A plain JSON REST API for Rithmic accounts. We already passed Rithmic conformance — you skip protobuf, plants, and the approval process entirely.
Rithmic's native R | Protocol API is built for institutional infrastructure teams, not individual traders and small dev shops. It requires implementing four separate "plant" connections — order, PnL, ticker, and history — parsing raw protobuf messages defined in .proto files, and managing your own reconnection and heartbeat logic. Before you can place a single live order, Rithmic requires you to pass a formal conformance test proving your integration handles order states, disconnects, and edge cases correctly. That process alone can take weeks.
Signal Trade App already did that work. We passed Rithmic conformance in June 2026 as a certified platform, so individual users never have to touch a .proto file or run their own conformance suite. Connect your Rithmic account credentials once from the Connections page — live (Rithmic 01) or paper trading — and every account you add is instantly tradable through our REST API with a single API key.
The API surface is deliberately simple. Authenticate with an X-API-Key header, then GET /v1/accounts to list every connected account, GET /v1/accounts/{id}/positions and /orders to read state, and POST /v1/accounts/{id}/orders to place a trade. A bracket order — entry plus take-profit and stop-loss — is just two extra fields in the same JSON body. DELETE /v1/accounts/{id}/positions flattens an account instantly. No protobuf decoding, no plant subscriptions, no session refresh logic.
This is a real advantage for prop firm traders, not just developers. Apex Trader Funding and other Rithmic-backed firms run on R | Trader infrastructure, and our API treats those accounts exactly like any other connected account — place an order on a Rithmic-backed Apex account with the same JSON payload you would use for a Tradovate account. Rithmic accounts also work as first-class leaders or followers in a copy group, so one Rithmic-based trade can fan out to Tradovate, NinjaTrader, or ProjectX followers in the same call.
Getting an API key takes under a minute: sign up, connect your Rithmic account, and generate a key from Settings → API Keys. The 5-day free trial includes full API access — credit card required, no charge until the trial ends — then $30 for the first month and $15/month after. A $599 self-hosted lifetime license is also available if you want the same API running on your own infrastructure.
Not in the way most developers expect. Rithmic's native R | Protocol is a protobuf message format sent over persistent "plant" connections (order, PnL, ticker, and history), not a request/response REST API. Signal Trade App is the JSON REST layer on top of that — you send plain HTTP requests and we handle the protobuf plant connections underneath.
No. Signal Trade App is already Rithmic-conformance-certified as a platform. You connect your Rithmic account credentials once in the dashboard, and every account is immediately tradable through our REST API — no protobuf, plants, or conformance testing on your end.
No. Those are only required if you integrate directly with Rithmic's native protocol. Signal Trade App abstracts all of that away — you interact with plain JSON over HTTPS using a single X-API-Key header.
No. This is Signal Trade App's own JSON REST API, which connects to Rithmic on your behalf using our conformance-certified integration. It replaces the need to build against Rithmic's native R | Protocol API directly.
Place market, limit, and bracket orders; read positions and order history; list connected accounts; flatten a position on command; and create webhook tokens — all with a single X-API-Key header over plain JSON.
Any language that can send an HTTPS request with a JSON body — Python, JavaScript/Node.js, C#, Go, or even a plain curl command. There is no protobuf SDK or Rithmic-specific client library to install.
No. Signal Trade App runs entirely in the cloud with a persistent connection to Rithmic, so the API stays live 24/7 whether or not R | Trader, your computer, or a VPS is running.
Your Rithmic login credentials are encrypted at rest with AES-256-GCM before being stored, and are only decrypted server-side to maintain your trading connection.
Yes. Rithmic-backed firms like Apex Trader Funding can be connected and traded through the API the same way as any other Rithmic account, whether the account is an evaluation or funded.
Yes. A Rithmic account can be a leader or follower in a copy group alongside Tradovate, NinjaTrader, and ProjectX accounts. One trade on a Rithmic leader can fan out across every connected broker in the same group.
There is no separate API fee. Start with a 5-day free trial (credit card required, no charge until it ends), then $30 for the first month and $15/month after for unlimited accounts and API calls. A $599 self-hosted lifetime license is also available.