--- title: Litecoin just launched on Amberdata.io! description: The blockchain masterpiece from Charlie Lee is now supported in Amberdata’s platform with full features including RPC, REST and Websockets. --- [Amberdata Blog ](https://blog.amberdata.io) # [Litecoin just launched on Amberdata.io!](https://blog.amberdata.io/litecoin-just-launched-on-amberdata-io) Written by [Trevor Clarke](https://blog.amberdata.io/author/trevor-clarke) | Oct 18, 2019 The blockchain masterpiece from [Charlie Lee](https://twitter.com/SatoshiLite) is now supported in Amberdata’s platform with full features including RPC, REST and Websockets. # What is Litecoin, and how is it different from bitcoin? Litecoin was first [announced October 9th 2011](https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=47417.0) as an alternative cryptocurrency, a digital asset that could be used in conjunction with Bitcoin and utilize lower hardware requirements. While many people assume Litecoin is just a quick clone of Bitcoin, there are actually practical differences that make this a substantial asset. ## Key differences in Litecoin vs. Bitcoin: 1. **Proof of Work algorithm uses Scrypt instead of SHA-256** *Noted in the announcement:* “We really liked Tenebrix’s Scrypt proof of work. Using Scrypt allows one to mine Litecoin while also mining Bitcoin”. Litecoin is meant to be a lower barrier to entry, making it an affordable governance model. 2. **Faster Block Time — ~2.5 Minutes** With faster block times, brings higher transaction throughput, enabling faster user experience. 3. **Maximum Total Supply: 84 Million** Compared to bitcoin’s 21 Million, the difference in supply allows for a different economic behavior. Bitcoin is traditionally focussed as a store of value, where Litecoin is an asset built to move quickly and uphold demand. # Litecoin is now part of Amberdata.io We’re thrilled to announce that Litecoin joins our blockchain offering! We see Litecoin as a great addition to the platform as it enables business to focus on their core features, allows users to maintain self-sovereignty and broadens use-cases for greater market accessibility. With all the features you’ve come to love and enjoy, Litecoin is no longer a new set of tools and protocol, it’s part of a unified set of APIs! ## [Amberdata](https://amberdata.io/) platform features supporting Litecoin: 1. [REST](https://docs.amberdata.io/reference) — A full API with standardized data sets, across blockchains 2. [WebSockets](https://docs.amberdata.io/reference#overview) — Streaming data and updates, realtime from the network 3. [RPC](https://docs.amberdata.io/reference#rpc-overview) — Connect directly to the node without running the node **Use Litecoin today —** No syncing required, no cli, no protocol learning curve, no dev-ops or server management (All of which can cost hundreds to thousands per month), *add Litecoin within minutes*. ## How would we… - Connect to Litecoin? - Add cryptocurrency to our business? - Get transactions and point-in-time value? - Get account portfolio and balances? # Adding Litecoin is simple: For developers, enable Litecoin with a simple variable! ## 1. Get your Free API Key Go to [Amberdata.io](https://www.amberdata.io/demo) to **Get Started**. ## 2. Make your first request — Account Balance Get account balance by using our documentation directly. Next, [go to this page in our documentation](https://docs.amberdata.io/reference#get-current-account-balance). Copy your Amberdata API key to clipboard, and paste it into the “Header Auth” box: Add Amberdata API to make a request Add the Litecoin address “MPLtCqK2X4hvcAdiHFMvXZsmfZmQSn9ABV” to the “hash” parameter. Lastly, add the **Litecoin blockchain Id** “f94be61fd9f4fa684f992ddfd4e92272” to the `x-amberdata-blockchain-id` input: Add Litecoin blockchain ID Click “Try It”. Now you can see account balance data for this address. ## Add our SDK, Web3data.js The above steps were cool, but we’ve made things a lot simpler! Using the web3data.js SDK, you can get blockchain & market data directly without having to learn our API. Fortunately, we have a full setup guide here: [View the SDK docs here →](https://web3data.github.io/web3data-js/) Now that you have your API key handy, follow me to the next couple examples: ## Try the basics, and the extras — Blocks & Transactions [Go here to test in action →](https://runkit.com/web3data/get-litecoin-blocks-and-transactions) ``` const Web3Data = require("web3data-js")const w3d = new Web3Data('YOUR_API_KEY')const latestBlock = await w3d.ltc.block.getBlocks()const latestBlockTxns = await w3d.ltc.block.getTransactions(597875, {includePrice: true}) ``` [NEXT — Get Account Balance with Market Value →](https://runkit.com/web3data/get-litecoin-account-balance-market-value) ## Get account transaction updates with Websockets [Go here to test in action →](https://runkit.com/web3data/get-litecoin-address-transaction-updates-via-websockets) ``` const Web3Data = require("web3data-js")const w3d = new Web3Data('YOUR_API_KEY', { blockchainId: "f94be61fd9f4fa684f992ddfd4e92272"})// Initialize the connectionw3d.connect()// Subscribes to address transaction eventsw3d.on({ eventName: 'address:transactions', filters: {address: "Lbuzsisqmp8KyxuotRa8QUz5owr2cVMJGL"}}, transaction => {// Log the transaction data console.log(transaction)// Terminate the socket connection w3d.disconnect()}) ``` ## Using RPC to send & receive Litecoin data [Go here to test in action →](https://runkit.com/web3data/get-litecoin-s-best-block-hash) ``` const Web3Data = require("web3data-js")const w3d = new Web3Data('YOUR_API_KEY')const bestBlockHash = await w3d.ltc.rpc('getbestblockhash') ``` Web3data supports everything Litecoin within the namespace `.ltc` — making things super simple to add to your application! ## Get postman collection for easy API testing For ongoing development, we’ve created a postman collection that covers all of our features and utilizes simple parameters so you can focus on building. [Click here to download the collection directly](https://www.getpostman.com/collections/79afa5bafe91f0e676d6), or go here for tons of resources: ## Amberdata API Documentation ### Amberdata API documentation, SDK reference, integration guides, sample code, libraries and tutorials #### amberdata.io [View full post](https://blog.amberdata.io/litecoin-just-launched-on-amberdata-io) ```json { "@context" : "http://schema.org", "@type" : "BlogPosting", "author" : { "@type" : "Person", "name" : "Trevor Clarke" }, "dateModified" : "2024-03-21T19:16:19.332Z", "datePublished" : "2019-10-18T15:00:00Z", "headline" : "Litecoin just launched on Amberdata.io!", "image" : { "@type" : "ImageObject", "height" : 833, "url" : "https://f.hubspotusercontent40.net/hubfs/20854245/Imported_Blog_Media/litecoin_blog_4ee61f3_2ac5833dca73c7e2d82e0e49a5fda762-1.jpeg", "width" : 2000 }, "mainEntityOfPage" : "https://blog.amberdata.io/litecoin-just-launched-on-amberdata-io", "publisher" : { "@type" : "Organization", "logo" : { "@type" : "ImageObject", "height" : 60.0, "url" : "https://f.hubspotusercontent40.net/hubfs/20854245/Amberdata%20logo%20500.png", "width" : 468.75 }, "name" : "Amberdata Blog" } } ```