Nija

Broker Configuration Guide

This guide explains how to configure and use the different broker integrations available in NIJA for scaling your trading operations.

Overview

NIJA supports multiple brokers with different fee structures, capabilities, and optimal trading strategies:

Broker	Fees (Round-Trip)	Asset Types	Strategy Focus	Min Balance
OKX	0.20% (lowest)	Crypto, Futures, Perpetuals	Bidirectional, High Frequency	$25
Binance	0.28% (very low)	Crypto, Futures	Bidirectional, High Volume	$25
Alpaca	0.20% (zero commissions)	Stocks, ETFs, Options	Aggressive, PDT-aware	$25
Kraken	0.36% (low)	Crypto, Futures	Bidirectional	$25
Coinbase	1.40% (high)	Crypto only	Buy-Focused	$10

Broker Configurations

OKX Exchange

Best For: Ultra-low fee crypto trading with futures/perpetuals

Key Features:

• Ultra-low fees: 0.08% taker, 0.06% maker (VIP tier)
• Round-trip cost: 0.20% (lowest in market)
• Supports: Crypto, Futures, Perpetual Swaps, Options
• Profit targets: 0.4%+ (very tight due to ultra-low fees)
• Stop loss: -0.5% (tightest of all brokers)
• Max positions: 15 (highest frequency trading)
• Max trades/day: 80 (highest volume)

Configuration File: bot/broker_configs/okx_config.py

Environment Variables:

OKX_API_KEY=your_api_key
OKX_API_SECRET=your_api_secret
OKX_PASSPHRASE=your_passphrase
OKX_USE_TESTNET=false  # Set to true for demo trading

Symbol Format: BTC-USDT, ETH-USDT (dash separator, USDT pairs)

Trading Strategy:

• Bidirectional (both long and short equally profitable)
• Very tight profit targets (0.4-0.8%)
• Aggressive position sizing (60% for small accounts)
• Highest trade frequency (80 trades/day)
• Ideal for scaling due to ultra-low fees

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Binance Exchange

Best For: High-volume crypto trading with excellent liquidity

Key Features:

• Low fees: 0.10% taker/maker (0.075% with BNB discount)
• Round-trip cost: 0.28% (very competitive)
• Supports: Crypto (1000+ pairs), Futures, Margin
• Profit targets: 0.5%+ (tight due to low fees)
• Stop loss: -0.6%
• Max positions: 12
• Max trades/day: 70

Configuration File: bot/broker_configs/binance_config.py

Environment Variables:

BINANCE_API_KEY=your_api_key
BINANCE_API_SECRET=your_api_secret
BINANCE_USE_TESTNET=false  # Set to true for demo trading

Symbol Format: BTCUSDT, ETHUSDT (no separator, USDT pairs)

Trading Strategy:

• Bidirectional (both directions profitable)
• Tight profit targets (0.5-0.9%)
• Aggressive position sizing (55% for small accounts)
• High trade frequency (70 trades/day)
• Best liquidity in crypto markets

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Alpaca Trading

Best For: Zero-commission US stock trading

Key Features:

• Zero commissions (only spread costs ~0.20%)
• Supports: US Stocks, ETFs, Options (premium tier)
• Profit targets: 0.3%+ (very tight due to zero fees)
• Stop loss: -0.4%
• Max positions: 10
• Max trades/day: 50
• PDT Rule Enforcement: Accounts under $25k limited to 3 day trades per 5 days
• Market Hours Only: 9:30 AM - 4:00 PM ET

Configuration File: bot/broker_configs/alpaca_config.py

Environment Variables:

ALPACA_API_KEY=your_api_key
ALPACA_API_SECRET=your_api_secret
ALPACA_PAPER=true  # Set to false for live trading

# For user accounts:
ALPACA_USER_TANIA_API_KEY=user_api_key
ALPACA_USER_TANIA_API_SECRET=user_api_secret
ALPACA_USER_TANIA_PAPER=true

Symbol Format: AAPL, TSLA, SPY (stock tickers)

Trading Strategy:

• Bidirectional (both long and short profitable)
• Very tight profit targets (0.3-0.6%)
• Aggressive position sizing (50% for small non-PDT accounts)
• PDT-aware position sizing (30% for PDT-restricted accounts)
• Only trades during market hours

Important Notes:

• Paper trading recommended for testing
• PDT rule applies to accounts under $25,000
• Market hours: 9:30 AM - 4:00 PM ET (no 24/7 trading)
• Fractional shares supported (minimum $1 positions)

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Kraken Pro

Best For: Low-fee bidirectional crypto trading

Key Features:

• Low fees: 0.16% taker, 0.10% maker
• Round-trip cost: 0.36%
• Supports: Crypto, Futures, Stocks (via Alpaca)
• Profit targets: 0.5%+
• Max positions: 12
• Already configured (see bot/broker_configs/kraken_config.py)

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Coinbase Advanced Trade

Best For: Quick crypto trades (higher fees, use selectively)

Key Features:

• Higher fees: 0.60% taker, 0.40% maker
• Round-trip cost: 1.40%
• Crypto only
• Buy-focused strategy (quick profit-taking)
• Already configured (see bot/broker_configs/coinbase_config.py)

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Broker Adapters

Broker adapters ensure that trade intents are validated and adjusted according to each broker’s specific requirements:

BinanceAdapter

Located in bot/broker_adapters.py

Features:

• Enforces $10 minimum notional
• Symbol normalization: BTC-USD → BTCUSDT
• Converts USD to USDT (Binance’s primary quote currency)
• Fee-aware validation (0.28% round-trip)

OKXAdapter

Located in bot/broker_adapters.py

Features:

• Enforces $10 minimum order size
• Symbol normalization: BTC-USD → BTC-USDT
• Dash separator format (BTC-USDT)
• Fee-aware validation (0.20% round-trip)
• Supports futures and perpetuals

AlpacaAdapter

Located in bot/broker_adapters.py

Features:

• Enforces $1 minimum (fractional shares)
• PDT rule checking (accounts under $25k)
• Market hours validation
• Stock ticker normalization
• Zero commission awareness

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Using Multiple Brokers for Scaling

Multi-Broker Strategy

NIJA supports independent trading across multiple brokers simultaneously:

# Enable multi-broker independent trading
MULTI_BROKER_INDEPENDENT=true

Recommended Broker Allocation

For optimal scaling with diverse fee structures:

1. Primary (70%): OKX + Binance (lowest fees, highest frequency)
2. Secondary (20%): Kraken (low fees, good liquidity)
3. Selective (10%): Coinbase (higher fees, use for specific pairs)
4. Stocks: Alpaca (zero commissions, separate from crypto)

Capital Allocation Example

For a $1,000 account across multiple brokers:

OKX:      $400 (40%) - Ultra-low fees, high frequency
Binance:  $300 (30%) - Best liquidity, high volume
Kraken:   $200 (20%) - Low fees, reliable
Alpaca:   $100 (10%) - Stocks, zero commissions

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Testing Broker Configurations

1. Test Connection

All brokers support testnet/paper trading:

# OKX Testnet
OKX_USE_TESTNET=true

# Binance Testnet
BINANCE_USE_TESTNET=true

# Alpaca Paper Trading
ALPACA_PAPER=true

2. Verify Credentials

Run the bot with LIVE_CAPITAL_VERIFIED=false to test connections without trading:

LIVE_CAPITAL_VERIFIED=false
python bot.py

Check logs for connection confirmations:

• ✅ BINANCE CONNECTED (🧪 TESTNET) or ✅ BINANCE CONNECTED (🔴 LIVE)
• ✅ OKX CONNECTED (🧪 TESTNET) or ✅ OKX CONNECTED (🔴 LIVE)
• ✅ ALPACA CONNECTED (🧪 PAPER) or ✅ ALPACA CONNECTED (🔴 LIVE)

3. Test Small Positions

Start with minimum position sizes to verify order execution:

• OKX: $10 minimum
• Binance: $10 minimum
• Alpaca: $1 minimum (fractional shares)

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Broker Selection Logic

The trading strategy automatically selects the best broker for each trade based on:

1. Fee Structure: Lower fees = more aggressive trading
2. Pair Availability: Some pairs only available on specific brokers
3. Account Balance: PDT rules (Alpaca), minimum balances
4. Asset Type: Crypto (OKX/Binance/Kraken), Stocks (Alpaca)

Example from bot/broker_configs/__init__.py:

from bot.broker_configs import get_broker_config

# Get broker-specific configuration
okx_config = get_broker_config('okx')
binance_config = get_broker_config('binance')
alpaca_config = get_broker_config('alpaca')

# Configurations include:
# - Profit targets
# - Stop loss levels
# - Position sizing rules
# - Fee structures
# - Max positions/trades

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API Credentials Setup

OKX

1. Visit: https://www.okx.com/account/my-api
2. Create API key with permissions:
   • ✅ Read
   • ✅ Trade
   • ❌ Withdraw (never enable)
3. Save: API Key, API Secret, Passphrase
4. Add to .env:

   OKX_API_KEY=your_key
   OKX_API_SECRET=your_secret
   OKX_PASSPHRASE=your_passphrase
   

Binance

1. Visit: https://www.binance.com/en/my/settings/api-management
2. Create API key with permissions:
   • ✅ Enable Reading
   • ✅ Enable Spot & Margin Trading
   • ❌ Enable Withdrawals (never enable)
3. Save: API Key, API Secret
4. Add to .env:

   BINANCE_API_KEY=your_key
   BINANCE_API_SECRET=your_secret
   

Alpaca

1. Visit: https://alpaca.markets/
2. Create account and generate API keys
3. For testing, use Paper Trading keys first
4. Add to .env:

   ALPACA_API_KEY=your_key
   ALPACA_API_SECRET=your_secret
   ALPACA_PAPER=true
   

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Security Best Practices

1. Never commit credentials to version control
2. Use testnet/paper trading first
3. Start with small amounts ($10-25)
4. Never enable withdrawal permissions on API keys
5. Use IP whitelisting when available
6. Rotate API keys regularly
7. Monitor for unusual activity

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Troubleshooting

Connection Failures

OKX “Invalid Passphrase” Error:

• Verify passphrase is not a placeholder value
• Check for extra spaces or newlines
• Ensure API key has trading permissions

Binance 403 “Too Many Errors”:

• API key temporarily blocked due to failed attempts
• Wait 5-10 minutes before retrying
• Verify API key and secret are correct

Alpaca Paper Trading Not Working:

• Ensure ALPACA_PAPER=true is set
• Use paper trading API keys, not live keys
• Check that keys are from https://alpaca.markets/

Minimum Order Size Errors

Each broker has different minimums:

• OKX: $10
• Binance: $10
• Alpaca: $1
• Kraken: $10
• Coinbase: $25

Adjust position sizing in config files if needed.

Symbol Format Issues

Different brokers use different symbol formats:

• OKX: BTC-USDT (dash separator)
• Binance: BTCUSDT (no separator)
• Alpaca: AAPL (stock ticker)
• Kraken: BTCUSD (no separator)
• Coinbase: BTC-USD (dash separator)

Adapters handle normalization automatically.

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Next Steps

1. Set up credentials for desired brokers in .env
2. Test connections using testnet/paper trading
3. Start with small positions ($10-25)
4. Monitor performance and adjust allocations
5. Scale up as you gain confidence

For more details, see:

• bot/broker_configs/ - Individual broker configurations
• bot/broker_adapters.py - Broker-specific adapters
• .env.example - Environment variable templates
• BROKER_INTEGRATION_GUIDE.md - General integration guide