ð§ Brokerage Connection & Setup Center
How TradeConsole connects securely to your accounts â setup timelines, encryption architecture, and step-by-step guides for every supported brokerage.
Want to try TradeConsole immediately while waiting on Charles Schwab’s 2–5 day developer app approval? Connect an Alpaca Paper Account (~2 minutes) or Robinhood (~2 minutes) today, and submit your Schwab Developer App in parallel!
Complete guide to creating your developer.schwab.com account, applying for Individual Trader + Market Data API access, setting exact Callback / Redirect URIs (no spaces!), and 7-day OAuth token renewal.
Why username + password + 6-digit MFA codes don’t work from cloud servers, and how to connect effortlessly by copy-pasting your complete Token Handoff URL (or clicking the Sync Bookmark) from an already-logged-in robinhood.com window.
Generate instant Paper (PK...) and Live (AK...) API keys at app.alpaca.markets, connect both simultaneously in independent slots, and configure free IEX vs. SIP market data.
Connect Interactive Brokers via the local Client Portal Gateway (https://localhost:5000/v1/api) or IBKR OAuth Web API bearer token.
Brokerage Connection Comparison at a Glance
| Brokerage | Approval / Wait Time | Connection Method | Session Lifespan & Renewal | Supported Accounts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ðĶ Charles Schwab | 2–5 business days (Developer App review) | Developer App Key + Secret + OAuth 2.0 Callback Redirect | Access token auto-renews every 30m; 7-day refresh token (10s 1-click re-auth weekly) | Individual, Joint, Roth IRA, Rollover / Traditional IRA |
| ðŠķ Robinhood | Instant (~2 min) | Token Handoff URL paste or 1-click Sync Bookmarklet from logged-in robinhood.com |
Auto-refreshed in background via refresh_token when synced via Handoff URL / Bookmarklet |
Individual, Traditional IRA, Roth IRA |
| ⥠Alpaca Markets | Instant (~2 min) for Paper; standard KYC for Live | Static REST API Key ID (AK... / PK...) + Secret Key |
Never expires unless manually regenerated or revoked in Alpaca dashboard | Live Brokerage + Free $100k Paper Sandbox simultaneously |
| ð Interactive Brokers | ~5 min (Local Gateway) / OAuth Web API | Client Portal Gateway (localhost:5000) or IBKR_ACCESS_TOKEN |
Daily gateway browser login or OAuth Web API token lifecycle | IBKR Pro, IBKR Lite, Paper, Multi-Account |
ð Where are my brokerage API keys and tokens stored?
Once signed in with your Google account, head to âïļ Settings → ð Brokerage Connections inside TradeConsole. Every key or token you save is isolated inside your personal user shard (users/<email_shard>/ locally or trade_console_users/{user_id} on Cloud Firestore) and envelope-encrypted with Fernet AES-128-CBC + HMAC-SHA256 before hitting cloud storage. You can disconnect and wipe any brokerage credential in one click at any time.