Chainlink
Oracle platform for price feeds, low-latency data streams, cross-chain messaging (CCIP), VRF and automation.
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Chainlink key facts
| Category | Blockchain oracle |
|---|---|
| Chains | Ethereum, EVM networks and others |
| Platforms | Web, API |
| Token | LINK |
| Open source | Yes, Chainlink node code on GitHub (smartcontractkit/chainlink) |
| Fees | CCIP: blockchain fee + network fee; VRF 2.5: gas plus a premium (Ethereum example: 20% in LINK, 24% in ETH) |
| US availability | Available: terms restrict only sanctioned jurisdictions |
LINK token
- Price
- $10.6 +0.8% 24h
- Market cap
- $8.1B
- Fully diluted value
- $10.6B
- 30-day change
- -18.0%
Market data: CoinGecko, updated Nov 10, 2026. Educational content, not financial advice.
What is Chainlink?
Chainlink is an oracle platform whose products include Data Feeds, Data Streams, CCIP, VRF, Automation and Proof of Reserve. Data Feeds use a push model that updates on a deviation threshold or heartbeat; Data Streams use a pull design. Its homepage says its infrastructure has enabled tens of trillions of dollars in transaction value.
How Chainlink works
A Chainlink Data Feed is a pair of contracts on each chain: a proxy that your contract calls and an aggregator behind it, which Chainlink can swap when it upgrades.
A decentralized oracle network of node operators gathers data from many sources, agrees on one report through Offchain Reporting, and publishes it onchain. Feed types include price feeds, SmartData feeds for tokenized assets (reserves, NAV, AUM), multiple-variable response feeds, rate and volatility feeds, and L2 sequencer uptime feeds.
Chainlink labels each feed by market pricing risk, from low to very high, plus new-token, custom and deprecating categories. Smart Value Recapture (SVR) feeds let an app recapture oracle extractable value from liquidations. For cross-chain transfers, CCIP charges a fee made of two parts: a blockchain fee that covers the gas node operators spend on the destination chain, and a network fee paid to the node operators. You can estimate the total by calling getFee before sending.
How to start with Chainlink
- Developers add Chainlink with the @chainlink/contracts npm package and look up proxy addresses on the Feed Addresses page for their network.
- Guides cover EVM chains, Solana, Aptos, Starknet and Tron.
- Chainlink tells integrators to check each answer against reasonable limits, to check its timestamp, and to follow the Deprecating Feeds page and the #data-feeds channel on its Discord for shutdown notices.
- VRF users fund either a subscription or the consuming contract directly, in LINK or the chain's native token.
Chainlink fees and limits
- Chainlink's billing page gives the Ethereum example of a 24% premium when you pay in ETH and 20% when you pay in LINK.
VRF 2.5 requests cost the gas for verification and your callback, multiplied by a premium. You cap spending by choosing a gas lane (keyHash) and a callbackGasLimit. CCIP token transfers pay a network fee that is a percentage of the value moved for some token pool types and a static USD amount for others, such as burn-and-mint pools, while data-only messages pay a static USD fee.
Risks to know before using Chainlink
- Chainlink's developer responsibilities page puts market integrity risk and application code risk on the integrator: you are responsible for monitoring how a feed behaves and for the code that consumes it.
- Feeds marked high risk, very high risk or new token carry more pricing risk, and unrated feeds have not been evaluated at all.
- Chainlink's feed selection guide also warns that wrapped or bridged assets can deviate from the underlying asset's price during extreme events.
Chainlink usage
From DefiLlama (TVL) (fees users paid), updated Nov 10, 2026.
Chainlink alternatives
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Where Chainlink ranks on DappAtlas
Chainlink pros and cons
- Widest product range: feeds, streams, CCIP, VRF and Proof of Reserve
- Push feeds update on both a deviation threshold and a heartbeat
- Used by Aave, GMX and Lido, per its homepage
- Data Feeds do not stream: they update only on threshold or heartbeat
- Low-latency data needs the separate Data Streams product
Chainlink FAQ
What is Chainlink?
Chainlink is an oracle platform whose products include Data Feeds, Data Streams, CCIP, VRF, Automation and Proof of Reserve. Data Feeds use a push model that updates on a deviation threshold or heartbeat; Data Streams use a pull design. Its homepage says its infrastructure has enabled tens of trillions of dollars in transaction value.
How much value is locked in Chainlink?
$1.8B according to DefiLlama on Nov 10, 2026. It is deployed on 21 chains: Ethereum, Solana, Avalanche, Base, Hyperliquid L1, Arbitrum and others.
How much does Chainlink cost?
CCIP: blockchain fee + network fee; VRF 2.5: gas plus a premium (Ethereum example: 20% in LINK, 24% in ETH), according to Chainlink’s own page (checked Sep 26, 2026).
How much do users pay Chainlink in fees?
$4.5M over the last 30 days, according to DefiLlama on Nov 10, 2026.
Does Chainlink have a token?
Yes, LINK. Its market cap was $8.1B on CoinGecko on Nov 10, 2026. Educational content, not financial advice.
Is Chainlink available in the US?
Available: terms restrict only sanctioned jurisdictions, according to Chainlink’s own page (checked Sep 26, 2026).
Sources
- Chainlink: official site
- Chainlink: Home
- Chainlink: GitHub repository
- Chainlink Docs: VRF billing
- Chainlink: Terms of Service
- Chainlink Docs: Data Feeds
- Chainlink Docs: Selecting quality data feeds
- Chainlink Docs: Developer responsibilities
- Chainlink Docs: CCIP billing
- Chainlink Docs: Data Streams
- CoinGecko
- DefiLlama
How this page works
Sources: Chainlink: official site, Chainlink: Home, Chainlink: GitHub repository. Data as of Sep 26, 2026.
Not affiliated with any project listed. Educational content, not financial advice.