While traditional swaps (often referred to as SELL orders) involve specifying the inputAmount and receiving a calculated outputAmount, the Buy Order functionality allows users to define their desired outputAmount of tokens, with the router calculating the required inputAmount to achieve that target. This provides greater flexibility for users focused on acquiring a specific amount of an asset

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How It Works

When orderType is set to BUY, the GlueX Router fundamentally reverses its calculation logic:
  • Input calculation: Instead of starting with a fixed input, the router determines the minimum inputAmount (and thus inputToken) necessary to acquire the outputAmount specified by the user, taking into account current market rates, fees and slippage
  • Market buy optimization: The routing engine optimizes the path to achieve the target outputAmount using the most cost effective inputAmount possible
This contrasts directly with the default SELL order behavior, where inputAmount is predefined, and the outputAmount is the calculated variable

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Configuration

To initiate a Buy Order, you must include the orderType and outputAmount parameters in your /v1/price or /v1/quote request payload: 
{
  // ... other parameters
  "orderType": "BUY",
  "outputAmount": "<desired_output_value>"
}
orderTypeRequired FieldDescription
BUYoutputAmountAmount of output token to receive
SELLinputAmountAmount of input token to swap
If orderType is not specified, it defaults to SELL. In this case, inputAmount parameter becomes mandatory and outputAmount will be computed by the API

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Benefits

  • Flexibility: Caters directly to users who know exactly how much of a target token they wish to acquire
  • Simplified user flow: For specific use cases (eg: buying a fixed amount of governance tokens), this simplifies the user experience by reducing mental calculation
  • Optimized input calculation: The router automatically finds the most efficient way to achieve the desired outputAmount