How To Connect Your Alpaca Brokerage Account to Archaide TradeLab

This guide will walk you through connecting your Alpaca brokerage account to Archaide TradeLab. This integration enables you to automate your trading strategies and execute trades directly from the platform using either paper (practice) or live trading accounts.

What You'll Need

An Alpaca brokerage account
Access to Archaide TradeLab
5 minutes to complete the setup

Step 1: Create Your Alpaca Account

If you don't already have an account with Alpaca, you'll need to sign up first. The process is straightforward and self-explanatory.

Visit alpaca.markets
Click on "Sign up for Free"
Complete the registration process

Once you've completed registration, you'll be taken to your Alpaca dashboard.

Step 2: Understanding Paper vs. Live Trading

Before connecting your account, it's important to understand the difference between paper and live trading:

Paper Trading: This uses practice money and won't affect your real net worth or bank account. It's perfect for testing strategies and learning the platform without financial risk.
Live Trading: This uses your real money. Only switch to live trading after you've thoroughly tested your strategies, reviewed your data, conducted backtesting, and completed your due diligence.

<aside> Important: We recommend start with paper trading to familiarize yourself with the platform before risking real capital.

</aside>