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API Analyzer

What is Sandbox Mode?

Sandbox Mode (also called API Analyzer Mode) is like a trading video game where you can practice trading strategies with fake money but real market prices.

Think of it as:

  • Flight Simulator for trading

  • Real market prices from live data

  • Safe testing - no real money at risk

Why Would You Use It?

Real-World Examples

Example 1: Learning Algorithmic Trading

  • You wrote your first Python trading bot

  • You're scared to test it with real money

  • Enable Sandbox → Get ₹1 Crore fake money → Test your bot safely

  • If it loses all the money, no problem! Just reset and try again

Example 2: Testing a New Strategy

  • You read about a new momentum trading strategy

  • Before risking ₹1 lakh real money, test it in sandbox

  • Run it for a week with fake money

  • If it works well, switch to live mode

Example 3: Practicing Manual Trading

  • You're new to options trading

  • You want to practice buying/selling options without losing money

  • Sandbox gives you unlimited practice rounds

Example 4: Debugging Your Code

  • Your trading bot has a bug that's placing wrong orders

  • Instead of debugging with real money (expensive!), use sandbox

  • Fix all bugs safely, then go live

How It Works

The Magic Setup

When you enable Sandbox Mode:

  1. OpenAlgo provides virtual simulation of a portfolio

  2. All your orders execute in a simulated environment

  3. Prices come from real-time market data

  4. Everything else works exactly like live trading

  5. Nothing touches your real broker account

Live Mode vs Sandbox Mode

Feature
Live Mode
Sandbox Mode

Money

Real ₹₹₹

Dummy Capital

Prices

Real market

Real market (same)

Orders

Go to broker

Stay in OpenAlgo

P&L

Real profit/loss

Simulated P&L

Risk

HIGH

ZERO

Can lose money?

Yes

No

Good for

Making money

Learning, testing

Step-by-Step Setup

Step 1: Enable Sandbox Mode

Method A: Using Web UI (Easiest)

  1. Log in to OpenAlgo

  2. Click Settings in the menu

  3. Find "API Analyzer Mode" toggle

  4. Switch it ON (it will turn green/blue)

  5. Notice: Interface changes to a different theme (visual indicator)

Method B: Using API (For Python users)

import requests

payload = {
    "apikey": "YOUR_API_KEY",
    "mode": True  # True = Sandbox ON, False = Sandbox OFF
}

response = requests.post(
    "http://127.0.0.1:5000/api/v1/analyzer/toggle",
    json=payload
)
print(response.json())

Step 2: Check Your Fake Money

Go to Funds page:

  • Available Balance: ₹10,000,000

  • Used Margin: ₹0

  • Total P&L: ₹0

Step 3: Place Your First Test Order

Using Web UI:

  1. Go to any trading page

  2. Enter symbol (e.g., "RELIANCE")

  3. Choose BUY/SELL

  4. Enter quantity (e.g., 10 shares)

  5. Click "Place Order"

  6. Order executes instantly with fake money!

Using Python Code:

import requests

payload = {
    "apikey": "YOUR_API_KEY",
    "symbol": "RELIANCE",
    "exchange": "NSE",
    "action": "BUY",
    "quantity": 10,
    "pricetype": "MARKET",
    "product": "MIS"
}

response = requests.post(
    "http://127.0.0.1:5000/api/v1/placeorder",
    json=payload
)
print(response.json())

Step 4: Watch It Work!

  1. Check Order Book - Your order appears as "Complete"

  2. Check Positions - Shows your position with P&L

  3. Check Funds - Used margin deducted from available balance

  4. P&L updates in real-time as market price changes!

What You Get in Sandbox

1. Starting Capital

  • Default: ₹1 Crore (₹10,000,000)

  • Configurable: You can change it in sandbox settings

  • Auto-reset: Resets to starting amount every Sunday (configurable)

2. All Order Types Work

  • MARKET - Buy/sell at current market price

  • LIMIT - Buy/sell at specific price

  • SL (Stop Loss) - Trigger at stop price

  • SL-M (Stop Loss Market) - Trigger and execute at market

3. All Product Types Work

  • MIS (Intraday) - Squared off automatically at 3:15 PM

  • CNC (Delivery) - Converted to holdings at midnight

  • NRML (F&O) - Futures and options trading

4. Realistic Features

Margin System:

  • Equity Intraday (MIS): 5x leverage

  • Equity Delivery (CNC): 1x leverage (full payment)

  • Futures: 10x leverage

  • Options Buy: 1x (pay full premium)

  • Options Sell: 10x leverage

Auto Square-Off:

  • MIS positions close automatically at:

    • NSE/BSE: 3:15 PM

    • MCX: 11:30 PM

    • CDS: 4:45 PM

Realistic Pricing:

  • BUY orders execute at ask price (seller's price)

  • SELL orders execute at bid price (buyer's price)

  • Just like real market!

Sandbox Settings Page

Navigate to: http://127.0.0.1:5000/sandbox

What You Can Configure

1. Capital Settings

  • Starting Capital: ₹10,000,000 (change it to any amount)

  • Auto-Reset Day: Sunday (pick any day)

  • Auto-Reset Time: 12:00 AM (pick any time)

  • Manual Reset: Click "Reset Now" button anytime

2. Leverage Settings

  • Equity MIS: 5x (how much you can borrow for intraday)

  • Futures: 10x (margin required for futures)

  • Options Sell: 10x (margin for selling options)

  • Options Buy: 1x (must pay full premium)

3. Square-Off Times

  • When MIS positions auto-close

  • Different times for NSE, MCX, CDS

4. Performance Tuning

  • How often to check pending orders (5 seconds)

  • How often to update P&L (5 seconds)

How Sandbox Handles Different Scenarios

Scenario 1: Buying Stocks (CNC)

What you do:

BUY 10 RELIANCE @ ₹2,500 (CNC)

What happens:

  1. Order placed → ₹25,000 blocked from available balance

  2. Position created → Shows in positions page

  3. Next day midnight → Position converts to holdings automatically

  4. Holdings page → Shows 10 RELIANCE shares

Scenario 2: Intraday Trading (MIS)

What you do:

BUY 100 SBIN @ ₹625 (MIS)
Price goes up to ₹630

What happens:

  1. Margin blocked → ₹12,500 (₹62,500 / 5x leverage)

  2. Position shows → +₹500 profit (100 shares × ₹5)

  3. At 3:15 PM → Position automatically squared off

  4. Profit credited → Available balance increases by ₹500

Scenario 3: Options Trading

What you do:

BUY NIFTY 20000 CE @ ₹100 (1 lot = 50 qty)
Total cost: ₹5,000

What happens:

  1. ₹5,000 blocked (full premium)

  2. If premium goes to ₹150 → Profit ₹2,500

  3. If premium goes to ₹50 → Loss ₹2,500

  4. Just like real options trading!

Scenario 4: Running Out of Money

What happens:

Available Balance: ₹10,000
You try to BUY ₹50,000 worth of stock

Result:

  • Order rejected

  • Error: "Insufficient funds"

  • Just like real trading!

Understanding P&L (Profit & Loss)

Unrealized P&L

  • Profit/loss on open positions

  • Changes every second as market price changes

  • Not real until you close the position

Realized P&L

  • Profit/loss on closed positions

  • Added to your available balance

  • This is "real" profit/loss in sandbox

Example

1. BUY 100 SBIN @ ₹625
2. Current price: ₹630
   Unrealized P&L: +₹500 (not closed yet)
3. SELL 100 SBIN @ ₹630
   Realized P&L: +₹500 (closed, profit credited)

Common Questions

Q: Is this the same as "paper trading"?

A: It's similar but better! It's a self-hosted testing environment that uses real market data. It's NOT a regulated paper trading platform (which SEBI doesn't allow in India).

Q: Does my broker know I'm using sandbox?

A: NO! Sandbox runs entirely within OpenAlgo. No orders go to your broker.

Q: Can I test my algo trading strategies?

A: YES! That's the main purpose. Test all your strategies safely before going live.

Q: What happens when I switch back to live mode?

A: All sandbox data stays in sandbox database. Your live trading starts fresh. They're completely separate.

Q: Can I reset my sandbox funds?

A: YES! Two ways:

  1. Auto-reset: Every Sunday at midnight (configurable)

  2. Manual reset: Click "Reset Now" button in sandbox settings

Q: Do I need real broker API keys to use sandbox?

A: Yes! Sandbox works with broker connection and it is mandatory

Q: Can I use Action Center with Sandbox?

A: YES! They work together:

  • Enable both Sandbox + Semi-Auto mode

  • Test orders → Go to Action Center → You approve/reject

  • Perfect for testing the full workflow

When to Use Sandbox vs Live

Use Sandbox Mode When:

  • Testing new strategies

  • Learning algorithmic trading

  • Debugging your trading code

  • Practicing options/futures trading

  • Experimenting with order types

  • Validating your algorithm logic

  • You're not ready to risk real money

Use Live Mode When:

  • Strategy tested and proven in sandbox

  • You understand the risks

  • Code is bug-free

  • You're ready to make real money (or lose it)

  • You've practiced enough

Best Practices

1. Always Test First

New Strategy → Sandbox (1 week) → If profitable → Live Mode

2. Use Realistic Capital

If you plan to trade live with ₹1 lakh, test sandbox with ₹1 lakh (not ₹1 crore). This gives realistic results.

3. Monitor Performance

  • Track win rate

  • Calculate average profit per trade

  • Measure maximum drawdown

  • Use this data to improve strategy

4. Don't Skip Sandbox

Even experienced traders test new strategies in sandbox first. It's free insurance!

5. Combine with Action Center

  • Sandbox ON + Semi-Auto ON = Perfect testing environment

  • See every order before execution

  • Catch bugs early

Visual Indicators

When sandbox is enabled:

  • Theme changes to "Garden" theme (different colors)

  • Badge/label shows "Analyzer Mode Active"

  • Funds page shows sandbox balance (₹1 Crore default)

  • Separate database (sandbox.db)

When live mode is active:

  • Default theme

  • Real broker funds shown

  • Real database (openalgo.db)

Technical Details (Optional)

Database Separation

  • Live: db/openalgo.db

  • Sandbox: db/sandbox.db

  • Completely isolated - no data mixing

Architecture

Your Trading Bot
      ↓
OpenAlgo API
      ↓
  [Analyzer Check]
      ↓
   Sandbox?
   ↙     ↘
YES        NO
 ↓          ↓
Sandbox    Real Broker
Engine     API

Thread Management

  • Sandbox runs in background thread

  • Monitors pending orders every 5 seconds

  • Updates P&L in real-time

  • Auto square-off runs on schedule

  • T+1 settlement at midnight

Configuration File

Located at: db/sandbox.db in table sandbox_config

Can be modified via sandbox settings page or directly in database.

Troubleshooting

Problem: Orders not executing in sandbox

Solution:

  1. Check if sandbox mode is ON (Settings → API Analyzer Mode)

  2. Verify symbol exists (try RELIANCE, SBIN, INFY)

  3. Check available balance (Funds page)

  4. Look at logs for errors

Problem: Can't see positions

Solution:

  1. Make sure you're looking at sandbox positions, not live

  2. Check if order was actually placed (Order Book)

  3. Verify order status is "Complete"

Problem: Wrong P&L calculation

Solution:

  1. Remember: BUY @ ask price, SELL @ bid price

  2. Check if using correct product type (MIS vs CNC)

  3. Verify leverage settings in sandbox config

Problem: Funds not resetting

Solution:

  1. Check auto-reset day/time in sandbox settings

  2. Use manual "Reset Now" button

  3. Restart OpenAlgo application

Example: Complete Trading Workflow

Let's walk through a complete example:

Step 1: Enable Sandbox

Settings → API Analyzer Mode → ON

Step 2: Check Starting Balance

Funds page: ₹10,000,000

Step 3: Place First Order

# Buy RELIANCE
{
    "symbol": "RELIANCE",
    "action": "BUY",
    "quantity": 10,
    "pricetype": "MARKET",
    "product": "MIS"
}

Step 4: Check Position

Positions page:
- Symbol: RELIANCE
- Quantity: 10
- Avg Price: ₹2,500
- LTP: ₹2,505
- P&L: +₹50

Step 5: Close Position

# Sell RELIANCE
{
    "symbol": "RELIANCE",
    "action": "SELL",
    "quantity": 10,
    "pricetype": "MARKET",
    "product": "MIS"
}

Step 6: Check Final P&L

Trade Book:
- BUY 10 @ ₹2,500 = -₹25,000
- SELL 10 @ ₹2,505 = +₹25,050
- Realized P&L: +₹50

Funds:
- Available Balance: ₹10,000,050
- Profit: ₹50 ✅

Step 7: Analyze and Learn

  • Strategy worked!

  • Made ₹50 profit (in sandbox)

  • Now optimize and test more

  • When confident → Switch to Live Mode

Regulatory Note

Is Sandbox Legal in India?

YES

Sandbox is NOT a virtual/paper trading platform.

It's a personal testing environment that:

  • Runs on your own computer

  • Uses your own OpenAlgo installation

  • For your own strategy development

  • Like a calculator or Excel spreadsheet

It's a development tool, not a trading service.

Support & Resources

  • Detailed Docs: See docs/sandbox/ folder for technical details

  • Report Issues: https://github.com/marketcalls/openalgo/issues

  • Full Documentation: https://docs.openalgo.in

  • Community: Join discussions on GitHub

Summary

Sandbox Mode = Your safe playground for trading

  • Free virtual money (₹1 Crore)

  • Real market prices

  • Zero risk

  • Perfect for learning

  • Test before going live

Remember: The best traders test everything before risking real money. Sandbox makes that easy!

Next Steps:

  1. Enable sandbox mode

  2. Place a few test orders

  3. Watch how P&L changes

  4. Test your strategy for 1 week

  5. If profitable, switch to Live Mode

  6. Start making real money

Good luck and happy testing!

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