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DATA · MISSING VALUES

Missing Crypto API Data: Null, Zero and Empty Arrays Mean Different Things

An API that returns null, 0 or an empty list is telling you three different things. Treating them the same corrupts your analysis.

By ChartsPod Editorial Team · Reviewed by ChartsPod Research
Published · Updated · 5 min read

Short answer

Null usually means 'unknown or not available' (DEX Screener's Pair schema marks fields such as priceUsd, liquidity.usd, fdv and pairCreatedAt as nullable); zero means a measured value of zero (no volume, no transactions); an empty array means the query matched nothing (no pools, no candles in range). Store them distinctly, never convert null to zero, and decide per field how your analysis treats unknowns: exclude, flag or retry.

Three different answers

ResponseMeaningExample
nullUnknown / not providedliquidity.usd null for a pair
0Measured zerotxns.h1.buys = 0
[]No matching recordsNo pools for that address
Null vs zeroNull vs zero. Left, Null: Value unknown; Exclude or flag; May be filled later; Never sum as 0. Right, Zero: Value known to be 0; Include in averages; Real absence of activity; Valid data point.NULLValue unknownExclude or flagMay be filled laterNever sum as 0ZEROValue known to be 0Include in averagesReal absence of activityValid data point
Mixing them biases every average. Original ChartsPod editorial graphic.

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Example

Illustrative: 100 pools, 20 with liquidity.usd = null. Treating null as zero gives average liquidity 20% lower than the true average of known pools and ranks those 20 pools as the thinnest, even if some are deep.

Illustrative average liquidity ($k)Illustrative average liquidity ($k): Nulls as zero 240 k; Nulls excluded 300 k.ILLUSTRATIVE AVERAGE LIQUIDITY ($K)Nulls as zero240 kNulls excluded300 k
Converting null to zero understates the average. Original ChartsPod editorial graphic.

Rules

Missing-value policyMissing-value policy: Keep null as null in storage; Zero only when measured; Empty array = no records, log the query; Per-field policy: exclude, flag, retry; Report how many values were null.MISSING-VALUE POLICYKeep null as null in storageZero only when measuredEmpty array = no records, log the queryPer-field policy: exclude, flag, retryReport how many values were null
Write the policy before analysing. Original ChartsPod editorial graphic.

Related: DEX Screener Pair Data: Null vs Zero - Handle Missing Fields Correctly, Crypto Backtesting With Missing Candles: Reject or Repair the Dataset?, DEX Screener API vs GeckoTerminal API: Pair Snapshots or Candle History?.

Reporting missing values

Include a small table with every analysis: for each field used, how many records were null, zero and valid. Readers can then judge whether conclusions rest on complete data. If null share is high for a field central to the conclusion, say so in the summary rather than in a footnote.

Conclusion

Keep null, zero and empty distinct, and apply an explicit policy for unknown values.

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Questions readers ask

Is null the same as zero?

No; null means unknown, zero means measured zero.

What does an empty array mean?

No matching records for the query.

Which DEX Screener fields can be null?

Per its Pair schema: priceUsd, liquidity (and usd), fdv, marketCap, pairCreatedAt, among others.

Sources and methodology

API behaviour comes from DEX Screener's API reference, CoinGecko's onchain API documentation and Binance's USD-M market data documentation as read on 17 October 2026. Code-level details are described conceptually; check current endpoint versions before building. Examples use illustrative values.

  1. DEX Screener: API reference — token and pair endpoints, nullable fields, rate limits.
  2. CoinGecko API: Onchain OHLCV WebSocket — pool candles, base/quote selection, nullable fields.
  3. Binance: USD-M market data (long/short ratios, OI statistics, klines) — ratio definitions, 30-day retention, kline open/close time.

This article explains research tools and workflows. It is not financial advice, does not recommend buying or selling any asset and does not predict prices. Crypto derivatives carry a risk of rapid and total loss of margin.

CHARTSPOD EDITORIAL EDITION · RESEARCH AND EDUCATION ONLY · NOT FINANCIAL ADVICE.