Exchanges
Exchange-specific setup guides for connecting your trading account to plutarc.
Supported Exchanges
plutarc currently supports BitMEX. Support for additional exchanges is planned.
BitMEX API Key Setup
To connect BitMEX to plutarc, create an API key on the exchange and add it to your plutarc account.
Creating a BitMEX API Key
- Log in to bitmex.com.
- Navigate to Account → API Keys.
- Click Create API Key.
- Give the key a name you'll recognise (e.g. "plutarc bot").
- Enable the Order permission — this allows placing and cancelling orders.
- Copy the Key ID and Secret. The secret is only shown once — store it securely.
Adding the Key to plutarc
Go to the API Keys page in your plutarc dashboard, click Add Key, and paste in the Key ID and Secret. Select the correct market type and contract type (see below). For full details, see API Keys.
Testing Your Strategy
Before deploying a bot with real capital, use plutarc's built-in Backtester to validate your strategy against historical market data. The backtester simulates trades using real candle data from your chosen exchange and symbol, giving you performance metrics, equity curves, and trade-by-trade breakdowns — all without risking any funds.
Always backtest before going live. Past performance does not guarantee future results, but backtesting helps you catch configuration errors and evaluate strategy behaviour under different market conditions.
Required Permissions
plutarc only needs the ability to place and cancel orders. When creating your API key on BitMEX:
- Order — enable this. Required for your bot to trade.
- Withdraw — never enable this. plutarc does not need withdrawal access and will never request it.
Never grant withdrawal permissions to any third-party service. Keeping withdrawal permissions disabled ensures that even if a key were compromised, funds cannot be moved out of your exchange account.
IP Whitelisting
BitMEX allows you to restrict an API key to specific IP addresses. While not required, IP whitelisting adds an extra layer of security — if a key is exposed, it can only be used from the allowed addresses.
If you enable IP restrictions, you'll need to allowlist the IP addresses of plutarc's infrastructure. Contact support for the current list of IP ranges.
Market Type
plutarc exclusively trades perpetual contracts (perps) — derivatives that track the price of an asset with no expiry date. Perps support leverage, long and short positions, and margin-based trading.
Contract Types
When trading derivatives, you also choose a contract type that determines how margin and P&L are calculated:
Linear (USDT-margined)
Margin and P&L are denominated in USDT (a stablecoin). Easier to reason about because gains and losses are in a stable currency. Example: XBTUSDT perpetual.
Inverse (BTC-margined)
Margin and P&L are denominated in the base asset (e.g. BTC). Your position value changes with the price of the collateral, creating a non-linear P&L curve. Example: XBTUSD perpetual.
If you're unsure which to use, start with linear contracts — they're more straightforward and the P&L is easier to track.
Troubleshooting Connection Issues
Common issues when connecting your exchange to plutarc:
- Invalid API key — double-check that you copied the full key and secret without trailing spaces. Ensure the key hasn't expired or been revoked on the exchange.
- Insufficient permissions — verify that Order permissions are enabled on the exchange side.
- IP restriction blocked — if you enabled IP whitelisting, make sure plutarc's IP ranges are included.
- Wrong market or contract type — the market type and contract type in plutarc must match the instruments available under your API key.
For more help, see the Troubleshooting page.