Open and close market orders

Learn how to programmatically execute trades to enter and exit positions using the eToro API.

Once you have resolved your target asset’s instrumentId, you can begin executing trades. The eToro API separates trading logic into two distinct phases: opening a new position and closing an existing one.

Opening a Position

There are two ways to open a market position: by specifying the cash amount you wish to invest, or by specifying the number of units you wish to buy.

Method 1: By Amount (Cash)

This is the most common method for dollar-cost averaging or fixed-budget strategies. You specify the cash value (e.g., $1,000) and the API calculates the units based on the current market price.

Endpoint: POST /api/v1/trading/execution/market-open-orders/by-amount

Note: You can apply additional settings such as leverage, stop-loss, and take-profit during this request.

Method 2: By Units (Volume)

Use this method when you need to control the exact volume of the asset (e.g., buying exactly 1.5 Bitcoin or 10 shares of Apple).

Endpoint: POST /api/v1/trading/execution/market-open-orders/by-units

Example Request (Open by Amount)

The following examples demonstrate the full flow: Search for ‘BTC’ to get its ID, then Buy $1,000 worth of it.

cURL

# 1. Search for the Instrument ID (Symbol: BTC)
# Returns a JSON object containing the "InstrumentID" (e.g., 100000)
curl -X GET "https://public-api.etoro.com/api/v1/market-data/search?internalSymbolFull=BTC" \
  -H "x-api-key: <YOUR_PUBLIC_KEY>" \
  -H "x-user-key: <YOUR_USER_KEY>" \
  -H "x-request-id: <UUID>"

# 2. Use the ID from step 1 (e.g., 100000) to place the order
curl -X POST "https://public-api.etoro.com/api/v1/trading/execution/market-open-orders/by-amount" \
  -H "x-api-key: <YOUR_PUBLIC_KEY>" \
  -H "x-user-key: <YOUR_USER_KEY>" \
  -H "x-request-id: <UUID>" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
        "InstrumentId": 100000,
        "Amount": 1000,
        "Leverage": 1,
        "IsBuy": true
      }'

Closing a Position

To close a trade, you must reference the specific positionId of the open position. You cannot simply “sell” the instrument; you must close the specific line item in your portfolio.

Endpoint: POST /api/v1/trading/execution/market-close-orders/positions/{positionId}

Full vs. Partial Close

You can choose to close the entire position or just a portion of it.

• Full Close: Omit the UnitsToDeduct parameter or set it to null. This liquidates the entire position.
• Partial Close: Provide a specific value for UnitsToDeduct. Only that portion of the position will be closed, leaving the remainder active.

Example Request (Close Position)

cURL

# Closing position ID 12345678
curl -X POST "https://public-api.etoro.com/api/v1/trading/execution/market-close-orders/positions/12345678" \
  -H "x-api-key: <YOUR_PUBLIC_KEY>" \
  -H "x-user-key: <YOUR_USER_KEY>" \
  -H "x-request-id: <UUID>" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
        "UnitsToDeduct": null
      }'

Important Considerations

1. Instrument IDs: You must know the numeric instrumentId before placing an order. Use the Search endpoint to resolve tickers (e.g., AAPL) to IDs.
2. Demo Environment: When testing, ensure you use the demo endpoints (e.g., /api/v1/trading/execution/demo/...) to avoid risking real capital.
3. Market Rates: It is recommended to check current rates using GET /instruments/rates before executing orders to ensure price accuracy.