API latency and optimization

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Where Latency Comes From and How LI.FI Routing Works

LI.FI’s routing engine aggregates quotes from multiple bridges and decentralized exchanges (DEXes). This process involves real-time requests to external protocols and tools, including:

• Bridge and DEX aggregators
• On-chain simulations for security and execution checks
• Off-chain services that may introduce their own delays

Latency can vary depending on the number of providers queried, the responsiveness of those providers, and whether on-chain simulations are enabled.

The LI.FI routing flow includes two main components:

1. Swap Step Resolution – Fetches quotes from DEXes.
2. Route Composition – Combines swaps and bridges to construct optimal cross-chain paths.

Both steps involve third-party systems and introduce potential delays. By default, LI.FI waits a short time for responses before returning the best available result. However, integrators can configure timing strategies to better control this behavior.

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Optimizing Response Timing

You can optimize how quickly you receive quotes by customizing:

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Choosing Between /quote and /routes

• Use /quote for faster responses. It returns a single best route. It combines route finding and transaction generation into a single call which cuts down on client to server latency.
• Use /routes to retrieve multiple route options. Those calls are quite fast to show results to the user quickly. In order to execute one of the routes a call to/stepTransaction is needed to generate the transaction data.

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Disabling Simulation

• By default, responses with transaction data include on-chain simulation checks.

• To improve speed, set the simulation option to false . You pass the skipSimulation flag as a query parameter to the /quote or /stepTransaction endpoint:

  Copy

  Ask AI

  /v1/advanced/stepTransaction?skipSimulation=true
  
  /v1/quote?skipSimulation=true&...
  

• Note: Disabling simulation reduces verification but improves response time. It is especially recommended when you simulate/gasEstimate the transaction either way in your system.

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Selecting Timing Strategies

LI.FI allows you to control how long it waits for results using timing strategies. Instead of only specifiy a timeout they are allow more advanced configuration to ensure that results of multiple tools get considered.

Timeing strategies are applied in two ways when generating routes:

• swapStepTimingStrategies: applied when requesting same chain exchanges
• routeTimingStrategies: applied on the full route that can consist of multiple tools (e.g. swap+bridge)

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Timing Strategy Format

A timing stratgies consists of the following properties:

{
  "strategy": "minWaitTime",
  "minWaitTimeMs": 600,
  "startingExpectedResults": 4,
  "reduceEveryMs": 300
}

• strategy: Currently only minWaitTime exists
• minWaitTimeMs: Minimum time to wait for responses (e.g. 600ms)
• startingExpectedResults: Number of expected quotes (e.g. 4)
• reduceEveryMs: Frequency of reducing expectations (e.g. every 300ms)

When this strategy is applied, we give all tool 600ms (minWaitTimeMs) to return a result. If we received 4 or more (startingExpectedResults) results during this time we return those and don’t wait for other tools.
If less than 4 results are present we wait another 300ms and check if now at least 3 results are present.

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Passing Strategies in API calls

In POST /v1/advanced/routes requests:

{
  ...
  "options": {
    "timing": {
      "swapStepTimingStrategies": [
		{
          "strategy": "minWaitTime",
          "minWaitTimeMs": 600,
          "startingExpectedResults": 4,
          "reduceEveryMs": 300
        }
      ],
      "routeTimingStrategies": [
		{
          "strategy": "minWaitTime",
          "minWaitTimeMs": 1500,
          "startingExpectedResults": 6,
          "reduceEveryMs": 500
        }
      ]
    }
  }
}

In GET /v1/quote requests:

/v1/quote?...
  &swapStepTimingStrategies=minWaitTime-600-4-300
  &routeTimingStrategies=minWaitTime-1500-6-500

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Timing Strategy Examples

Maximise Results
Returns the best routes even if it takes longer:

{
  "strategy": "minWaitTime",
  "minWaitTimeMs": 900,
  "startingExpectedResults": 5,
  "reduceEveryMs": 300
}

Balanced Approach
Waits a moderate amount of time to return a mix of speed and completeness:

{
  "strategy": "minWaitTime",
  "minWaitTimeMs": 900,
  "startingExpectedResults": 1,
  "reduceEveryMs": 300
}

Fastest Possible Response
Returns first available result with no delay:

{
  "strategy": "minWaitTime",
  "minWaitTimeMs": 0,
  "startingExpectedResults": 1,
  "reduceEveryMs": 300
}

Time-Limited Return (timeout)
Returns any result received within a fixed time limit:

{
  "strategy": "minWaitTime",
  "minWaitTimeMs": 900,
  "startingExpectedResults": 0,
  "reduceEveryMs": 0
}