on CCXT’s built-in rate limiting for you.

Testing on Upbit

Upbit has no sandbox. Test with a very small amount, leave UPBIT_SANDBOX unset, and in a code config set "sandbox": False.

Algorithmic trading example: a simple Upbit bot

This bot buys about 70000 KRW of BTC on Upbit once and then holds it. It is a starting point to check that your keys, balances and orders work. If the exchange’s minimum order is larger, raise the amount.

from lumibot.entities import Asset
from lumibot.strategies import Strategy


class UpbitBuyOnce(Strategy):
    """Buy a small amount of BTC once, then hold it."""

    def initialize(self):
        self.sleeptime = "1H"
        self.set_market("24/7")  # crypto trades all day, every day

    def on_trading_iteration(self):
        coin = Asset("BTC", asset_type=Asset.AssetType.CRYPTO)
        if self.get_position(coin) is not None:
            return  # already holding BTC
        price = self.get_last_price(coin, quote=self.quote_asset)
        if price:
            quantity = round(70000 / price, 6)  # about 70000 KRW worth
            order = self.create_order(coin, quantity, "buy", quote=self.quote_asset)
            self.submit_order(order)


if __name__ == "__main__":
    # LumiBot reads TRADING_BROKER and the keys from your .env file.
    strategy = UpbitBuyOnce(quote_asset=Asset("KRW", asset_type=Asset.AssetType.CRYPTO))
    strategy.run_live()

Agentic trading example: an AI agent that trades on Upbit

Agentic trading means an AI agent reads the market and decides what to do. In this example one LumiBot agent looks at prices and your Upbit account, then places the orders itself. There is no Python logic in between: you set the rules in plain English in the prompt, such as what it may trade and how big each order can be. This follows the same pattern as LumiBot’s AI trading team examples.

from lumibot.entities import Asset
from lumibot.strategies import Strategy


class UpbitAITrader(Strategy):
    """One AI agent researches the market and places the trades itself."""

    def initialize(self):
        self.sleeptime = "4H"
        self.set_market("24/7")
        self.agents.create(
            name="trader",
            model="openai/gpt-6-luna",
            reasoning_effort="high",
            allow_trading=True,
            system_prompt=(
                "You manage a small crypto account on Upbit. "
                "You may trade BTC and ETH against KRW (asset_type 'crypto', quote_symbol 'KRW'), or hold cash. "
                "Before every order, call account_portfolio, account_positions and "
                "market_last_price for that exact symbol in the same run. "
                "Keep each order under 10% of the account value. "
                "Explain each decision in one short paragraph."
            ),
        )

    def on_trading_iteration(self):
        self.agents["trader"].run(
            task_prompt="Review recent BTC/KRW and ETH/KRW prices and your current holdings, then decide whether to buy, sell or hold.",
            context={"exchange": "Upbit", "quote": "KRW", "date": self.get_datetime().isoformat()},
        )


if __name__ == "__main__":
    # LumiBot reads TRADING_BROKER and the keys from your .env file.
    strategy = UpbitAITrader(quote_asset=Asset("KRW", asset_type=Asset.AssetType.CRYPTO))
    strategy.run_live()

The agent needs a model key such as OPENAI_API_KEY in your environment. See the AI agents quickstart for models, tools and memory.

What you can trade on Upbit through CCXT

Market

Listed by CCXT

Spot

Yes

Margin

Not listed by CCXT

Perpetual swaps

No

Dated futures

No

Options

No

CCXT lists these order features for Upbit: market orders, limit orders, editing open orders, canceling orders.

Upbit tips

  • Upbit needs only two credentials: the Access Key (UPBIT_API_KEY) and the Secret Key (UPBIT_API_SECRET). There is no passphrase.

  • Requests from an IP address that is not on the key’s list fail with no_authorization_ip. Private IP addresses cannot be added. Use the public IP of your server.

  • Upbit API keys can expire. The global docs say to delete an expired key from the Expired Keys tab, and an expired_access_key error means you need to issue a new key.

  • CCXT’s upbit talks to api.upbit.com by default. Upbit’s other sites use their own API hosts (sg-api.upbit.com, id-api.upbit.com, th-api.upbit.com), which CCXT reaches through its hostname option. Use the host for the site where you opened your account.

Frequently asked questions

Can I build a Upbit trading bot in Python?

Yes. Install LumiBot (pip install lumibot), set your Upbit keys and use the upbit CCXT exchange id as shown above.

Does Upbit have a testnet?

No testnet is set up for Upbit in LumiBot. Start with a small amount, and in a code config set "sandbox": False.

Which API permissions does a Upbit bot need?

Turn on View Account (asset lookup), View Orders and Make Orders. Upbit asks for an allowlisted IP address when Make Orders is on. Leave Withdraw off. A bot never needs to move money out of your account.

Can an AI agent trade on Upbit by itself?

Yes. The agentic example above gives one agent permission to trade. You control what it may trade and how much through its prompt.

Can I trade Upbit perpetual futures with LumiBot?

CCXT does not list perpetual swaps for Upbit, so use spot markets.

Is LumiBot free?

Yes. LumiBot is open source on GitHub at https://github.com/Lumiwealth/lumibot. You pay only your exchange’s trading fees and, for AI agents, your model provider.

Run it in the cloud with BotSpot

Do not want to keep a computer running for your Upbit bot? BotSpot is the hosted home for LumiBot strategies and AI trading agents: build with AI, backtest, connect a broker, and watch every trade with logs and alerts.

Try BotSpot

Sources