First Run

Now that TWS is configured, let’s start OptionsRealTime and connect to your account.

Step 1: Start Rover

Rover manages an account analyzer process for each account and ensures these analyzers stay available if issues occur. Analyzers compute real-time analytics from TWS market data and publish them through NATS, the messaging server, where any number of processes can subscribe.

1. Open the OptionsRealTime folder on your desktop
2. Double-click Rover

Rover opens with one account row: a field for the IBKR account ID, a field for an account name of choice, and connection defaults (localhost, port 7496, client ID 1).

Note

Rover starts NATS automatically in the background — no separate step required. NATS shuts down cleanly when you quit Rover.

Step 2: Enter Account Details

1. Click the Account ID field and enter the IBKR account ID (e.g., U1234567)
2. Edit the Account Name in the next column (e.g., PAPER_ACCT)

Note

Each account row already has a name, defaulting to IBKR_ACCT_1, IBKR_ACCT_2, and so on; names must be unique. Set it to something short and meaningful that describes the account. The Account Name is sent to connected browsers, where accounts can be displayed by name instead of by account ID. The display options are described in Step 6 below.

Note

Adding multiple accounts is covered in Multiple Accounts.

Step 3: Test and Save

1. Click the Test button next to your account
2. You should see PASS if the connection is successful
3. Go to File > Save to save your configuration

Connection Failed?

If the test fails, verify:

• TWS is running and logged in
• API settings are correct (port 7496, sockets enabled)
• No firewall blocking localhost connections

See Troubleshooting for more help.

Step 4: Activate License

When you click Start Account Analyzers for the first time, you’ll see:

Click OK, then go to File > License…:

Click Request 14-Day Trial:

Enter your email (optional - for backup copy of trial key) and click Start Trial:

Click OK and you’re ready to publish.

Step 5: Start Account Analyzers

1. Click Start Account Analyzers
2. Rover will begin streaming data from TWS

Step 6: Launch OptionsRealTime

Click either of the Web UI buttons on Rover, or open any browser on your network and type the address shown on the button. For example: http://MyMachineName.local:5000

OptionsRealTime reflects:

• All your positions, loaded from TWS
• Live market data for all underlyings and options

Account Display

Accounts can be displayed in several forms. Click the settings gear in the upper right corner and choose how accounts appear:

• Full account ID (e.g., U1234567)
• Masked, showing a chosen number of leading characters with the rest replaced by asterisks, or none at all (e.g., U123***** or *********)
• Account name (e.g., PAPER_ACCT)
• Obfuscated, replacing real IDs with sequential placeholders (e.g., U0000000000, U0000000001)

The same formats can also be cycled directly from the menu bar: click the account display toggle in the upper right (next to the clock). The button itself shows the account in the current format and advances to the next on each click, stepping through the full ID, masked, account name (shown as My Account), and obfuscated forms.

Multiple Windows, Multiple Monitors

Because of the browser-based architecture, you can open OptionsRealTime in as many windows as you need, on any machine on your network. Reports on one screen, charts on another, quotes on a third.

Next Steps

Learn about Components
Every metric, chart, quote, report, and table can be tailored to your workflow.

Multiple Accounts
Add more IBKR accounts.