What is Alpaca?

Alpaca offers a suite of Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) designed for developers, businesses, and algorithmic traders seeking to integrate financial market capabilities into their applications or platforms. It enables the creation of custom trading algorithms, the development of financial applications, and the embedding of investing functionalities directly into services. The platform supports trading across various asset classes, including US stocks, Exchange-Traded Funds (ETFs), options, and cryptocurrencies.

The service provides a unified platform encompassing investing, brokerage, custody, and post-trade processing. Key offerings include a Broker API for building end-to-end investing products and a Trading API for executing automated strategies. Alpaca emphasizes ease of integration with features like commission-free API trading for stocks (subject to conditions), secure OAuth integration for API key management, and support for advanced strategies like margin trading and short selling. A dedicated testing environment allows users to develop and refine their applications before deployment, and Software Development Kits (SDKs) are available for popular programming languages such as Python, .NET/C#, Go, and Node.

Features

Broker API: End-to-end brokerage platform for building investing products.
Trading API: Execute automated trading algorithms for various assets.
Market Data API: Access real-time stock market and crypto data.
Commission-Free API Trading: Trade US stocks via API without commission fees (subject to terms).
OAuth Integration: Securely connect applications without exposing API keys.
Multi-Asset Trading: Support for US Stocks & ETFs, Options, and Cryptocurrency.
Margin and Short Selling: Enable advanced trading strategies.
Testing Environment: Sandbox for developing and testing trading algorithms and applications.
SDKs Availability: Libraries provided for Python, .NET/C#, Go, Node, and more.
Local Currency Trading API: Display market data and manage trading in local currencies.

Use Cases

Developing and deploying algorithmic trading strategies.
Building custom brokerage and investment applications.
Embedding stock, options, or crypto trading features into existing financial apps.
Creating robo-advisor platforms.
Powering trading functionality for fintech startups.
Facilitating automated trading for hedge funds and proprietary trading firms.
Integrating US stock/options trading into crypto exchange platforms.