Live Trading & Deployment
Connect your brokerage and deploy strategies for live trading.
# Live Trading & Deployment
NexusTrade supports both **paper trading** (simulated) and **live trading** (real money) through connected brokerages.
## Paper Trading
Paper trading is available on all plans, including Free. It simulates real market conditions:
- Uses real-time market data
- Simulates order execution at market prices
- Tracks positions, P&L, and performance metrics
- No real money is at risk
Paper trading is the recommended first step for any strategy. Deploy it, let it run for a few weeks, and verify it behaves as expected before going live.
## Connecting a Brokerage
To trade with real money, connect one of the supported brokerages:
### TradeStation
[TradeStation](https://www.tradestation.com/promo/nexustrade/) offers institutional-grade execution with ultra-low latency, $0 commissions on stocks and ETFs, and support for stocks, ETFs, options, and futures.
**Exclusive promotion:** Connect any TradeStation account to NexusTrade and get **1 month of free NexusTrade Premium**. Opening a NEW TradeStation account with promo code **NXTRAGMC** also earns you up to **$5,000 in cash back** based on your deposit:
| Deposit Amount | Cash Back |
|---------------|-----------|
| $500 | $50 |
| $25,000 | $250 |
| $100,000 | $400 |
| $1,000,000 | $3,000 |
| $2,000,000+ | $5,000 |
**How to connect:**
1. Navigate to [/tradestation](/tradestation) or **Live Trading > TradeStation**.
2. Click **Connect with TradeStation**.
3. You'll be redirected to TradeStation's OAuth flow to authorize NexusTrade.
4. After authorization, you'll be redirected back.
[Set up TradeStation →](/tradestation)
### Public
[Public](https://public.com/nexustrade) offers commission-free investing across stocks, ETFs, 40+ cryptocurrencies, options (with rebates), treasuries, and bonds — with fractional share support.
**Exclusive promotion:** Open a new Public account through [our partner link](https://public.com/nexustrade) and connect it to NexusTrade to get **3 months of free NexusTrade Premium**.
**How to connect:**
1. Navigate to [/public](/public).
2. Click **Connect with Public**.
3. You'll be redirected to Public's OAuth flow to authorize NexusTrade.
4. After authorization, you'll be redirected back.
[Set up Public →](/public)
### Alpaca
[Alpaca](https://alpaca.markets) supports commission-free stock and crypto trading with a developer-friendly API.
**How to connect:**
1. Create an account at [alpaca.markets](https://alpaca.markets).
2. In NexusTrade, navigate to **Live Trading > Alpaca**.
3. Enter your API key and secret key.
4. Select paper or live mode.
5. Click **Connect**.
### Tradier
[Tradier](https://tradier.com) offers stocks and options trading with competitive pricing.
**How to connect:**
1. Navigate to **Live Trading > Tradier**.
2. Enter your Tradier access token.
3. Click **Connect**.
## Deploying a Strategy
Once your brokerage is connected:
1. Navigate to your portfolio dashboard.
2. Click **"Launch to Market"** (or **Settings > Deployment > Start Trading**).
3. Select the brokerage to trade with.
4. Confirm deployment.
Your strategies will now execute trades automatically based on their conditions.
## Monitoring Live Trades
- **Orders page:** View all executed and pending orders at [/order](/order).
- **Portfolio dashboard:** Real-time P&L and position updates.
- **Notifications:** Get alerted when trades execute or conditions trigger.
## Stopping Trading
To pause or stop a live strategy:
1. Go to your portfolio dashboard.
2. Click **Settings > Deployment > Stop Trading**.
This immediately stops the strategy from executing new trades. Existing positions are NOT automatically closed.