Alpaca#

The Alpaca broker integration allows you to trade stocks, options, and cryptocurrencies through Alpaca Markets. This is one of the most popular brokers for algorithmic trading.

Features#

Multiple Asset Types: Stocks, ETFs, options, and cryptocurrencies
Paper Trading: Full paper trading support for testing strategies
Real-time Data: Live market data and order execution
Order Types: Market, limit, stop, stop-limit, trailing stop orders
Advanced Orders: Bracket orders, one-cancels-other (OCO), one-triggers-other (OTO)
Multi-leg Options: Support for complex options strategies
Live Streaming: Real-time trade updates and market data

Getting Started#

Create Alpaca Account

Sign up for a free account at Alpaca Markets
Get Your API Keys

After creating your account:
- Log into your Alpaca Dashboard
- Go to “API Keys” in the left sidebar (or visit API Keys page)
- Click “Create New Key”
- Give it a name (e.g., “Lumibot Trading”)
- Copy your API Key and Secret Key - you’ll need both
- Important: Save these keys securely - you won’t be able to see the secret again

Set Environment Variables

Create a .env file in your project root and add your keys:

# Alpaca API Keys (RECOMMENDED)
ALPACA_API_KEY=your_api_key_here
ALPACA_API_SECRET=your_secret_key_here
ALPACA_IS_PAPER=true

Start Trading

from lumibot.strategies import Strategy
from lumibot.brokers import Alpaca
from lumibot.traders import Trader
from lumibot.entities import Asset

class MyStrategy(Strategy):
    def on_trading_iteration(self):
        if self.first_iteration:
            # Buy 100 shares of SPY
            order = self.create_order(
                Asset(symbol="SPY", asset_type="stock"),
                quantity=100,
                side="buy"
            )
            self.submit_order(order)

# The broker will automatically use your environment variables
broker = Alpaca()
strategy = MyStrategy(broker=broker)
trader = Trader()
trader.add_strategy(strategy)
trader.run_all()

Authentication Methods#

API Keys (Recommended)#

This is the recommended method. Set up your API keys in environment variables:

# In your .env file
ALPACA_API_KEY=your_api_key_here
ALPACA_API_SECRET=your_secret_key_here
ALPACA_IS_PAPER=true  # Set to false for live trading

Then simply create your broker without any configuration:

from lumibot.brokers import Alpaca

# Automatically uses environment variables
broker = Alpaca()

OAuth Token (Advanced)#

For OAuth authentication, visit botspot.trade to set up OAuth integration. Then set your OAuth token:

# In your .env file
ALPACA_OAUTH_TOKEN=your_oauth_token_here
ALPACA_IS_PAPER=true

Configuration Options#

All configuration should be done via environment variables in your .env file:

Alpaca Environment Variables#
Environment Var	Type	Default	Description
`ALPACA_API_KEY`	str	None	Your Alpaca API key (available from the Alpaca dashboard).
`ALPACA_API_SECRET`	str	None	Your Alpaca API secret (download from the dashboard).
`ALPACA_OAUTH_TOKEN`	str	None	OAuth token issued via botspot.trade.
`ALPACA_IS_PAPER`	bool	`true`	Toggle paper trading (`true`) versus live trading (`false`).

Usage Examples#

Basic Stock Trading#

from lumibot.strategies import Strategy
from lumibot.brokers import Alpaca
from lumibot.traders import Trader
from lumibot.entities import Asset

class StockStrategy(Strategy):
    def on_trading_iteration(self):
        if self.first_iteration:
            # Buy 100 shares of Apple
            order = self.create_order(
                Asset(symbol="AAPL", asset_type="stock"),
                quantity=100,
                side="buy"
            )
            self.submit_order(order)

# No configuration needed - uses environment variables
broker = Alpaca()
strategy = StockStrategy(broker=broker)
trader = Trader()
trader.add_strategy(strategy)
trader.run_all()

Cryptocurrency Trading#

from lumibot.entities import Asset

class CryptoStrategy(Strategy):
    def on_trading_iteration(self):
        # Buy Bitcoin
        btc = Asset(symbol="BTC", asset_type="crypto")
        usd = Asset(symbol="USD", asset_type="forex")

        order = self.create_order(
            asset=btc,
            quantity=0.1,
            side="buy",
            quote=usd
        )
        self.submit_order(order)

Options Trading#

from datetime import datetime

class OptionsStrategy(Strategy):
    def on_trading_iteration(self):
        # Buy a call option
        expiration = datetime(2024, 12, 20)
        spy_call = Asset(
            symbol="SPY",
            asset_type="option",
            expiration=expiration,
            strike=450,
            right="CALL"
        )

        order = self.create_order(
            asset=spy_call,
            quantity=1,
            side="buy"
        )
        self.submit_order(order)

Advanced Order Types#

# Bracket order (market order with profit target and stop loss)
bracket_order = self.create_order(
    Asset("AAPL"),
    quantity=100,
    side="buy",
    order_type="market",
    order_class="bracket",
    take_profit_price=155.0,
    stop_loss_price=145.0
)

self.submit_order(bracket_order)

Important Notes#

Paper vs Live Trading

Paper trading is enabled by default (safe for testing)
Set ALPACA_IS_PAPER=false in your .env file to enable live trading
Always test strategies thoroughly in paper trading first

API Keys Security

Never put API keys directly in your code
Always use environment variables (.env file)
Add .env to your .gitignore file
Keep your secret key private - treat it like a password

OAuth Integration

For OAuth setup, visit botspot.trade
OAuth tokens are managed through botspot.trade platform
OAuth provides enhanced security for third-party integrations

Data & Pricing

Stock and options data has a 15-minute delay unless you have a paid data subscription
Cryptocurrency data is real-time
Price precision varies by asset type

Order Limitations

Crypto orders support “gtc” and “ioc” time-in-force
Options orders default to “day” time-in-force
Some advanced features require both OAuth token and API credentials

Important Notes:

Paper Trading: All examples default to paper trading (ALPACA_IS_PAPER=true)
Rate Limits: Alpaca has rate limits on API calls - the library handles basic rate limiting
Market Hours: Stock trading is limited to market hours; crypto trading is 24/7
Minimum Quantities: Some assets have minimum quantity requirements
Authentication Issues: If you encounter “Unauthorized” errors:
- For OAuth users: Check your ALPACA_OAUTH_TOKEN is valid and not expired
- For API key users: Verify ALPACA_API_KEY and ALPACA_API_SECRET are correct
- Account permissions: Ensure your account has access to the data/trading features you’re using
- Re-authentication: OAuth tokens may need periodic renewal via the OAuth flow

Error Handling:

The broker provides clear error messages for common authentication issues:

❌ ALPACA AUTHENTICATION ERROR: Your OAuth token appears to be invalid or expired.

🔧 To fix this:
1. Check that your ALPACA_OAUTH_TOKEN environment variable is set correctly
2. Verify your OAuth token is valid and not expired
3. Re-authenticate at: https://localhost:3000/oauth/alpaca/success
4. Or use API key/secret instead by setting ALPACA_API_KEY and ALPACA_API_SECRET

Polling vs Streaming:

OAuth-only configurations use polling (default: 5-second intervals) since TradingStream doesn’t support OAuth
API key/secret configurations use real-time WebSocket streaming
Mixed configurations (OAuth + API credentials) can use either method

Troubleshooting#

“No API credentials found” Error

Make sure your .env file is in the correct location and contains:

ALPACA_API_KEY=your_actual_key_here
ALPACA_API_SECRET=your_actual_secret_here

Paper Trading Not Working

Verify ALPACA_IS_PAPER=true is set in your .env file

Live Trading Issues

Ensure you have sufficient buying power
Check if your account is approved for the asset type you’re trading
Verify ALPACA_IS_PAPER=false for live trading

API Reference#

class lumibot.brokers.alpaca.Alpaca(config, max_workers=20, chunk_size=100, connect_stream=True, data_source=None, polling_interval=5.0)

Bases: Broker

A broker class that connects to Alpaca

api

Alpaca API object

Type:: tradeapi.REST

get_timestamp(): Returns the current UNIX timestamp representation from Alpaca

is_market_open(): Determines if the market is open.

get_time_to_open(): How much time in seconds remains until the market next opens?

get_time_to_close(): How much time in seconds remains until the market closes?

Examples

>>> # Connect to Alpaca
>>> from lumibot.brokers import Alpaca
>>> ALPACA_CONFIG = {
...     # Put your own Alpaca key here:
...     "API_KEY": "YOUR_API_KEY",
...     # Put your own Alpaca secret here:
...     "API_SECRET": "YOUR_API_SECRET",
...     # Set this to False to use a live account
...     "PAPER": True
... }
>>> alpaca = Alpaca(ALPACA_CONFIG)
>>> print(alpaca.get_time_to_open())
>>> print(alpaca.get_time_to_close())
>>> print(alpaca.is_market_open())

>>> # Run a strategy on Alpaca
>>> from lumibot.strategies import Strategy
>>> from lumibot.brokers import Alpaca
>>> from lumibot.traders import Trader
>>>
>>> ALPACA_CONFIG = {
...     # Put your own Alpaca key here:
...     "API_KEY": "YOUR_API_KEY",
...     # Put your own Alpaca secret here:
...     "API_SECRET": "YOUR_API_SECRET",
...     # Set this to False to use a live account
...     "PAPER": True
... }
>>>
>>> class AlpacaStrategy(Strategy):
...     def on_trading_interation(self):
...         if self.broker.is_market_open():
...             self.create_order(
...                 asset=Asset(symbol="AAPL"),
...                 quantity=1,
...                 order_type="market",
...                 side="buy",
...             )
>>>
>>> alpaca = Alpaca(ALPACA_CONFIG)
>>> strategy = AlpacaStrategy(broker=alpaca)
>>> trader = Trader()
>>> trader.add_strategy(strategy)
>>> trader.run()

ASSET_TYPE_MAP = {'crypto': ['crypto', 'CRYPTO'], 'forex': [], 'future': [], 'option': ['us_option'], 'stock': ['us_equity']}

cancel_order(order)

Cancel an order

Parameters:: order (Order) – The order to cancel
Returns:: The order that was cancelled
Return type:: Order

do_polling(): This function is called every polling_interval for OAuth-only configurations. It checks for new orders and dispatches them to the stream for processing. Similar to Tradier’s polling implementation.

get_historical_account_value(): Get the historical account value of the account.

get_quote(asset: Asset, quote: Asset = None, exchange: str = None) → Quote

Get the latest quote for an asset (stock, option, or crypto). Returns a Quote object with bid, ask, last, and other fields if available.

Parameters:

asset (Asset object) – The asset for which the quote is needed.
quote (Asset object, optional) – The quote asset for cryptocurrency pairs.
exchange (str, optional) – The exchange to get the quote from.

Returns:

A Quote object with the quote information.

Return type:

Quote

get_time_to_close()

How much time in seconds remains until the market closes?

Return the remaining time for the market to closes in seconds

Parameters:: None –
Returns:: Number of seconds until close.
Return type:: int

Examples

If it is 1400 and the market closes at 1600, then there are 7,200 seconds until the market closes.

get_time_to_open()

How much time in seconds remains until the market next opens?

Return the remaining time for the market to open in seconds

Parameters:: None –
Returns:: Number of seconds until open.
Return type:: int

Examples

If it is 0830 and the market next opens at 0930, then there are 3,600 seconds until the next market open.

>>> self.get_time_to_open()

get_timestamp()

Returns the current UNIX timestamp representation from Alpaca

Parameters:: None –
Returns:: Sample unix timestamp return value: 1612172730.000234
Return type:: int

is_market_open()

Determines if the market is open.

Parameters:: None –
Returns:: True if market is open, false if the market is closed.
Return type:: boolean

Examples

>>> self.is_market_open()
True

map_asset_type(alpaca_type)

class lumibot.brokers.alpaca.OrderData(**kwargs)

Bases: object

to_request_fields()

Market Hours Methods#

Alpaca.get_time_to_close()

How much time in seconds remains until the market closes?

Return the remaining time for the market to closes in seconds

Parameters:: None –
Returns:: Number of seconds until close.
Return type:: int

Examples

If it is 1400 and the market closes at 1600, then there are 7,200 seconds until the market closes.

Alpaca.get_time_to_open()

How much time in seconds remains until the market next opens?

Return the remaining time for the market to open in seconds

Parameters:: None –
Returns:: Number of seconds until open.
Return type:: int

Examples

If it is 0830 and the market next opens at 0930, then there are 3,600 seconds until the next market open.

>>> self.get_time_to_open()

Alpaca.get_timestamp()

Returns the current UNIX timestamp representation from Alpaca

Parameters:: None –
Returns:: Sample unix timestamp return value: 1612172730.000234
Return type:: int

Alpaca.is_market_open()

Determines if the market is open.

Parameters:: None –
Returns:: True if market is open, false if the market is closed.
Return type:: boolean

Examples

>>> self.is_market_open()
True

Additional Resources#

Alpaca Markets - Main website
Alpaca Dashboard - Account management
Alpaca API Documentation - Technical details
botspot.trade - OAuth integration platform
Lumibot Examples - More strategy examples