Get Started: Paper Trading Options with Alpaca’s Trading API

Discover how easy it is to paper trade options with Alpaca!
Watch this video featuring Tony Lee, President of Alpaca Securities and Product Strategy, as he guides you through the process of paper trading options using Alpaca's Trading API.
Here's what you'll learn:
Environment Setup: Configure your trading environment with Alpaca-py.
Order Management: Access, place a long call or put, and manage option contracts seamlessly.
Real-time Monitoring: Stay updated on orders and positions in real-time.
Contract Details and Filtering: Obtain and filter option contracts by various parameters.
Position Insights and Management: Explore position monitoring, order placement, expiration tracking, and more!
To get the most out of this video, here’s your checklist:
1.Sign up for a free paper trading account with Alpaca:bit.ly/3U9dvQ8
2.Explore our Options for Trading API documentation: bit.ly/3U7g3ym
3.Choose your SDK of choice between :
Alpaca-py (Python): bit.ly/43Ska4D
.Net/ C# : bit.ly/3xuaeCg
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To learn more visit: bit.ly/3TQipjU
Options trading is not suitable for all investors due to its inherent high risk, which can potentially result in significant losses. Please read Characteristics and Risks of Standardized Options before investing in options.
Link: www.theocc.com/company-inform...
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0:00 Intro
0:48 Setting Up Your Environment
2:23 Import Alpaca-py (Python) Package
2:54 Setting Up Trade, Stock, and Options Client
3:22 Account Details
4:10 Set your Max Options Trading Level
5:04 Get Assets
5:51 Options Covered Call
8:52 Get Options Contract Request
10:36 Select Strike Price for Selling Call Options
15:23 Create a New Market Order Request
16:44 Close Options Position

[@vchan711]

Good demo! Where can I download the coding?

[@elangovangovindan1188]

Very nice get started demo

[@AlpacaMarkets]

Thank you so much!

[@jackbud427]

@10:00 it might be better to use a while loop here instead of an if to go through the pages. I'm guessing each page has 100 contracts and since you only go through the first 2 pages that might be why you're getting 200 contracts on the dot.
Otherwise API looks really easy to use !

[@AlpacaMarkets]

Thank you!

[@Killedman98]

Hi Jackbud427, what condition would you put on the while loop to pull all available contracts that fit the criteria?

[@jackbud427]

@Killedman98 say while(true). Just incase an error breaks the loop, put a try catch inside to make sure it runs forever

[@nikhilpanicker2910]

I have been using the paper trading API, when will alpaca support OCO orders for options?

[@AlpacaMarkets]

Thank you for reaching out and for using our paper trading API! We're continually evaluating new features to improve our platform. Implementing OCO orders for options is on our radar, but we can't provide a precise timeline right now. We appreciate your enthusiasm and recommend keeping an eye on our updates for any new developments.