# the0
**Open-Source Algorithmic Trading Platform**
*Production-grade bot execution engine for quantitative trading*
[](https://opensource.org/licenses/Apache-2.0)
[](https://www.docker.com/)
[](https://www.python.org/)
[](https://www.typescriptlang.org/)
[](https://www.rust-lang.org/)
[](https://isocpp.org/)
[](https://dotnet.microsoft.com/)
[](https://www.scala-lang.org/)
[](https://www.haskell.org/)
[](https://artifacthub.io/packages/search?repo=the0)
---
## What is the0?
**the0** is an open-source algorithmic trading execution engine that provides production-grade infrastructure for deploying and managing trading bots across multiple markets. Build strategies in your preferred language—Python, TypeScript, Rust, C++, C#, Scala, or Haskell—then deploy them to a self-hosted execution engine with real-time monitoring and custom React dashboards.
> **Status**: Beta - Active development. Not production-ready. Contributions and feedback welcome.
### Key Features
- **Multi-Language Support** - Build bots in Python, TypeScript, Rust, C++, C#, Scala, or Haskell
- **Custom Frontends** - Create React dashboards tailored to your trading strategies
- **Real-time Execution** - Deploy scheduled or continuous trading bots with isolated execution
- **Self-Hosted** - Full control over your infrastructure and data
- **Docker Ready** - Streamlined deployment with Docker Compose
- **CLI-First Workflow** - Efficient bot management via command-line interface
- **Exchange Agnostic** - Design your bots to work with any trading platform
---
## Quick Start
Deploy the0 locally:
### Prerequisites
- **Docker** 20.10+ with **Compose** plugin (the CLI uses Docker Compose under the hood)
- At least 4GB RAM available for containers
### Option 1: CLI Local Deployment (Recommended)
```bash
# Install the CLI
curl -sSL https://install.the0.app | sh
# Initialize local compose and configure the root admin
the0 local init --email you@example.com --password testuse123
# Start all services
the0 local start
# Access the platform
open http://localhost:3001/login # Frontend
open http://localhost:3000 # API
open http://localhost:9001 # MinIO Console (admin/the0password)
```
### Option 2: Kubernetes (Helm)
Kubernetes is not a one-command install. A production deployment needs
operator-managed backing services and secrets for PostgreSQL, MongoDB,
S3-compatible object storage, JWT signing, and the deployment-managed root
admin. The chart can run NATS in the cluster, or you can point it at an
external NATS service.
The Helm chart is published for production use, but prepare a values file and
Secret workflow first:
```bash
helm repo add the0 https://alexanderwanyoike.github.io/the0
helm repo update
```
**Local development with Minikube:**
```bash
cd k8s
make minikube-up
make setup-hosts
```
See [Kubernetes Deployment](docs/deployment/kubernetes.md) for the full guide,
including the external services and root admin configuration the chart expects.
---
## CLI Installation
The the0 CLI tool provides a local development interface for managing your bots.
### Quick Install (Recommended)
```bash
curl -sSL https://install.the0.app | sh
```
This detects your OS and architecture, downloads the latest release binary, verifies its checksum, and installs it to `~/.the0/bin/the0`. Make sure `~/.the0/bin` is in your PATH.
### Install from Source
```bash
# Clone the repository if you haven't already
git clone https://github.com/alexanderwanyoike/the0.git
cd the0/cli
# Build and install the CLI
make install
# Verify installation
the0 --help
```
The source build installs to `~/bin/the0`. Make sure `~/bin` is in your PATH.
### Prerequisites for CLI
- **Go 1.21+** - Required for building the CLI
- **Git** - For cloning the repository
### CLI Configuration & Usage
**Configure API endpoint for local deployments:**
```bash
# For Docker Compose deployment
export THE0_API_URL=http://localhost:3000
# For Kubernetes deployment
export THE0_API_URL=http://api.the0.local:3000
```
**For CLI bot usage instructions, visit the official documentation:**
📖 [the0 CLI Documentation](https://docs.the0.app/the0-cli/)
---
## MCP Server (Claude Code Integration)
the0 includes a built-in MCP (Model Context Protocol) server that enables AI assistants like Claude Code to interact directly with the platform. This allows you to manage bots, view logs, and deploy configurations using natural language.
### Configure Claude Code
MCP tools require authentication via API key. Generate one from the web dashboard (Settings → API Keys) or via the CLI (`the0 auth login`).
**Option 1: CLI Command**
```bash
claude mcp add the0 --transport http http://localhost:3000/mcp \
--header "x-api-key: YOUR_API_KEY"
```
**Option 2: Configuration File**
Add to your `.mcp.json` in the project root:
```json
{
"mcpServers": {
"the0": {
"type": "http",
"url": "http://localhost:3000/mcp",
"headers": {
"x-api-key": "YOUR_API_KEY"
}
}
}
}
```
For team environments, use environment variable expansion to avoid committing secrets:
```json
{
"mcpServers": {
"the0": {
"type": "http",
"url": "http://localhost:3000/mcp",
"headers": {
"x-api-key": "${THE0_API_KEY}"
}
}
}
}
```
Restart Claude Code after configuring, then verify with `/mcp` — you should see the0 server as connected.
### Available MCP Tools
| Category | Tool | Description |
|----------|------|-------------|
| **Auth** | `auth_status` | Check API key validity |
| **Bot Instance** | `bot_list` | List deployed bots |
| | `bot_get` | Get bot details |
| | `bot_deploy` | Deploy a new bot |
| | `bot_update` | Update bot configuration |
| | `bot_delete` | Delete a bot |
| **Logs** | `logs_get` | Get execution logs |
| | `logs_summary` | Get log statistics |
| **Custom Bot** | `custom_bot_list` | List available custom bots |
| | `custom_bot_get` | Get custom bot details |
| | `custom_bot_schema` | Get configuration schema |
### Example Usage
Once configured, ask Claude Code:
- *"List my deployed bots"*
- *"Show me the logs for my trading bot"*
- *"What custom bots are available?"*
- *"Deploy a new scheduled bot with this configuration"*
For detailed MCP documentation including all tool parameters and troubleshooting, see [MCP Integration Guide](docs/integrations/mcp.md).
---
## Architecture
the0 is built as a microservices execution engine that enables algorithmic trading bot deployment and management:
```mermaid
graph TB
subgraph "Users"
DEV[👨💻 Bot Developer
Creates & tests bots]
TRADER[📊 Trader
Deploys & monitors]
end
subgraph "the0 Platform"
subgraph "Client Layer"
WEB[🌐 Web Dashboard
Next.js 15, React 19
Bot management & monitoring]
CLI[🛠️ CLI Tool
Go, Cobra
Local development]
end
subgraph "API Layer"
API[🚀 API Server
NestJS, TypeScript
REST API & orchestration]
end
subgraph "Runtime Services"
BR[⚡ Bot Runner
Go, gRPC
Real-time execution]
BS[⏰ Bot Scheduler
Go, gRPC
Cron execution]
end
subgraph "Data Layer"
PG[(🐘 PostgreSQL
Users, bots, auth)]
MONGO[(🍃 MongoDB
Runtime state, logs)]
NATS[📨 NATS JetStream
Event streaming]
MINIO[📦 MinIO
Code & log storage]
end
end
%% User interactions
DEV -.->|HTTPS| WEB
DEV -.->|CLI| CLI
TRADER -.->|HTTPS| WEB
%% Client to API
WEB -->|REST + JWT| API
CLI -->|REST + API Key| API
API -->|SSE| WEB
%% API to databases
API -->|SQL| PG
API -->|Events| NATS
API -->|S3 API| MINIO
%% Runtime services
NATS -->|Events| BR
NATS -->|Events| BS
BR -->|State| MONGO
BS -->|Schedules| MONGO
BR -->|Logs| MINIO
%% Styling
classDef userClass fill:#e1f5fe,stroke:#0277bd,stroke-width:2px
classDef clientClass fill:#e8f5e8,stroke:#388e3c,stroke-width:2px
classDef apiClass fill:#f3e5f5,stroke:#7b1fa2,stroke-width:2px
classDef runtimeClass fill:#fff8e1,stroke:#f57c00,stroke-width:2px
classDef dataClass fill:#e0f2f1,stroke:#00695c,stroke-width:2px
class DEV,TRADER userClass
class WEB,CLI clientClass
class API apiClass
class BR,BS runtimeClass
class PG,MONGO,NATS,MINIO dataClass
```
### How It Works
**🌐 Web Dashboard** - Next.js frontend for bot management, real-time monitoring, and documentation system
**🛠️ CLI Tool** - Go-based command-line interface for local bot development, testing, and deployment automation
**🚀 API Server** - NestJS backend providing REST APIs, JWT authentication, and event orchestration across all services
**⚙️ Runtime Services** - Specialized Go microservices using master-worker patterns for different execution models:
- **Bot Runner**: Real-time trading bot execution
- **Bot Scheduler**: Cron-based scheduled execution
**💾 Data Architecture** - Multi-database approach:
- **PostgreSQL**: User accounts, bot definitions, authentication
- **MongoDB**: Runtime state, job queues, execution logs
- **MinIO**: Bot code storage and logs
- **NATS JetStream**: Event streaming and service coordination
### Key Benefits
- **Isolated**: Each bot runs in isolation with resource management
- **Fast**: Real-time execution with live market data
- **Scalable**: Handles multiple bots and users across distributed infrastructure
---
## Bot Development
### Supported Languages
Build trading bots in any of these languages with official SDK support:
| Language | SDK | Documentation | Package Registry |
|----------|-----|---------------|------------------|
| **Python** | [sdk/python](sdk/python) | [Quick Start](docs/custom-bot-development/python-quick-start.md) | [PyPI](https://pypi.org/project/the0-sdk/) |
| **TypeScript/Node.js** | [sdk/nodejs](sdk/nodejs) | [Quick Start](docs/custom-bot-development/nodejs-quick-start.md) | [npm](https://www.npmjs.com/package/@alexanderwanyoike/the0-node) |
| **Rust** | [sdk/rust](sdk/rust) | [Quick Start](docs/custom-bot-development/rust-quick-start.md) | [crates.io](https://crates.io/crates/the0-sdk) |
| **C++** | [sdk/cpp](sdk/cpp) | [Quick Start](docs/custom-bot-development/cpp-quick-start.md) | Header-only (FetchContent) |
| **C#** | [sdk/dotnet](sdk/dotnet) | [Quick Start](docs/custom-bot-development/csharp-quick-start.md) | [NuGet](https://www.nuget.org/packages/The0.Sdk) |
| **Scala** | [sdk/scala](sdk/scala) | [Quick Start](docs/custom-bot-development/scala-quick-start.md) | [GitHub Packages](https://github.com/alexanderwanyoike/the0/packages) |
| **Haskell** | [sdk/haskell](sdk/haskell) | [Quick Start](docs/custom-bot-development/haskell-quick-start.md) | Source (cabal) |
### Custom Frontends
Build React dashboards tailored to your trading strategies using the React SDK:
| SDK | Documentation | Package |
|-----|---------------|---------|
| [sdk/react](sdk/react) | [Custom Frontends](docs/custom-bot-development/custom-frontends.md) | [@alexanderwanyoike/the0-react](https://www.npmjs.com/package/@alexanderwanyoike/the0-react) |
### Framework Agnostic
the0 doesn't lock you into specific libraries or frameworks. Use any packages from your language's ecosystem—pandas for Python, sttp for Scala, reqwest for Rust, or any other libraries you prefer.
### Example: Simple DCA Bot
```python
from typing import Dict, Any
from alpaca.trading.client import TradingClient
def main(id: str, config: Dict[str, Any]) -> Dict[str, Any]:
"""Dollar Cost Averaging bot - buys a fixed amount regularly"""
# Initialize trading client
client = TradingClient(
api_key=config["api_key"],
secret_key=config["secret_key"],
paper=config.get("paper", True)
)
# Calculate and execute purchase
symbol = config["symbol"]
amount = config["amount"]
# Place market buy order
order = client.submit_order(
symbol=symbol,
notional=amount,
side=OrderSide.BUY,
type=OrderType.MARKET,
time_in_force=TimeInForce.DAY
)
return {
"status": "success",
"message": f"Purchased ${amount} of {symbol}",
"order_id": order.id
}
```
### Bot Types
- **Scheduled Bots** - Run on cron schedules (daily, weekly, monthly)
- **Real-time Bots** - Continuous execution with live data feeds
---
## Documentation
### Getting Started
- [Welcome to the0](/docs/welcome-to-the0.md) - Platform overview
- [Custom Bot Development](/docs/custom-bot-development/) - Build your first bot
- [Quick Start Guide](/docs/custom-bot-development/quick-start-guide.md) - 15-minute DCA bot tutorial
### Deployment Guides
- [Kubernetes Deployment](k8s/README.md) - Production deployment
### Development Resources
- [Bot Configuration](docs/custom-bot-development/configuration.md) - Configuration reference
- [Testing & Debugging](docs/custom-bot-development/testing.md) - Development best practices
---
## Contributing
We welcome contributions from developers, traders, and AI enthusiasts! the0 is built by a community that values creativity and innovation.
### AI-Assisted Development
We encourage the use of AI tools and agents in development:
- **AI Assistants Welcome** - Use Claude, ChatGPT, GitHub Copilot, or any AI tools you prefer
- **AI-Generated Code** - AI-written code is acceptable when properly tested
- **Creative Solutions** - We value innovative approaches and problem-solving
- **Quality First** - Ensure your code is properly tested, regardless of origin
- **Context Engineering Over Vibe Coding** - Use context engineering when contributing with AI
### Ways to Contribute
- **Bug Reports** - Found an issue? Let us know
- **Feature Requests** - Have ideas for improvements?
- **Code Contributions** - Submit pull requests (AI-assisted or manual)
- **Documentation** - Help improve our docs and examples
- **Bot Templates** - Share innovative trading strategies and patterns
See [CONTRIBUTING.md](CONTRIBUTING.md) for detailed contribution guidelines.
### Getting Started
1. Fork the repository
2. Create a feature branch (`git checkout -b feature/your-feature`)
3. Build your solution (with or without AI assistance)
4. Add tests
5. Submit a pull request with a clear description
---
## License
This project is licensed under the Apache License 2.0 - see the [LICENSE](LICENSE) file for details.
---
## Support & Community
- **Discord**: [Join our community for support](https://discord.gg/g5mp57nK)
- **Documentation**: [docs.the0.app](https://docs.the0.app)
- **GitHub Issues**: [Report bugs or request features](https://github.com/alexanderwanyoike/the0/issues)
---
**Built by AlphaNeuron**
[Website](https://the0.app) • [Documentation](https://docs.the0.app) • [Discord](https://discord.gg/g5mp57nK)