Alpaca Trade API Python (deprecated)

3.2.0 · deprecated · verified Wed Mar 25

DEPRECATED. alpaca-trade-api (3.2.0) is the old Alpaca Python SDK — deprecated in 2022, no new features, no patches. The official replacement is 'alpaca-py' (pip install alpaca-py). LLMs heavily trained on alpaca-trade-api tutorials since it dominated for years. New projects must use alpaca-py. alpaca-trade-api still installs and partially works but uses the old v1/v2 API patterns.

Warnings

breaking alpaca-trade-api deprecated 2022. No new features or bug fixes. Official replacement is 'alpaca-py' (pip install alpaca-py).
Fix: pip install alpaca-py; from alpaca.trading.client import TradingClient
breaking alpaca-py has completely different import structure. No more tradeapi.REST(). Separate clients for trading, market data, and streaming.
Fix: TradingClient for orders/account. StockHistoricalDataClient for historical data. StockDataStream for live data.
gotcha Paper trading URL no longer needed explicitly. Pass paper=True to TradingClient instead of base_url='https://paper-api.alpaca.markets'.
Fix: TradingClient(api_key=..., secret_key=..., paper=True)
gotcha alpaca-py orders require typed request objects (MarketOrderRequest, LimitOrderRequest) — not plain dicts.
Fix: from alpaca.trading.requests import MarketOrderRequest; trading.submit_order(MarketOrderRequest(...))

Install

pip install alpaca-py Python (use this — official replacement)
pip install alpaca-trade-api Python (deprecated — do not use for new projects)

Imports

alpaca-py (replacement — recommended)

# pip install alpaca-py
from alpaca.trading.client import TradingClient
from alpaca.trading.requests import MarketOrderRequest
from alpaca.trading.enums import OrderSide, TimeInForce

client = TradingClient(
    api_key='YOUR_API_KEY',
    secret_key='YOUR_SECRET_KEY',
    paper=True  # paper trading
)

# Get account
account = client.get_account()
print(account.portfolio_value)

# Place market order
order_data = MarketOrderRequest(
    symbol='AAPL',
    qty=1,
    side=OrderSide.BUY,
    time_in_force=TimeInForce.DAY
)
order = client.submit_order(order_data)

alpaca-trade-api deprecated 2022. No new features or patches. Import pattern changed — new SDK has separate clients: TradingClient, StockHistoricalDataClient, StockDataStream.

Quickstart

alpaca-py (replacement for alpaca-trade-api) — trading and market data.

# pip install alpaca-py
from alpaca.trading.client import TradingClient
from alpaca.trading.requests import MarketOrderRequest, GetAssetsRequest
from alpaca.trading.enums import OrderSide, TimeInForce, AssetClass
from alpaca.data.historical import StockHistoricalDataClient
from alpaca.data.requests import StockBarsRequest
from alpaca.data.timeframe import TimeFrame
from datetime import datetime

# Trading client
trading = TradingClient(
    api_key='YOUR_KEY',
    secret_key='YOUR_SECRET',
    paper=True  # paper trading account
)

# Account info
account = trading.get_account()
print(f'Portfolio: ${account.portfolio_value}')

# Place order
order = trading.submit_order(MarketOrderRequest(
    symbol='TSLA',
    qty=1,
    side=OrderSide.BUY,
    time_in_force=TimeInForce.DAY
))
print(f'Order {order.id}: {order.status}')

# Historical data
data_client = StockHistoricalDataClient('YOUR_KEY', 'YOUR_SECRET')
bars = data_client.get_stock_bars(StockBarsRequest(
    symbol_or_symbols='AAPL',
    timeframe=TimeFrame.Day,
    start=datetime(2024, 1, 1)
))
print(bars['AAPL'][-1].close)

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