Downloading & Installing the TWS API

Welcome to this lesson on Downloading & Installing the TWS API. In this lesson, we will be moving through the process of initially downloading and installing the TWS API. We will also include unique setup instructions for the Python packages.

The API source code serves the purpose of defining the available messages which can be exchanged between TWS and an external API application. The messages are exchanged via a TCP socket connection and most commonly use a subscribe-and-publish, or “pub/sub” pattern in which a message is sent from an API client to subscribe to a particular type of data, after which TWS will publish updates about that data type as it occurs in real-time. The API source code also helps to translate those lower-level messages into a higher form which are more convenient for programmers.

The TWS API downloads and guides can be found on our IBKR Campus website, under the TWS API documentation section. Much like how we downloaded the Trader Workstation, we can now select the Download the TWS API section, followed by the TWS API Download Page button. Clicking the button directs users to the TWS API Non-Commercial License Agreement. After agreeing to the license, users can download the Stable or Latest releases for their affiliated operating system.

To use the TWS API in Python, you will need to download one of our supported releases, stable or latest, available on this page. The API is receiving constant support, and so we would encourage users to regularly check this page for new releases.

Please be aware that this tutorial assumes users are comfortable with programming in Python, or their language of choice. In addition, this series is predicated with the idea customers are familiar with navigating their operating system’s respective terminal. Users should look to resolve any difficulties with these topics with external resources before proceeding further.

You’ll notice that there are separate downloads on left and right for Windows and for Mac/Unix. The API source code is identical in the Windows and Mac/Linux distributions.

Windows Installation

For Windows installations, users can simply click “IBKR Latest for Windows” to download the initial MSI file. After the download is completed, you will likely be able to find the installer directly through your browser. Clicking the file will begin the install wizard, which can walk users through the full installation steps. The following steps will require administrative rights for Windows users to execute our MSI file. So, if your computer is managed by your company or school, please be aware that you may need to consult your IT group for the initial installation. Unless necessary, Interactive Brokers would encourage users to follow the default installation parameters. As such, we can simply click “Next” to proceed through the destination confirmations. After we proceed through the remaining prompts, we will receive a message confirming the successful installation.

Mac/Linux Installation

The process for installing the API on Unix machines is a bit different. While the initial download steps are the same, users will see that Unix operates with a zip file rather than an installation file. I would note that instead of an install wizard, we will be moving through the installation steps using the terminal. With a terminal launched, I can change directory to my downloads folder, and unzip the file with:

‘unzip twsapi_macunix.{major}{minor}.{micro}.zip’.

This will unzip the file and allow me to work with the file’s content.

Python-Specific Setup

Then, using either Windows or a Unix machine, I will need to change directory to my new TWS API or IBJts folder. Please be aware these steps must be followed using Command Prompt or Terminal for either machine. Here I will find a samples and source directory. For our Python tutorial, let’s move into the source directory, then under pythonclient. This should leave our present working directory to {TWS API}\source\pythonclient\. In our python source, we should see a setup.py file. This file must be run to apply the latest Python updates to your IDE and install all relevant libraries for TWS API.

To run this file, let’s type python setup.py install.

This will run the setup.py file with the command to install the appropriate content. After a few moments, we should see our installation complete.

To confirm successful installation, we can run python -m pip show ibapi to show the currently installed release. If our setup.py worked correctly, we should see the Version match the same release as the website. In my case, I can see 10.29 matching in both locations.

As a validation step before we start writing our own code, let’s execute one of our test programs bundled with the API installation. If we change our directory to C:\TWS API\samples\Python\Testbed, we should see several programs included here.

I will run $ python Program.py –port 7497 to execute the Program.py file. If the Port argument is not passed, the program will attempt to run on port 7496 by default. If everything is working correctly, we should see contract requests submitted for several instruments along with working through different test cases.

With those steps complete, we should be fully ready to proceed through the remaining lessons in this series. Customers facing any difficulties with the installation steps should contact Interactive Brokers customer support for more information.