Glossary
A comprehensive reference for crypto trading and SignalBee terminology. All terms are organized alphabetically for easy searching.
Alert
A TradingView notification that triggers when specific conditions are met on a chart. Alerts can be configured to send webhook messages to SignalBee, enabling automated trade execution.
Example: "Trigger an alert when RSI crosses above 70"
Related: Signal, Webhook, Indicator
API (Application Programming Interface)
A standardized way for software applications to communicate with each other. SignalBee uses exchange APIs to place trades on your behalf—you provide API credentials, and SignalBee sends instructions to the exchange.
Analogy: Think of an API as a waiter in a restaurant. You tell the waiter what you want (your order), the waiter communicates with the kitchen (the exchange), and brings back your food (trade confirmation).
Related: API Key, Rate Limiting
API Key / API Secret
Credentials that identify and authorize automated access to an exchange. The API Key is like a username (identifies who you are), while the API Secret is like a password (proves it's really you). Always keep your API Secret private.
Important: When creating API keys for SignalBee, enable only trading permissions—never enable withdrawal permissions.
Related: API, Passphrase
Base Currency
The first currency in a trading pair. It's the currency you're buying or selling. In the pair BTCUSDT, BTC is the base currency—when you "buy BTCUSDT," you're buying Bitcoin.
Example: In ETHUSDT, ETH is the base currency
Related: Quote Currency, Trading Pair
Cancelled
An order status indicating the order was cancelled before it could be executed. This can happen when you manually cancel a pending limit order, or when an order expires.
Encryption
The process of converting data into a secret code that only authorized parties can read. SignalBee encrypts your API credentials at rest using AES-256 encryption, meaning even if someone accessed the database, they couldn't read your keys.
Related: HTTPS/TLS, API Key / API Secret
Failed
An order status indicating the order was sent to the exchange but could not be executed. Common causes include insufficient balance, the trading pair being disabled, or exchange maintenance.
Example: You try to buy 1 BTC but only have $100 USDT → order fails with "insufficient balance"
Filled
An order status indicating the order was executed successfully. For market orders, this happens almost instantly. For limit orders, it happens when the market reaches your specified price.
Related: Partially Filled, Market Order
HTTPS/TLS
Secure, encrypted communication over the internet. The "s" in "https://" means the connection is secure—data is encrypted between your browser and the server. SignalBee only accepts webhooks over HTTPS, ensuring your signals can't be intercepted.
Visual indicator: Look for the padlock icon in your browser's address bar.
Related: Encryption, Webhook
Indicator
A mathematical calculation applied to price or volume data and displayed on trading charts. Indicators help traders identify trends, momentum, and potential entry/exit points.
Common examples:
- RSI (Relative Strength Index): Measures overbought/oversold conditions
- MACD: Shows trend direction and momentum
- Moving Averages: Smooth out price data to show trends
Related: Strategy, Pine Script
JSON (JavaScript Object Notation)
A lightweight text format for structuring data. SignalBee webhooks use JSON to send trade instructions.
Example:
{
"action": "buy",
"ticker": "BTCUSDT",
"quantity": "0.01"
}
Leverage
Borrowing funds to increase your trading position size. With 10x leverage, $100 of your own money controls $1,000 worth of cryptocurrency. While leverage amplifies potential profits, it equally amplifies losses.
Example: With 10x leverage, a 5% price move results in a 50% gain or loss on your margin.
Warning: High leverage significantly increases liquidation risk. Many experienced traders use 2-5x maximum.
Related: Margin, Liquidation, Perpetual/Futures Trading
Limit Order
An order to buy or sell at a specific price or better. Limit orders don't execute immediately—they wait until the market reaches your specified price.
Example: "Buy 0.01 BTC only if the price drops to $60,000"
When to use: When you want a specific price and are willing to wait. Your order might not fill if the price never reaches your limit.
Related: Market Order, Partially Filled
Liquidation
The forced closure of a leveraged position when losses exceed your margin. When liquidated, you lose your entire margin for that position—this is the primary risk of leveraged trading.
Example: With 10x leverage, if your long position drops 10%, you're liquidated and lose 100% of your margin.
Related: Leverage, Margin, Short Position
Long Position
A trade that profits when the price goes UP. You "go long" when you expect an asset's price to increase. In spot trading, buying is always a long position.
Example: You buy BTC at $60,000 expecting it to rise to $65,000 → if it does, you profit from the $5,000 difference.
Related: Short Position, Spot Trading
Margin
The collateral required to open and maintain a leveraged position. Think of it as a security deposit. If your losses approach your margin amount, you risk liquidation.
Example: To open a $10,000 position with 10x leverage, you need $1,000 margin.
Related: Leverage, Liquidation
Market Order
An order to buy or sell immediately at the best available price. Market orders prioritize speed over price—you're guaranteed execution but not a specific price.
Example: "Buy 0.01 BTC right now at whatever price is available"
When to use: When you need immediate execution and getting in/out of a position is more important than the exact price.
Trade-off: In fast-moving or illiquid markets, you might experience slippage.
Related: Limit Order, Slippage
Max Order Size
A SignalBee safety setting that limits the maximum value of any single order. This prevents accidental large trades from TradingView misconfiguration or signal errors.
Example: Setting max order size to $100 means any signal requesting more than $100 will be reduced to $100.
Related: Trading Profile, Whitelist
Order Status Terms
Orders progress through various statuses as they're processed:
| Status | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Pending | Order received, being processed |
| Filled | Order executed successfully |
| Partially Filled | Only part of the order executed |
| Rejected | Order refused by SignalBee |
| Failed | Order sent to exchange but failed |
| Cancelled | Order cancelled before execution |
Paper Trading
See Testnet.
Partially Filled
An order status indicating only a portion of your order was executed. This is more common with limit orders in illiquid markets.
Example: You place a limit order to buy 1 BTC, but only 0.3 BTC is available at your price → your order is partially filled with 0.3 BTC.
Related: Filled, Limit Order
Passphrase
An additional security credential required by some exchanges (like OKX and Bybit) when creating API keys. The passphrase acts as a second password and must be provided to SignalBee along with your API Key and API Secret.
Note: Not all exchanges require a passphrase—check your exchange's API documentation.
Related: API Key / API Secret
Payload
The data sent in a webhook request. In SignalBee, the payload is a JSON object containing your signal details (action, ticker, quantity, etc.).
Example:
{
"secret": "your-webhook-secret",
"action": "buy",
"ticker": "BTCUSDT",
"quantity": "0.01"
}
Pending
An order status indicating the signal was received and the order is being processed. Most orders move out of pending status within seconds.
Perpetual/Futures Trading
Trading contracts that track cryptocurrency prices without owning the underlying asset. Unlike spot trading, perpetual contracts allow you to use leverage and take short positions.
Key differences from spot:
- You don't own the actual cryptocurrency
- Can trade with leverage (amplified gains/losses)
- Can profit from price decreases (shorting)
- Risk of liquidation
Related: Spot Trading, Leverage, Liquidation
Pine Script
TradingView's programming language for creating custom indicators and strategies. Pine Script allows you to define precise conditions for alerts that can trigger SignalBee webhooks.
Example use: Write a Pine Script strategy that sends a buy signal when the price crosses above the 200-day moving average.
Related: Strategy, Indicator, Alert
Placeholders
Dynamic variables in TradingView alert messages that get replaced with actual values when the alert fires. SignalBee uses these to receive current market information.
Common placeholders:
{{ticker}}→ Trading pair (e.g., "BTCUSDT"){{close}}→ Current close price{{time}}→ Alert timestamp{{exchange}}→ Exchange name
Example template:
{
"ticker": "{{ticker}}",
"price": "{{close}}"
}
Quote Currency
The second currency in a trading pair. It's the currency used to express the price. In the pair BTCUSDT, USDT is the quote currency—the price of Bitcoin is quoted in USDT.
Example: If BTCUSDT = 60,000, one Bitcoin costs 60,000 USDT
Related: Base Currency, Trading Pair
Rate Limiting
Restrictions on how many requests can be made to an API within a time period. Exchanges implement rate limits to prevent abuse and ensure fair access for all users.
Example: Binance limits to 1,200 requests per minute. If you exceed this, requests are temporarily blocked.
SignalBee handles this: Rate limiting is managed automatically—you don't need to worry about hitting limits under normal usage.
Related: API
Rejected
An order status indicating the order was refused by SignalBee before being sent to the exchange. Common reasons include: trading pair not in your whitelist, invalid webhook secret, or signal format errors.
Example: Signal for DOGEUSDT rejected because the pair isn't in your whitelist.
Signal
A trading instruction received by SignalBee, typically from a TradingView alert webhook. Signals contain the essential information needed to execute a trade: action (buy/sell), ticker, and quantity.
Example signal:
{
"action": "buy",
"ticker": "BTCUSDT",
"quantity": "0.01"
}
Flow: TradingView Alert → Webhook → SignalBee → Exchange → Trade Executed
Related: Alert, Webhook, Payload
Short Position
A trade that profits when the price goes DOWN. You "go short" when you expect an asset's price to decrease. Shorting is only available in perpetual/futures trading, not spot.
Example: You short BTC at $60,000 expecting it to drop to $55,000 → if it does, you profit from the $5,000 difference.
Risk: Unlike long positions (which can only lose 100%), shorts have theoretically unlimited loss potential if the price keeps rising.
Related: Long Position, Perpetual/Futures Trading
Slippage
The difference between the expected price of a trade and the actual execution price. Slippage occurs with market orders, especially during high volatility or in illiquid markets.
Example: You place a market buy when the price shows $60,000, but your order fills at $60,050 due to slippage.
Minimizing slippage: Use limit orders, trade liquid pairs, avoid trading during extreme volatility.
Related: Market Order, Spread
Spot Trading
Buying and selling actual cryptocurrency that you own. When you buy on the spot market, the crypto is deposited into your wallet. No leverage is involved.
Example: You buy 1 ETH on spot → you now own 1 ETH in your exchange wallet.
Advantages: No liquidation risk, you own the actual asset, simpler to understand.
Related: Perpetual/Futures Trading, Long Position
Spread
The difference between the best buy price (ask) and the best sell price (bid) for a trading pair. Tighter spreads indicate more liquid markets.
Example: If the bid is $59,990 and the ask is $60,010, the spread is $20.
Impact: When you buy at market price, you pay the ask; when you sell, you receive the bid. The spread is an implicit cost of trading.
Related: Slippage, Market Order
Strategy
A TradingView concept: a set of rules that generate buy/sell signals. Unlike indicators (which just display information), strategies can be backtested on historical data and generate alerts for automation.
Example: A strategy might say "Buy when RSI crosses below 30, sell when it crosses above 70."
Related: Indicator, Pine Script, Alert
Testnet / Paper Trading
A simulated trading environment provided by exchanges for testing strategies without risking real money. Testnet uses fake money and connects to exchange test servers.
Uses:
- Testing SignalBee webhook integration
- Validating TradingView alert configurations
- Practicing strategies before going live
SignalBee support: Most exchange integrations support testnet mode. Enable it in your exchange configuration settings.
Related: Trading Profile
Ticker / Symbol
A short code representing a specific trading pair on an exchange. The format varies by exchange.
Examples:
- Binance:
BTCUSDT - Some exchanges:
BTC/USDTorBTC-USDT
SignalBee normalizes symbols: You can use the format your exchange expects—SignalBee handles conversion internally.
Related: Trading Pair, Base Currency
Trading Pair
Two assets being traded against each other. The first is the base currency (what you're buying/selling), and the second is the quote currency (what you're pricing in).
Example: BTCUSDT means you're trading Bitcoin, priced in USDT (Tether).
Common pairs:
- BTCUSDT (Bitcoin vs Tether)
- ETHUSDT (Ethereum vs Tether)
- BTCUSD (Bitcoin vs US Dollar)
Related: Base Currency, Quote Currency, Ticker / Symbol
Trading Profile
A SignalBee configuration that groups your trading preferences for a specific exchange or strategy. Profiles include settings like max order size, whitelisted pairs, and order type preferences.
Why use profiles: Separate your conservative long-term strategy from your aggressive short-term strategy with different risk settings.
Related: Max Order Size, Whitelist
Webhook
A URL that receives automated messages from external services. SignalBee provides you with a unique webhook URL that TradingView sends alerts to. When an alert fires, TradingView POSTs data to your webhook, and SignalBee processes the trade.
Analogy: Like a mailbox that TradingView drops letters into—SignalBee checks the mailbox and acts on the instructions.
Security: Webhooks are protected by your unique URL and webhook secret. Never share these publicly.
Related: Signal, Webhook Secret, Payload
Webhook Secret
A password included in signals to verify they're legitimate. The secret must match what's configured in both TradingView (in the alert message) and SignalBee (in your settings). This prevents unauthorized parties from sending fake signals.
Setup:
- Generate or set a secret in SignalBee
- Include it in your TradingView alert message:
"secret": "your-secret-here" - SignalBee verifies each incoming signal has the correct secret
Whitelist
A SignalBee safety feature listing which trading pairs are allowed to be traded. Signals for pairs not on your whitelist are rejected, preventing accidental trades on unexpected assets.
Example: Your whitelist contains BTCUSDT and ETHUSDT. A signal for DOGEUSDT would be rejected.
Recommendation: Start with a small whitelist and expand as needed. This prevents misconfigured alerts from trading random pairs.
Related: Trading Profile, Rejected
Related Documentation
- User Guide — Complete platform documentation
- Webhook Templates — JSON payload examples for all exchanges
- TradingView Setup — Alert configuration guide
- Error Codes — Understanding error messages
Last updated: January 2026