Configuration Reference

This reference provides detailed explanations of all configuration parameters used in the auto-trading system.

Configuration Overview

The system uses JSON configuration files with environment variable substitution:

• Templates: Files in config/ directory with .json extension
• Environment variables: Values from .env file substituted at runtime
• Processing: Templates become actual config files when bots start

Environment Variables (.env file)

Required Variables

Binance API Configuration

BINANCE_API_KEY=your_api_key_here
BINANCE_API_SECRET=your_secret_key_here

• Purpose: Authenticate with Binance exchange
• Security: Never share or commit these values
• Permissions: Enable “Reading” and “Spot Trading” only

Web Interface Access

WEB_USERNAME=admin
WEB_PASSWORD=your_secure_password
WEB_PORT=8101

• WEB_USERNAME: Login name for bot web interface
• WEB_PASSWORD: Strong password (avoid default passwords)
• WEB_PORT: Base port for web interface (each bot uses offset)

Data Storage

DATA_DIR=/path/to/your/trading-data

• Purpose: Directory where bot data is stored
• Requirements: Must be absolute path with write permissions
• Structure: Each strategy creates subdirectory

Optional Variables

Telegram Notifications

TELEGRAM_BOT_TOKEN=123456789:ABCdefGHIjklMNOpqrSTUVwxyz
TELEGRAM_CHAT_ID=123456789

• TELEGRAM_BOT_TOKEN: From @BotFather when creating bot
• TELEGRAM_CHAT_ID: Your personal chat ID for receiving messages
• Usage: Leave empty to disable Telegram notifications

Configuration Template Structure

Basic Template Sections

Every configuration template contains these main sections:

{
  "max_open_trades": 5,
  "stake_currency": "USDT", 
  "stake_amount": "unlimited",
  "tradable_balance_ratio": 0.99,
  "fiat_display_currency": "USD",
  "timeframe": "5m",
  "dry_run": true,
  "cancel_open_orders_on_exit": false,
  
  "bid_strategy": {...},
  "ask_strategy": {...}, 
  "exchange": {...},
  "pairlists": [...],
  "telegram": {...},
  "api_server": {...},
  "internals": {...}
}

Trading Parameters

Position Management

{
  "max_open_trades": 5,
  "stake_amount": "unlimited",
  "tradable_balance_ratio": 0.99
}

max_open_trades

• Type: Integer or -1 for unlimited
• Purpose: Maximum number of simultaneous trades
• Considerations:
  • Higher values = more diversification but increased complexity
  • Lower values = easier to manage but less opportunity
  • Balance with available capital

stake_amount

• Type: Number or “unlimited”
• Purpose: Amount invested per trade
• Options:
  • Fixed amount: 20 (invest $20 per trade)
  • Percentage: "5%" (5% of available balance per trade)
  • Unlimited: "unlimited" (divide balance by max_open_trades)

tradable_balance_ratio

• Type: Float between 0 and 1
• Purpose: Percentage of total balance available for trading
• Example: 0.99 means 99% of balance can be used, 1% kept as reserve

Currency Settings

{
  "stake_currency": "USDT",
  "fiat_display_currency": "USD"
}

stake_currency

• Purpose: Base currency for all trades
• Common values: “USDT”, “BTC”, “ETH”
• Recommendation: Use “USDT” for stable value reference

fiat_display_currency

• Purpose: Currency for profit/loss display in web interface
• Values: “USD”, “EUR”, “GBP”, etc.
• Note: Only affects display, not actual trading

Timeframe and Execution

{
  "timeframe": "5m",
  "dry_run": true,
  "cancel_open_orders_on_exit": false
}

timeframe

• Purpose: Candle interval for strategy analysis
• Common values: “1m”, “5m”, “15m”, “1h”, “4h”, “1d”
• Strategy dependency: Each strategy has optimal timeframe

dry_run

• Type: Boolean
• Purpose: Enable simulation mode (no real trading)
• Safety: Always start with true for testing

Risk Management

Stop Loss and Take Profit

{
  "stoploss": -0.1,
  "trailing_stop": false,
  "trailing_stop_positive": 0.01,
  "trailing_stop_positive_offset": 0.02,
  "trailing_only_offset_is_reached": false
}

stoploss

• Type: Negative float
• Purpose: Maximum loss per trade as percentage
• Examples:
  • -0.05 = 5% stop loss
  • -0.99 = 99% stop loss (effectively disabled)
• Strategy consideration: NFI uses -0.99 to rely on internal logic

trailing_stop

• Type: Boolean
• Purpose: Enable dynamic stop loss that follows price
• Usage: Locks in profits as price moves favorably

minimal_roi

• Type: Object with time-based profit targets
• Purpose: Take profit at specific time intervals
• Example:

  {
  "minimal_roi": {
    "0": 0.05,    // 5% profit immediately
    "30": 0.025,  // 2.5% profit after 30 minutes
    "60": 0.01,   // 1% profit after 1 hour
    "120": 0      // Break even after 2 hours
  }
  }
  

Position Adjustments

{
  "position_adjustment_enable": true,
  "max_entry_position_adjustment": 3
}

position_adjustment_enable

• Type: Boolean
• Purpose: Allow multiple entries into same position
• Use case: Dollar-cost averaging, adding to winning positions
• Risk: Can increase losses if market moves against position

Exchange Configuration

Basic Exchange Settings

{
  "exchange": {
    "name": "binance",
    "key": "${BINANCE_API_KEY}",
    "secret": "${BINANCE_API_SECRET}",
    "ccxt_config": {
      "enableRateLimit": false,
      "urls": {
        "api": "http://binance-proxy:8100/binance"
      }
    },
    "pair_whitelist": [...],
    "pair_blacklist": [...]
  }
}

API Authentication

• key/secret: Use environment variables for security
• enableRateLimit: Disabled when using binance-proxy
• urls.api: Points to rate-limiting proxy

Trading Pairs

{
  "pair_whitelist": [
    "BTC/USDT",
    "ETH/USDT", 
    "BNB/USDT"
  ],
  "pair_blacklist": [
    "BNB/BTC"
  ]
}

pair_whitelist

• Purpose: Allowed trading pairs for strategy
• Format: “BASE/QUOTE” (e.g., “BTC/USDT”)
• Strategy: Different strategies may prefer different pairs

pair_blacklist

• Purpose: Explicitly forbidden pairs
• Use case: Exclude problematic or illiquid pairs
• Priority: Blacklist overrides whitelist

Advanced Configuration

Pair List Filters

{
  "pairlists": [
    {
      "method": "StaticPairList"
    },
    {
      "method": "VolumePairList", 
      "number_assets": 20,
      "sort_key": "quoteVolume"
    },
    {
      "method": "RangeStabilityFilter",
      "lookback_days": 10,
      "min_rate_of_change": 0.02,
      "max_rate_of_change": 0.75
    }
  ]
}

Available Methods

• StaticPairList: Use fixed whitelist
• VolumePairList: Select by trading volume
• RangeStabilityFilter: Filter by price stability
• ShuffleFilter: Randomize pair order
• SpreadFilter: Filter by bid-ask spread

Telegram Configuration

{
  "telegram": {
    "enabled": true,
    "token": "${TELEGRAM_BOT_TOKEN}",
    "chat_id": "${TELEGRAM_CHAT_ID}",
    "notification_settings": {
      "status": "on",
      "warning": "on",
      "startup": "on", 
      "buy": "on",
      "sell": "on",
      "buy_cancel": "on",
      "sell_cancel": "on"
    }
  }
}

Notification Types

• status: Bot status updates
• warning: Error and warning messages
• startup: Bot start/stop notifications
• buy/sell: Trade execution alerts
• buy_cancel/sell_cancel: Order cancellation alerts

Web API Server

{
  "api_server": {
    "enabled": true,
    "listen_ip_address": "0.0.0.0",
    "listen_port": 8101,
    "verbosity": "error",
    "enable_openapi": false,
    "jwt_secret_key": "generated_secret",
    "CORS_origins": [],
    "username": "${WEB_USERNAME}",
    "password": "${WEB_PASSWORD}"
  }
}

Security Settings

• listen_ip_address: “0.0.0.0” allows external access
• jwt_secret_key: Automatically generated for security
• username/password: From environment variables
• CORS_origins: Restrict web interface access

Internal Settings

{
  "internals": {
    "process_throttle_secs": 5,
    "heartbeat_interval": 60
  }
}

Performance Tuning

• process_throttle_secs: Delay between strategy iterations
• heartbeat_interval: Status update frequency
• Stagger values: Use different throttle values for multiple strategies

Strategy-Specific Configurations

NFI Configuration

{
  "stoploss": -0.99,
  "minimal_roi": {},
  "trailing_stop": false,
  "position_adjustment_enable": true,
  "use_custom_stoploss": true,
  "max_open_trades": 5
}

• Philosophy: Let strategy manage its own exits
• Risk management: Built into strategy logic
• Position adjustments: Enabled for averaging

ReinforcedQuickie Configuration

{
  "stoploss": -0.1,
  "minimal_roi": {
    "0": 0.05,
    "30": 0.025, 
    "60": 0.01,
    "120": 0
  },
  "timeframe": "5m",
  "max_open_trades": 3
}

• Philosophy: Quick scalping with traditional risk management
• Timeframe: Optimized for 5-minute candles
• ROI: Aggressive profit-taking schedule

Validation and Testing

Configuration Validation

# Test configuration syntax
docker run --rm -v "$(pwd)/config:/config" \
  freqtradeorg/freqtrade:latest \
  config validate --config /config/your-config.json

# Test strategy loading
docker run --rm -v "$(pwd):/freqtrade" \
  freqtradeorg/freqtrade:latest \
  list-strategies --config config/your-config.json

Dry-Run Testing

Always test new configurations in dry-run mode:

1. Set "dry_run": true in template
2. Launch bot with new configuration
3. Monitor for 24-48 hours minimum
4. Analyze simulated performance before going live

Backtesting Validation

# Test configuration with backtesting
docker run --rm -v "$(pwd):/freqtrade" \
  freqtradeorg/freqtrade:latest \
  backtesting --config config/your-config.json \
  --strategy YourStrategy \
  --timerange 20230101-20230201

Common Configuration Patterns

Conservative Setup

• Small position sizes: Fixed stake amounts
• Tight stop losses: -0.05 to -0.08
• Few concurrent trades: 2-3 max_open_trades
• Major pairs only: BTC, ETH, BNB
• Traditional risk management: Defined ROI and stops

Aggressive Setup

• Larger positions: Percentage-based or unlimited stakes
• Wider stops: -0.10 to -0.15 (or strategy-managed)
• More concurrent trades: 5-8 max_open_trades
• Broader pair selection: Including altcoins
• Strategy-driven risk: Let advanced strategies manage exits

Multi-Strategy Setup

• Isolated configurations: Different templates per strategy
• Staggered processing: Different throttle values
• Pair distribution: Non-overlapping pair lists
• Resource allocation: Balanced stake amounts

Troubleshooting Configuration

Common Errors

// Invalid JSON syntax
{
  "max_open_trades": 5,  // Missing comma
  "stake_currency": "USDT"
  "dry_run": true
}

// Correct syntax
{
  "max_open_trades": 5,
  "stake_currency": "USDT",
  "dry_run": true
}

Environment Variable Issues

# Check if variables are set
echo $BINANCE_API_KEY

# Verify .env file loading
docker run --rm --env-file .env alpine env | grep BINANCE

Validation Tools

# JSON syntax validation
cat config/your-config.json | jq .

# Freqtrade configuration validation
./docker-launch.sh YourStrategy --dry-run

Security Best Practices

API Key Protection

• Never commit API keys to version control
• Use environment variables in all templates
• Rotate keys regularly (every 90 days)
• Monitor API usage in Binance account

Configuration Security

• Secure .env file: Restrict file permissions (chmod 600 .env)
• Backup securely: Encrypt backups containing sensitive data
• Access control: Limit who can modify configuration files
• Regular audits: Review configurations for security issues

Next Steps

• Project structure overview - Understand file organization
• Troubleshooting guide - Solve common configuration issues
• Strategy documentation - Learn about strategy-specific settings