Build powerful applications with the Questrade API

The Questrade API allows you to create custom applications or use tools from third party vendors to place orders, view account information, and analyze market data across all accounts, while keeping personal information secure.

Executing trades using the API is available to Questrade partner developers only. If you’re a customer with Questrade, you can access account and market data but you cannot execute trades using the API.

The Questrade API is free for anyone to use. However, any customer using your application to place trades at Questrade must pay the same commission fees that they would pay if they were using a Questrade trading platform.

Questrade uses a REST API, for access to read and write Questrade data and OAuth 2.0 as a security protocol. The REST API allows you to:

• Retrieve account data including balances and positions for the past 16 months

• Access level 1 quotes

The Rest web service can be integrated into your custom solutions and allows for the delivery of your data in JSON format. OAuth 2.0 an open standard for authorization, allows you to:

• Connect customers to applications on the Questrade trading platforms. Questrade's OAuth implementation requires account holders grand permission to the authorized API customer application. Any OAuth library can be used to make requests against the Questrade API.

• Send authorized request to the Questrade API. Questrade only allows API requests via HTTPS (TLS) and refuses connections when accessed via HTTP. The required HTTP method (GET, POST etc.) must be defined.

OAuth 2.0 uses an access token (a string credential) for security. You'll receive an access token and a refresh token at the same time. The access token expires in 30 minutes and the refresh token expires in three days. If the access code expires, you must use the refresh token to gain access. You may only use the refresh token one time.

To activate the API centre, see the next FAQ.

To start using Questrade's API, you must have an account in good standing with Questrade. To open an account, fill out the easy online application here. (opens in a new tab)

Once you open your account, you need to activate the API centre. To learn how, read API documentation.

If you are using an api app developed by a third party, you are required to read, understand and accept the end-user license agreement for application program interface. If you are utilizing api access for an api-enabled app you built, you are required to read, understand and accept the Questrade personal application program interface ("api") license agreement ("license agreement"). This agreement can be found below. You may be bound by both agreements.