Order Types Every Crypto Trader Must Know

Before you can build a serious automated crypto trading system, you need to understand the tools at your disposal. Order types are those tools. Getting them wrong can cost you significantly in slippage or missed fills.

Market Orders

A market order executes immediately at the best available price. Use it when speed matters more than price precision. In high frequency crypto trading, market orders are common but carry slippage risk in illiquid books.

Limit Orders

A limit order sets a specific price. It only fills at that price or better. Preferred in crypto algo trading because they give you maker rebates on most exchanges including Delta Exchange.

Stop-Loss Orders

Essential for any crypto trading bot. A stop-loss automatically exits your position when price moves against you beyond a defined threshold. Never trade without one.

Post-Only and Reduce-Only

Advanced flags available on derivative exchanges. Post-Only ensures your order never takes liquidity (avoiding taker fees). Reduce-Only prevents your bot from accidentally opening a new position when closing an existing one.