Getting Started

This guide walks you through setting up VRVP Strategy from scratch.

Prerequisites

Python 3.10 or higher
pip package manager
Capital.com trading account (for live/paper trading)
Git (optional, for cloning)

Installation

Option 1: Using Virtual Environment (Recommended)


# Navigate to vrvp-strategy directory
cd vrvp-strategy
 
# Run the installation script
./install.sh
 
# Activate the virtual environment
source venv/bin/activate

Option 2: Manual Installation


# Navigate to vrvp-strategy directory
cd vrvp-strategy
 
# Create virtual environment
python -m venv venv
 
# Activate virtual environment
# On Linux/macOS:
source venv/bin/activate
# On Windows:
.\venv\Scripts\activate
 
# Install dependencies
pip install -r requirements-main.txt

Configuration

Environment Variables

Copy the example environment file and configure it:


cp .env.example .env

Edit .env with your settings:


# Capital.com API Credentials
CAPITAL_API_KEY=your_api_key_here
CAPITAL_IDENTIFIER=your_email@example.com
CAPITAL_PASSWORD=your_password
CAPITAL_DEMO=true  # Set to false for live trading

# Email Notifications (optional)
RESEND_API_KEY=your_resend_api_key
NOTIFICATION_EMAIL=your_email@example.com

# Risk Management
RISK_PER_TRADE=0.02      # 2% risk per trade
MAX_POSITION_SIZE=0.10   # 10% max position
CIRCUIT_BREAKER=0.15     # 15% daily loss limit

Capital.com API Setup

Create an account at Capital.com
Navigate to Settings > API
Generate an API key
Copy the API key to your .env file

Demo Mode: Always start with CAPITAL_DEMO=true to test your strategy without risking real capital.

Verify Installation

Run a quick test to verify everything is set up correctly:


# Check the help menu
python main.py --help
 
# Expected output:
# usage: main.py [-h] {backtest,paper} ...
#
# VRVP Strategy - Multi-timeframe Forex Trading System
#
# positional arguments:
#   {backtest,paper}
#     backtest        Run backtesting simulation
#     paper           Run paper trading (signal generation)

Running Your First Backtest


python main.py backtest \
  -i EUR_USD \
  -s 2023-01-01 \
  -e 2024-01-01 \
  -b 10000

Parameters Explained

Parameter	Short	Description
`--instrument`	`-i`	Trading pair (e.g., EUR_USD)
`--start`	`-s`	Backtest start date
`--end`	`-e`	Backtest end date
`--balance`	`-b`	Initial account balance

Running Paper Trading

Paper trading generates signals in real-time without executing trades:


python main.py paper -i EUR_USD

This will:

Connect to Capital.com API
Fetch real-time price data
Generate trading signals
Log signals to console and file
Send email notifications (if configured)

Starting the API Server

For production use, start the FastAPI server:


python server.py --port 8000

The API will be available at http://localhost:8000 with:

Health checks at /health
Swagger docs at /docs
Strategy controls at /start, /stop, /restart

Next Steps

Configuration Guide - Fine-tune strategy parameters
Backtesting Guide - Analyze historical performance
API Reference - REST API documentation