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Before you start
Two checks. Tick them as you go.
Words you'll see. VPS = a virtual private server, a computer in a data centre that stays on. EA = an Expert Advisor, a program that trades in MetaTrader 5.
Guide · Automation and services · about 20 minutes
VPS: why and when you need one.A computer that stays on, so your tools keep running.
An Expert Advisor only trades while its MetaTrader terminal is running. If your computer sleeps, loses the internet, or restarts for an update, it stops. A virtual server stays on. You may not need one. This guide helps you decide, and shows the MQL5 VPS route. PrecisionFX's own servers are not open yet.
~20 minstart to finish
6 stepstick each one off
Optionalonly if your tools must run all day
Paida VPS is a rental
✓
Nothing changes until you rent one.
Your own computer keeps working until you decide otherwise. If a step doesn't look like the picture, that's normal: open the "Not seeing it?" box under it.
1
Decide if you need one
Only tools that trade, copy or send alerts need the terminal running.
- Ask: does a tool need to trade, copy or receive alerts while I am away?
- If yes, and your computer is not always on, a VPS helps.
- If you only look at charts, you do not need one.
A VPS costs money every month. Only rent one for a job that needs it.
Not seeing it?
I'm not sure which tools trade. Check each tool's guide. Anything with an EA, a copier or the Executor needs its terminal running.
2
Rent an MQL5 VPS from inside MetaTrader 5
The route the Executor guide describes.
- In the Navigator, right-click your account and choose Register a virtual server.
- The product guide says it costs a few dollars a month, paid to MetaQuotes. Check the current price there before you rent.
The product guide says the Executor runs on it unchanged, and that it uses no DLL.
Not seeing it?
I can't find Register a virtual server. It sits in the right-click menu on your account in the Navigator. Look for the word virtual.
3
Set up and test on your own computer first
Make it work here before you move it.
- Set up the EA or the Executor on your own terminal, and check it works.
- For the Executor, use Signal source = PrecisionFX Cloud. The Local folder option cannot work on a VPS, because there is no webhook server there.
Not seeing it?
It works here but not on the VPS. Check the WebRequest step, and the Local folder option, which cannot run on a VPS.
4
Move it to the VPS
Synchronise, then check the journal on the server.
- Make sure
https://precisionfx.io's WebRequest address is on the list in MetaTrader. - Right-click the VPS and choose Synchronize experts, indicators. Charts, the EA and its inputs move with it.
- Check the VPS journal. The EA logs its startup banner there. If it says WebRequest is not allowed, add the address again and synchronise once more.
Not seeing it?
The VPS journal says WebRequest is not allowed. Add the address on your own terminal, then synchronise again.
5
Stop the copy on your own computer
Two copies fight over the same trades.
- Once the VPS is running the EA, stop it on your own computer.
- Two copies with the same key share one queue. Two copies on the same account manage the same trades.
Keep your own computer copy stopped unless you decide to switch back, and then stop the VPS copy first.
Not seeing it?
Trades are doubled. Two copies are running. Stop the one on your own computer, and check the VPS copy alone.
Your safety nets
Three things to keep in mind.
1
Rent only if you need it
A VPS is a monthly cost. Keep it for tools that must run all day.
2
One copy only
Two copies on one account can trade the same things twice.
3
Check the journal
The VPS journal shows whether the EA started, and why not if it did not.
Risk warning: A VPS keeps your tools running, and any trades they place run on the account they reach. Trading carries a high risk of loss and is not suitable for everyone. MetaTrader and MQL5 are trademarks of MetaQuotes Ltd.; PrecisionFX is not affiliated with or endorsed by MetaQuotes.