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Alpaca

API for stock, options, crypto trading and more

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Alpaca is a brokerage infrastructure platform that provides developer-focused APIs for programmatic trading and investing. Its Trading API lets individuals, algorithmic traders, hedge funds, and prop firms automate strategies across stocks, options, and crypto, while its Broker API gives fintechs and institutions a full-stack service for building customizable investing applications and embedding brokerage into their own products. Alpaca Clearing handles trade processing, settlement, and custody as a self-clearing broker-dealer.

The platform includes SDKs for Python, .NET/C#, Go, Node, and more, OAuth integration, paper trading with market data for backtesting, and REST/FIX connectivity. Capabilities include multi-leg options strategies, 24/5 trading with session-aware order routing, OmniSub sub-accounting, high-yield cash, fully paid securities lending, stock lending, and an Instant Tokenization Network for tokenized equities. Security measures include ISO 27001:2022 certification, SOC 2 Type 2 assessments, GDPR compliance, and Zero Trust architecture.

Alpaca serves both self-directed traders and businesses building financial products. Trading API access is available through a free signup, with commission-free trading for retail self-directed accounts trading U.S.-listed securities and options via the API. Broker API is offered as an infrastructure service for fintechs and institutions, with additional products such as high-yield cash and securities lending available to qualifying customers.

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