Anyone Using the DTN IQFeed Java API Successfully?

C

caplan8293

Hi,

I have seen several threads where users are talking about this API but I am wondering if anyone is actually using it successfully and what their thoughts are.

Specifically, I am looking for a Java API to access real-time tick data (Level I and II) and historical quotes. However, IQFeed's lack of posted info about the API is alarming. How can they expect people to shell over $300 a year plus subscription fees without a decent API description?

Thanks in advance for any responses.
 
caplan8293, we do not use the Java API for IQFeed. However most of their API is straight TCP/IP, so it can be accessed using any language. Don't know if there is any way to auto-start the IQConnect module from Java, but I would think that there would be. The rest is not language dependent.

We have their API implemented and it works very well. Is there something specific you needed answers to?
 
This is a lot. I don't want to bombard you with questions so feel free to answer as little or as much as you like. :)
Your QuoteTracker prog is very nice, by the way.

Thanks for the quick reply. I am trying to decide whether or not to use the service for a personal automated trading system I am developing and am interested in anything anyone has to say... Here are some random questions, not in any order of importance...

1. Am I allowed (and can the server handle it) to make constant requests all day long for current and historical quotes? Do you know of any bandwidth or usage limitations?

2. What sort of historical data can I get using the API? Tick by tick, minute by minute, volume, etc and is this data available for all domestic stocks (I am not interested in options or futures at this point).

3. Is there anything that you wish the API offered that it currently does not?

4. Finally, would you consider the IQFeed API on about the same level as that of Interactive Brokers, more advanced, or less? I am not talking about features, more so about the usability and efficiency of the API.

I see some info on the IQFeed site but not too much relating to the API. Thanks for your insight.
 
3) historical intraday data does not have seconds on the time stamp. That will be addressed in upcoming IQFeed release. That does not affect candlestick charts with frequencies of 1 minute or higher or tick charts though.

4) IQFeed API is definitely more advanced than IB. The streaming data is tick by tick, where as IB is not, allows many more symbols (IB is limited to 40) and has historical intraday and EOD data, which IB does not. The protocol is more robust. IB protocol is a bit simplistic and is a pain to deal with new features that are added. Hard to judge efficiency since in both cases your app only communicates locally with IQFeed or TWS, not with the data servers directly. I know that the IQFeed client just had an upgrade that significantly reduced bandwidth usage, and further improvements will be made in future releases.


Quote from caplan8293:
3. Is there anything that you wish the API offered that it currently does not?

4. Finally, would you consider the IQFeed API on about the same level as that of Interactive Brokers, more advanced, or less? I am not talking about features, more so about the usability and efficiency of the API.

I see some info on the IQFeed site but not too much relating to the API. Thanks for your insight.
More...
 
Quote from caplan8293:



1. Am I allowed (and can the server handle it) to make constant requests all day long for current and historical quotes? Do you know of any bandwidth or usage limitations?


Not sure what you mean by "make constant connections". There is a 500 symbol limit and the data is streaming. Thus you don't and shouldn't make constant connections. You should connect once, ask to watch the symbols you need, and then just process the data as it comes in. For historical data, the same holds true. If you need a tick or minute chart, you should request the data once, then continue building the data with the tick data coming in. We have had users try to pull one minute charts every minute to keep from having to processing the incoming tick data, but we don't allow it and had to show them how to program it correctly.


2. What sort of historical data can I get using the API? Tick by tick, minute by minute, volume, etc and is this data available for all domestic stocks (I am not interested in options or futures at this point).


We have tick data going back 8 calendar days, minute data (in x minute intervals) going back 120 calendar days. It includes incremental and cumulative volume for all domestic stocks (as well as futures, indicies, market stats such as TICK/TRIN/ETC).
More...

As for Java, we have at least 2 commercial products that have released with IQFeed using Java. There are a couple hundred users on these products as well, so it seems to be working well. Our IQFeed developement team are good Java programmers, so they should be able to help with any questions you have as you develop to IQFeed.

Jay
 
j_medved & iqfeed,

Thanks for both your responses, they were both extremely helpful. In less than 24 hrs, ET has become an addition to my "must check compulsively" list of websites.

One more question. Can you explain to me the process I would go through using the API to develop a 5 day simple moving average?

Are the steps something like this?

1. Connect to the IQ Client.

2. Request the current tick feed for a security (uses 1 of 500 slots)

3. Request the historical data from exactly 5 days ago for the same security (uses another slot for a total of 2 of 500).

3. Using the two feeds, calculate the moving average.

I am not really sure of the flow for IQFeed. Am I on the right track?

Thanks
 
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