---
title: "Max-pain strike (per-expiry)"
method: GET
path: "/gex/max-pain"
tags: ["GEX"]
---

# Max-pain strike (per-expiry)

`GET /gex/max-pain`

## Request

- Base URL: `https://docs.backquant.com/v2`
- URL: `https://docs.backquant.com/v2/gex/max-pain`
- Auth: API key in header `X-API-Key`

The strike at which option writers profit most at expiry. Use `?expiry=0dte` for the cheapest path (read straight from the 0DTE levels cache), `?expiry=all` for a per-expiry table covering every active expiration, or pass a specific expiry token (e.g. `28MAR25`) to also receive the full pain curve by strike.

## Query parameters

- `symbol` 'BTCUSDT' | 'ETHUSDT' | 'SOLUSDT' | 'HYPEUSDT': Trading symbol: BTCUSDT, ETHUSDT, SOLUSDT, or HYPEUSDT.
- `expiry` string: Which expiry to include: `all` for every expiry, `0dte` for today's expiry only, or a specific date (`YYYY-MM-DD`) or Deribit token (`28MAR25`).

## Headers

- `X-API-Key` string, nullable

## Response `200`

Successful Response

- MaxPainResponse
  - `success` true
  - `data` MaxPainResponseData, required
    - `expiry` string, required: `0dte`, `all`, or a specific expiry token.
    - `dte` integer, nullable
    - `max_pain` GexMaxPainBlock
      - `strike` number, nullable
      - `value` number, nullable
    - `pain_curve` MaxPainPainCurveEntry[], nullable: Per-strike total pain. Present only when a specific expiry is requested.
      - `strike` number, required
      - `pain` number, required
    - `per_expiry` MaxPainPerExpiry[], nullable: Per-expiry max-pain table. Present only when `?expiry=all`.
      - `expiry` string, required
      - `dte` integer, nullable
      - `max_pain` GexMaxPainBlock, required
        - `strike` number, nullable
        - `value` number, nullable
  - `meta` V2Meta, required: The meta block returned alongside every v2 response. Every field after `version`/`timestamp` is optional because endpoints attach different combinations — e.g. `/v2/status` skips `symbol`, the chain endpoint sets `extra.filter_hash`, etc. Listing them here means SDKs get a typed accessor for each instead of a generic `meta: dict`.
    - `version` '2.0', required: API version tag.
    - `timestamp` string, required: ISO 8601 wall-clock when the response was built.
    - `request_id` string, nullable: X-Request-ID for tracing across logs / Sentry.
    - `symbol` string, nullable: Symbol the response is about, if applicable.
    - `spot_price` number, nullable: Current spot price for the symbol.
    - `computed_at` string, nullable: ISO 8601 of when the underlying cache value was last written.
    - `freshness_seconds` number, nullable: `now - computed_at` in seconds; useful for staleness alarms.
    - `source` string[], nullable: Upstream venue list the data flowed through.
    - `exchanges_filtered` string[], nullable: Echo of the `?exchanges=` filter when one was applied.
    - `rate_limit` object, nullable: `{limit, remaining, reset}` echo of the rate-limit headers.
    - `extra` object, nullable: Open dict for endpoint-specific metadata (filter_hash, etc.).

## Other responses

- `401`: Invalid or missing API key
- `404`: Not Found
- `422`: Validation error on query parameters
- `429`: Rate limit exceeded

---

[API](https://skmtc.dev/backquant/apis/backquant-api-v2.md) · [All operations](https://skmtc.dev/backquant/apis/backquant-api-v2/llms.txt) · [OpenAPI document](https://skmtc.dev/backquant/apis/backquant-api-v2/revisions/3c1c96b3cc24?raw)