# DeFi TVL by Category

> DeFi TVL by Category is a paid API for AI agents from api.vextorium.com, paid per call via x402, $0.004/call, status unknown (last checked 2026-10-28).

Returns DeFi total value locked (TVL) grouped by product category (Lending, DEX, Liquid Staking, CDP, Yield, etc.) with each category's USD TVL, share of total, and protocol count, sourced live from DefiLlama.

## Facts

- Endpoint: POST https://api.vextorium.com/v1/defi-categories?utm_source=zero.xyz
- Price: $0.004/call
- Payment: x402
- Status: unknown
- Last checked: 2026-10-28
- Activations on Zero: 0
- Tags: x402
- Canonical page: https://www.zero.xyz/c/defi-tvl-by-category-b2441b9c
- Structured record (JSON): https://api.zero.xyz/v1/capabilities/cap_uh7BPhrg3_tX6H9E_mlYB

Status and success rate cover calls made through Zero and Zero's own probes. Third-party monitors may report differently.

## How to call it through Zero

Zero handles the 402 payment challenge and records the run. With the Zero CLI installed (`npm i -g @zeroxyz/cli`):

```sh
zero fetch --capability defi-tvl-by-category-b2441b9c -d '<json body>'
```

Example prompt: Show me the top 15 DeFi categories by total value locked — I want to see how TVL is split between Lending, DEXs, Liquid Staking, and the other product types, including what share of total DeFi each one holds and how many protocols are in each.

## When to prefer this

Choose this endpoint when you need a ranked, categorized breakdown of DeFi TVL by product type (e.g. Lending vs DEX vs Liquid Staking) rather than TVL for a specific protocol or blockchain. Ideal for market overviews, sector comparisons, or understanding capital distribution across DeFi verticals. Prefer alternatives if you need protocol-level TVL, chain-specific TVL history, or real-time price data.

## Known failure modes

- DefiLlama upstream unavailable — stale or empty response
- limit parameter out of range (must be 1–50) — validation error
- No categories returned if DefiLlama data is temporarily unavailable
- Network timeout if upstream DeFi data source is slow to respond

## How this service works

558 pay-per-call data APIs for AI agents: Solana and EVM on-chain data, tokenized stocks, DeFi, Hyperliquid, economy and official statistics, FX, validation, web and developer tools. Pay in USDC via x402.

## Output

Returns a JSON object with a list of DeFi categories each containing: category name (e.g. 'Lending', 'Dexs', 'Liquid Staking'), TVL in USD, percentage share of total DeFi TVL, and number of protocols. Also includes the grand total TVL in USD across all categories and a source note crediting DefiLlama.

## Request schema (JSON Schema)

```json
{
 "type": "object",
 "properties": {
  "limit": {
   "type": "integer",
   "maximum": 50,
   "minimum": 1,
   "description": "Number of categories (1-50, default 20)"
  }
 }
}
```

## Response schema (JSON Schema)

```json
{
 "type": "json",
 "example": {
  "note": "DeFi TVL by product type. Source: DefiLlama.",
  "categories": [
   {
    "tvl_usd": 319681273052,
    "category": "CEX",
    "protocols": 79,
    "share_pct": 52.74
   },
   {
    "tvl_usd": 61195977806,
    "category": "Liquid Staking",
    "protocols": 258,
    "share_pct": 10.1
   }
  ],
  "total_tvl_usd": 606155979950
 }
}
```

## More

- Live health (JSON, refreshed every minute): https://www.zero.xyz/c/defi-tvl-by-category-b2441b9c/health.json
- [Zero catalog index](https://www.zero.xyz/llms.txt)
- [Other services from api.vextorium.com](https://www.zero.xyz/host/api.vextorium.com/llms.txt)