> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.unstable.run/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://docs.unstable.run/for-users/reading-the-chart.md).

# Reading the chart

The token detail page renders a **native candlestick chart** built on [TradingView Lightweight Charts](https://tradingview.com/lightweight-charts/) — the same library Uniswap and PancakeSwap use for their per-pool views.

## Where the data comes from

Every candle is **derived from on-chain Uniswap V3 `Swap` events** on the token's pool. There is no CEX feed, no DexScreener dependency, no external indexer. When someone trades:

1. Their swap emits a `Swap(sender, recipient, amount0, amount1, sqrtPriceX96, liquidity, tick)` event on the pool contract.
2. Our server reads those events via Alchemy, buckets them by timeframe, and computes OHLCV.
3. Your browser fetches the bucketed candles from `/api/chart/[token]?tf=1m` and hands them to TradingView.

The result: a chart that lags the on-chain state by \~5-30 seconds depending on timeframe, with no third-party dependency.

## Timeframes

The chip row above the chart lets you switch between four resolutions:

| Chip   | Bucket size | Use when                                |
| ------ | ----------- | --------------------------------------- |
| **1M** | 1 minute    | Recent launches, active trading session |
| **5M** | 5 minutes   | Zooming out after a spike               |
| **1H** | 1 hour      | Longer-term view for older tokens       |
| **1D** | 1 day       | Full history for graduated tokens       |

Switching timeframes triggers a fresh fetch — the chart re-renders with the new bucketing in a second or two.

## What the marks mean

| Element                       | Meaning                                                                      |
| ----------------------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Green candle**              | Close ≥ Open — price finished the bucket higher than it started.             |
| **Red candle**                | Close < Open — price finished the bucket lower than it started.              |
| **Wick (thin line)**          | High & low reached during the bucket.                                        |
| **Body (thick rectangle)**    | Open & close of the bucket. Length shows how far the price moved.            |
| **Volume histogram (bottom)** | USDT0 volume traded in the bucket. Colored to match the candle direction.    |
| **Right axis**                | Price in USDT0. Precision auto-adjusts — a $0.000002 token shows 8 decimals. |
| **Bottom axis**               | Local time.                                                                  |

## Chart interactions

* **Hover** — crosshair snaps to the nearest candle; price & time surface on the axes.
* **Scroll wheel** — zoom horizontally.
* **Click + drag** — pan across time.
* **Pinch** on trackpad or touchscreen — zoom.
* **Double-click** on the price axis — reset the vertical zoom.

The chart auto-fits the whole visible range whenever new data arrives.

## Why the first candle looks weird

Every launched token starts with a **single-sided LP position** at the anchor tick. The very first trade — whether from an initial buy or from a first sniper — moves the price into the "in-range" region. That's why brand-new tokens often show a single tall candle: it captures the entire launch tick to the first swap price in one bucket.

Subsequent trades render normally.

## When the chart is empty

If a token was just launched and nobody has traded yet, the chart shows:

> **No trades yet · be the first swap**

Nothing's broken — the pool literally has no `Swap` events to plot. Make the first trade and the first candle appears within a few seconds.

## Reliability under the hood

Unstable is engineered specifically to avoid the "chart keeps disappearing" flakiness common to launcher UIs:

* Every candle response is **cached at the Vercel Edge** for 60 seconds and served with `stale-while-revalidate`, so RPC hiccups don't blank the display.
* On failure, the browser **falls back to the last-known chart** it saved in localStorage.
* The chart is **refetched every 30 seconds** in the background — but only while the tab is visible, to save your battery.

You should see the chart every time you load the page, even on slow connections.

## Next

* [Trades & holders panel](/for-users/trades-and-holders.md) — the recent-trades feed under the chart
* [Fees & creator rewards](/under-the-hood/fees-and-rewards.md) — where every 1% fee flows


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