Launching Strategies

How to start and manage trading strategies

Launching Strategies

This guide covers how to start and manage trading strategies with the auto-trading system.

Before You Start

Prerequisites Checklist

Safety First

⚠️ Always start in dry-run mode - This simulates trading without real money ⚠️ Test thoroughly before risking real capital ⚠️ Start small when you do go live

Basic Launch Commands

Default Strategy

# Launch with default settings (ReinforcedAverageStrategy)
./docker-launch.sh

Specific Strategy

# Launch a specific strategy
./docker-launch.sh NFI
./docker-launch.sh ReinforcedQuickie  
./docker-launch.sh BbandRsi
./docker-launch.sh SMAOffset

Multiple Strategies

# Launch multiple strategies on different ports
./docker-launch.sh NFI 0              # Port 8101
./docker-launch.sh ReinforcedQuickie 1 # Port 8102  
./docker-launch.sh BbandRsi 2         # Port 8103

Strategy Options

Available Strategies

Strategy Best For Timeframe Risk Level
NFI Experienced traders 1m Medium-High
ReinforcedQuickie Active trading 5m Medium
BbandRsi Range-bound markets 15m Medium
SMAOffset Beginners 1h Low-Medium

Strategy-Specific Configurations

Each strategy has optimized settings in config/ directory:

Understanding the Launch Process

What Happens When You Launch

  1. Proxy Setup: Binance rate-limiting proxy starts automatically
  2. Configuration: Strategy-specific config is generated from template
  3. Container Creation: Docker container with your strategy launches
  4. Data Directories: Isolated data directories created for each strategy
  5. API Connection: Bot connects to Binance and starts monitoring

Directory Structure Created

/your-data-directory/
├── ReinforcedAverageStrategy/     # Default strategy
│   └── user_data/
│       ├── data/                  # Market data
│       ├── logs/                  # Bot logs
│       └── tradesv3.sqlite       # Trade database
├── NFI/                          # NFI strategy instance
├── ReinforcedQuickie/            # Quickie strategy instance
└── ...

Monitoring Your Bots

Web Interface Access

Command Line Monitoring

# Check running containers
docker ps

# View logs for specific strategy
docker logs freqtrade-NFI

# Monitor all strategies
./scripts/monitor-bots.sh

# Check proxy status
./scripts/monitor-proxy.sh

Key Metrics to Watch

Dry-Run vs Live Trading

Dry-Run Mode (Default)

Dry-run indicators:

Switching to Live Trading

⚠️ Only do this after thorough testing

  1. Edit the strategy config (e.g., config/NFI-config-template.json): 
    "dry_run": false
  2. Remove dry-run flag from docker-launch.sh: 
    # Find this line and remove --dry-run
--dry-run
  3. Start with small capital: 
    "stake_amount": 10  // Start with $10 per trade
  4. Restart the bot: 
    docker stop freqtrade-YourStrategy
./docker-launch.sh YourStrategy

Managing Multiple Strategies

Resource Considerations

Launching All Strategies

# Launch primary strategies
./docker-launch.sh NFI 0
./docker-launch.sh ReinforcedQuickie 1
./docker-launch.sh BbandRsi 2

# Wait between launches to stagger startup
sleep 30

# Launch additional strategies
./docker-launch.sh SMAOffset 3

Stopping Strategies

# Stop specific strategy
docker stop freqtrade-NFI

# Stop all trading bots
docker stop $(docker ps -q --filter name=freqtrade)

# Stop everything including proxy
docker stop $(docker ps -q)

Troubleshooting Launch Issues

Container Won’t Start

# Check container status
docker ps -a

# View startup logs
docker logs freqtrade-YourStrategy

# Common fixes
./scripts/setup-proxy.sh  # Ensure proxy is running
chmod +x docker-launch.sh # Fix script permissions

API Connection Problems

ERROR - Unable to connect to exchange

Solutions:

  1. Check API keys in .env file
  2. Verify Binance API permissions
  3. Ensure proxy is running: ./scripts/setup-proxy.sh

Port Already in Use

ERROR - Port 8101 already in use

Solutions:

  1. Use different port offset: ./docker-launch.sh Strategy 1
  2. Stop existing container: docker stop freqtrade-Strategy
  3. Find process using port: sudo lsof -i :8101

Strategy Not Found

ERROR - No strategy 'YourStrategy' found

Solutions:

  1. Check available strategies: ls user_data/strategies/
  2. Verify strategy name spelling
  3. Update strategies: ./scripts/update-strategies.sh

Best Practices

Starting Out

  1. Learn one strategy first - Master one before trying multiple
  2. Monitor closely - Watch dry-run performance for at least a week
  3. Understand the market - Learn when your strategy works best
  4. Keep records - Document what you learn

Production Running

  1. Regular monitoring - Check bots daily
  2. Performance reviews - Weekly analysis of results
  3. Strategy rotation - Pause strategies during unfavorable conditions
  4. Emergency stops - Know how to quickly stop all trading

Risk Management

  1. Start small - Use minimum stake amounts initially
  2. Diversify - Don’t use all capital on one strategy
  3. Set limits - Define maximum loss thresholds
  4. Regular reviews - Weekly performance and risk assessment

Next Steps

With strategies running: