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How to create a read-only API key on Binance

A read-only Binance API key lets an app see your balances and trades without being able to place orders or move a single coin. You create it in Binance’s API Management page and leave only “Enable Reading” switched on. It takes about two minutes.

Step by step

  1. Log in to Binance on the web and open Account → API Management.
  2. Click Create API and choose System generated.
  3. Give the key a label you’ll recognise, such as “Stock Locker”, and complete the security check (2FA, email or passkey).
  4. Binance shows the API Key and the Secret Key. Copy both now: the secret is shown only once.
  5. Click Edit restrictions and make sure only Enable Reading is ticked. Leave spot and margin trading, withdrawals, transfers and futures off.
  6. Leave the IP restriction on Unrestricted when the service you’re connecting reads from its own servers (Stock Locker does), and save.

Connect it to Stock Locker

On Stock Locker’s Connect accounts page, choose Binance, paste the API key and the secret key, and confirm you aren’t a US resident (Binance’s global exchange doesn’t serve the US). Stock Locker checks the key with Binance and refuses it if it can trade, withdraw or move funds, so a key with the wrong permissions is never kept. Your full trade history is imported for the coins you still hold.

Keep it safe

  • Never paste a secret key into a chat, email or form you don’t trust.
  • Create a separate key for each service, so you can delete one without breaking the others.
  • Delete keys you no longer use from API Management.

Why connect an exchange at all? Because a record read from the account is the only one that can’t be faked. Why screenshots prove nothing.

Frequently asked questions

Is it safe to share a read-only Binance API key?

A key with only 'Enable Reading' switched on can see balances and trade history but can't place orders, withdraw or transfer funds. Only give it to services you trust, never share the secret key in a message, and delete the key on Binance whenever you stop using a service.

Can someone withdraw my crypto with a read-only API key?

No. Withdrawals need the 'Enable Withdrawals' permission, which a read-only key doesn't have. Stock Locker also checks every Binance key and refuses one that can trade, withdraw or transfer.

Why can't I see my API secret key again on Binance?

Binance shows the secret key only once, when the key is created. If you lose it, delete the key and create a new one.

This article is general information, not investment advice. Past performance does not guarantee future results, and every trade can lose money.