Open and close market orders

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

Use the v2 order endpoint to open a market position. You can specify exactly one sizing field: amount, units, or contracts.

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/v2/trading/execution/orders

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/v2/trading/execution/orders

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.

# 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/v2/trading/execution/orders" \
  -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 '{
        "action": "open",
        "transaction": "buy",
        "symbol": "BTC",
        "instrumentId": 100000,
        "orderType": "mkt",
        "leverage": 1,
        "amount": 1000,
        "orderCurrency": "usd"
      }'

const crypto = require('crypto');

const placeOrder = async () => {
  const symbol = 'BTC';
  const headers = {
    'x-api-key': '<YOUR_PUBLIC_KEY>',
    'x-user-key': '<YOUR_USER_KEY>',
    'x-request-id': crypto.randomUUID(), // or 'your-unique-uuid'
    'Content-Type': 'application/json'
  };

  try {
    // 1. Get Instrument ID
    const searchUrl = `https://public-api.etoro.com/api/v1/market-data/search?internalSymbolFull=${symbol}`;
    const searchRes = await fetch(searchUrl, { headers });
    const searchData = await searchRes.json();
    
    // Find exact match
    const instrument = searchData.items.find(i => i.internalSymbolFull === symbol);
    if (!instrument) throw new Error(`Instrument ${symbol} not found`);
    
    const instrumentId = instrument.instrumentId;
    console.log(`Resolved ${symbol} to ID: ${instrumentId}`);

    // 2. Place Order
    const orderUrl = 'https://public-api.etoro.com/api/v2/trading/execution/orders';
    const orderBody = {
      action: 'open',
      transaction: 'buy',
      symbol,
      instrumentId,
      orderType: 'mkt',
      leverage: 1,
      amount: 1000,
      orderCurrency: 'usd'
    };

    const orderRes = await fetch(orderUrl, {
      method: 'POST',
      headers,
      body: JSON.stringify(orderBody)
    });
    
    console.log("Order Response:", await orderRes.json());

  } catch (err) {
    console.error(err);
  }
};

placeOrder();

import requests
import uuid

symbol = "BTC"
headers = {
    "x-api-key": "<YOUR_PUBLIC_KEY>",
    "x-user-key": "<YOUR_USER_KEY>",
    "x-request-id": str(uuid.uuid4()),
    "Content-Type": "application/json"
}

# 1. Get Instrument ID
search_url = "https://public-api.etoro.com/api/v1/market-data/search"
search_res = requests.get(search_url, headers=headers, params={"internalSymbolFull": symbol})
search_data = search_res.json()

# Find exact match
instrument = next((i for i in search_data['items'] if i['internalSymbolFull'] == symbol), None)

if instrument:
    instrument_id = instrument['instrumentId']
    print(f"Resolved {symbol} to ID: {instrument_id}")

    # 2. Place Order
    order_url = "https://public-api.etoro.com/api/v2/trading/execution/orders"
    payload = {
        "action": "open",
        "transaction": "buy",
        "symbol": symbol,
        "instrumentId": instrument_id,
        "orderType": "mkt",
        "leverage": 1,
        "amount": 1000,
        "orderCurrency": "usd"
    }

    order_res = requests.post(order_url, json=payload, headers=headers)
    print("Order Response:", order_res.json())

else:
    print(f"Instrument {symbol} not found")

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)

# 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 '{
        "InstrumentId": 100000,
        "UnitsToDeduct": null
      }'

const positionId = '12345678';
const url = `https://public-api.etoro.com/api/v1/trading/execution/market-close-orders/positions/${positionId}`;

fetch(url, {
  method: 'POST',
  headers: {
    'x-api-key': '<YOUR_PUBLIC_KEY>',
    'x-user-key': '<YOUR_USER_KEY>',
    'x-request-id': 'your-uuid-here',
    'Content-Type': 'application/json'
  },
  body: JSON.stringify({
    InstrumentId: 100000,
    UnitsToDeduct: null
  })
})
.then(res => res.json())
.then(console.log)
.catch(console.error);

import requests
import uuid

position_id = "12345678"
url = f"https://public-api.etoro.com/api/v1/trading/execution/market-close-orders/positions/{position_id}"
headers = {
    "x-api-key": "<YOUR_PUBLIC_KEY>",
    "x-user-key": "<YOUR_USER_KEY>",
    "x-request-id": str(uuid.uuid4()),
    "Content-Type": "application/json"
}

payload = {
    "InstrumentId": 100000,
    "UnitsToDeduct": None
}

response = requests.post(url, json=payload, headers=headers)
print(response.json())

Important Considerations

Instrument IDs: You must know the numeric instrumentId before placing an order. Use the Search endpoint to resolve tickers (e.g., AAPL) to IDs.
Demo Environment: When testing, use POST /api/v2/trading/execution/demo/orders to avoid risking real capital.
Market Rates: It is recommended to check current rates using GET /api/v1/market-data/instruments/rates before executing orders to ensure price accuracy.

Getting started

Guides

Rest API

WebSocket API

Vibe Code

AI Agents

Open and close market orders

Opening a Position

Method 1: By Amount (Cash)

Method 2: By Units (Volume)

Example Request (Open by Amount)

Closing a Position

Full vs. Partial Close

Example Request (Close Position)

Important Considerations

​Opening a Position

​Method 1: By Amount (Cash)

​Method 2: By Units (Volume)

​Example Request (Open by Amount)

​Closing a Position

​Full vs. Partial Close

​Example Request (Close Position)

​Important Considerations

Opening a Position

Method 1: By Amount (Cash)

Method 2: By Units (Volume)

Example Request (Open by Amount)

Closing a Position

Full vs. Partial Close

Example Request (Close Position)

Important Considerations