An order book is a list of all buy and sell orders for a particular cryptocurrency that are currently available on a trading platform. The order book displays the different prices and quantities of the buy and sell orders, allowing traders to see the supply and demand for a particular cryptocurrency at any given time.
For example, if a trader wants to buy Bitcoin, they would look at the order book to see the different sell orders available at various prices. The trader could then choose to place a buy order at a price that matches one of the sell orders in the order book, or they could place a limit order at a lower price and wait for a seller to match their order.
Likewise, if a trader wants to sell Bitcoin, they would look at the order book to see the different buy orders available at various prices. They could then choose to place a sell order at a price that matches one of the buy orders in the order book, or they could place a limit order at a higher price and wait for a buyer to match their order.
The order book is constantly updating as new orders are placed and matched, providing traders with real-time information about the current state of the market. Traders can use the information from the order book to make informed decisions about when to buy or sell a particular cryptocurrency, based on the current supply and demand levels.