Programming the IB API

D

DocHolliday

Getting kinda tired of Cybertrader here.

I talked to one of their top honchos last year and said, "Look, I don't want 99% of the bells and whistles you provide. I can code, and what I would pay for is for your app to expose an API. I can then write an app of my own that tickles that API to get data, and execute trades, via your system. Think about it."

This elicited about as much response as the one-a-week bug reports I was sending in, to wit: totally null, down the memory hole.

But I still want now what I wanted then. And noticed recently that IB apparently have just such an API.

Has anyone used this? How capable and extensive is it? Could one actually build an L2 automated trading system (or Island-centric system) using IB as a vehicle?

Doc
 
Doc,

Cyber has an API. A fairly good one with interfaces available in C++, VB,Delphi. Not sure what you're looking for but the API is pretty solid.
 
Hey, Echo, thanks for the heads-up! Owe you one.

The extent of my involvement of listening to Cyber these days is occasionally minding a reminder of a software upgrade.

I hadn't been made aware of the API in the least. Can you point me to a reference regarding same? Just looked quickly at the Cyber site map and didn't see anything that looked like that.

(Apropos of Cyber software upgrades: the last time the upgrade prompt appeared, it asked me if I wanted to autoupdate. Schweet! Sure. Auto-up launches, connects to Cyber, downloads, updates, tells me everything is cool. I re-launch the app. Same old un-updated version. Repeat several times before I finally give up and update manually. And you wonder why I am kinda tired of Cyber. Fainting goats indeed. They must be working in the software engineering section down in Austin.)

Doc
 
Doc,

They have a website for it but you can't get there from the main web site. I forget the URL for it but you can get all the info you want by sending an email to Kenneth Ahrens at kahrens@cybertrader.com. He is the product manager for the API. You will need to sign some non-disclosure agreements and the package will be emailed to you the next or same day.

Echo
 
Since this thread has morphed into a CyberAPI thread - I'd just like to know - is there a limitation on the number of tickers I can track using the CyberAPI? In the Interactive Brokers API, they let you track quote data for 40 symbols. In the CyberAPI, can I track Level II data (and ECN book data) for a larger number of symbols?

Thanks,
Carl
 
Carl, I'm not sure if there is an upper limit, but I've had up to 80 L1 symbols being tracked simultaneously. I don't track L2 so I really can't comment on it.
 
Carl, I agree that being able to see ECN book data would be of considerable interest.

As well as being able to watch the T&S feed.

Apparently IB's API only allows one to submit smart-routed orders instead of selecting one's own routing. If Cyber allows full routing control for orders, that's broadly preferable.

Doc
 
Originally posted by DocHolliday
Apparently IB's API only allows one to submit smart-routed orders instead of selecting one's own routing. If Cyber allows full routing control for orders, that's broadly preferable.

Doc
More...

I had an e-mail exchange with Kenneth at CyberTrader and he claimed that I would have to do at least 250 round trips (500 trades) during every month in order to maintain access to the CyberTrader APIs. That would be at least 500 * $10 = $5,000 a month in commissions. Don't think I'm quite ready for that.

Carl
 
250 R/T's per month?

Sheesh! That's a piece of work.

IB's API offering appears to have its faults, but I suspect they will rapidly take the bulk of the market away from Cyber if that price structure holds.

Doc
 
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