Setup Guide · Alpaca

Get Your Alpaca API Keys

Takes about 2 minutes. You'll get a Key ID and a Secret Key — we use these to place trades on your behalf through Alpaca's official API.

Copy the Secret Key immediately. Alpaca shows it only once at generation time — it cannot be retrieved again. If you lose it, you'll need to generate a new key pair.
1
Log in to Alpaca
Go to alpaca.markets and sign in. If you don't have an account yet, create one — it's free and takes a few minutes.
https://app.alpaca.markets
Dashboard
Portfolio
Orders
Positions
History
🔐
Sign in at app.alpaca.markets
2
Open API Keys in your dashboard
Once logged in, look for API Keys in the left sidebar, or click your account name at the top right and select API Keys.
https://app.alpaca.markets/paper/dashboard/overview
Dashboard
Portfolio
Orders
Positions
History
🔑 API Keys
API Keys
Manage your API access keys for paper or live trading.
Key IDStatusCreated
PK••••••••••••Active2026-01-15
3
Click "Generate New Key"
A dialog will appear showing your new Key ID and Secret Key. This is the only time the secret is displayed.
Your new API key has been generated
Key ID
PKYADYSOHPPIDKMHAEGEJO4LFC
Copy
Secret Key
1VqP7wu8Cd3hhz7Qgp5oWFWp…
Copy
⚠️ This secret key will only be shown once. Copy it now and store it safely.
4
Choose Paper or Live account
Alpaca has two environments. Paper uses virtual money (safe for testing). Live uses your real funded account. Keys are separate for each.
Paper Account
Virtual $100K balance. No real money at risk. Key IDs start with PK.

Best for: getting started and testing the pipeline.
Live Account
Real money. Requires account funding and ID verification. Key IDs start with AK.

Best for: actual copy trading once verified.
Generate keys from the correct environment — paper keys only work on paper, live keys only work on live.
5
Paste both keys into the onboarding form
Go back to the application form, select the 🟢 Alpaca tab, and paste your Key ID and Secret Key into the corresponding fields.
API Key ID
PKXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Secret Key
••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
Account Type
Paper account (testing) ▾
← Back to Application
Need help? Email us at coswingtrading@gmail.com