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Run it 24/7 on a VPS

A strategy only trades while its machine is on. A small rented server (a VPS) runs it around the clock, close to your broker's servers.

Video: Set up a VPS for qkt and MT5

A recorded walkthrough of this guide is coming soon.

1. Choose a server

  • Ubuntu 24.04 LTS, from any reputable VPS provider.
  • Our suggestion, not a measured requirement: at least 2 vCPUs and 4 GB of memory, since the server runs the MT5 terminal, the qkt engine and optionally the dashboard.
  • A data centre near your broker's trade servers (many brokers publish theirs, often London or New York) keeps order latency low.

2. Secure it and install Docker

sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y
sudo ufw allow OpenSSH && sudo ufw enable     # only SSH is open to the internet

Then install Docker Engine by following Docker's official Ubuntu guide. Sign in with an SSH key rather than a password.

3. Install qkt, the gateway and the dashboard

On the server, follow the same steps as on your own machine: qkt and the MT5 gateway, then qkt-insights. The Compose setups restart automatically if the server reboots.

Keep every port bound to 127.0.0.1, as the guides do. Nothing but SSH should be reachable from the internet.

4. Reach the dashboard from your computer

An SSH tunnel brings the dashboard to your own browser without opening a port:

ssh -N -L 8420:127.0.0.1:8420 you@your-vps-address
# then open http://localhost:8420

5. Keep it healthy

  • Check the dashboard daily at first; set up its alerts once you know what normal looks like.
  • Apply Ubuntu security updates regularly, and update qkt with a paper run before going live.
  • Back up qkt.config.yaml, your .env and your strategy files somewhere off the server.