Launching a Trading Robot on the Cloud

Background

This guide provides step-by-step instructions for launching a Trading Robot in the cloud. Specifically, it's designed to connect TradingView with Interactive Brokers swiftly (in approximately 5 minutes) using Terraform.

Prerequisites

Before you begin, ensure the following:

• Terraform and AWS CLI: Installed and configured on your local machine.
• AWS Credentials: Necessary credentials (Access Key ID and Secret Access Key) are set up for Terraform usage.
• Familiarity with TradingBoat's Docker Setup: It's assumed you're acquainted with the chapters from the book "Converting TradingView PineScript Alerts into Interactive Brokers Orders".
• GitHub Repository Familiarity: Have an understanding of the PlusGenie/ib-gateway-docker repository, which focuses on converting TradingView PineScript Alerts into Interactive Brokers Orders.

Step-by-Step Guide

Step 1: Initialize Terraform

Clone the TradingBoat Terraform repository:

git clone https://github.com/PlusGenie/tradingboat-terraform.git
cd tradingboat-terraform/src/docker

Run terraform init to initialize Terraform, download the AWS provider, and prepare your environment for deployment.

Step 2: Terraform Configuration Files

Create a file named terraform.tfvars in the TradingBoat Terraform directory. Define necessary variables such as AWS region, instance type, AMI ID, and TradingBoat credentials. Here's an example to guide you:

TWS_USERID="yourPaperAccountID"
TWS_PASSWORD="yourPaperAccountPassword"
NGROK_AUTH="2a60uMoemV6LGtDOcGWVH5HYFHv_YOUR_NGROM_AUTH"
aws_ALLOWED_IPS = ["90.192.XXX.1/32"]
aws_instance_type="t2.medium"
aws_region="eu-west-2"
aws_ssh_key_name="Terraform_TBOT" # SSH PEM File

Step 3: Plan Your Deployment

Run terraform plan to review the actions Terraform will perform. This is a crucial step to verify your configurations and understand the resources that will be created on AWS.

Step 4: Deploy TradingBoat

Execute terraform apply to start the deployment process. Confirm the action by typing 'yes' when prompted.

Step 5: Accessing TradingBoat

Find the Public IP: Terraform will provide the public IP address of the EC2 instance upon completion. Access TBOT Interface: Navigate to http://[YourInstancePublicIP]:5000 in your web browser. Access via VNC Viewer: Connect to [YourInstancePublicIP]:5900 to interact with the IB Gateway through the VNC server.

Step 6: Managing Your Infrastructure

Monitor: Keep an eye on the AWS Console and Terraform logs to ensure your resources are running smoothly. Update: Modify your Terraform configuration files as needed and re-run terraform apply for any changes. Destroy: Use terraform destroy to dismantle all resources when they're no longer needed, preventing ongoing AWS costs.

Additional Information

Accessing TBOT on TradingBoat

SSH into your AWS cloud instance using:

ssh -i Terraform_TBOT.pem ubuntu@YourInstancePublicIP

Accessing Docker Containers

Once connected to AWS EC2 via SSH, verify that containers are running using tail -f /var/log/terraform-tbot.log. Access a specific container with docker exec -it tbot-on-tradingboat bash.

Debugging Tbot Terraform Logging

To view real-time logging messages, execute tail -f /var/log/cloud-init-output.log.

Warning

• Educational Purposes: This guide is for educational purposes only. Do not share your SSH key or use real Interactive Broker usernames and passwords.
• Cost Awareness: Ensure you destroy your Terraform setup when not in use to avoid continuous AWS costs.
• Performance Considerations: Note that running Docker Containers may be slower than running the native TradingBoat application. For native application setup, refer to the course book: "Converting TradingView PineScript alerts into Interactive Brokers orders".

Reference

• The extensive instructions and invaluable insights, enabling you to effectively leverage TBOT for your trading activities

• Book: Converting TradingView PineScript Alerts into Interactive Brokers Orders