Interactive Brokers Trading APIs

Execute trades directly against Interactive Brokers using your bearer token. These endpoints cover previewing an order's margin impact, submitting it, and checking its execution status.

Authentication

All requests require the Interactive Brokers bearer token, obtained from the Bearer Token API:

Authorization: Bearer <BEARER_TOKEN>

Getting Contract IDs (CONID)

Before placing orders, you need the Contract ID (CONID) for each security. IBKR provides a CSV file with contract IDs for fractional share trading.

Download: IBKR Fractional Shares CSV

File Format:

#SYMBOL,MAIN_EXCHANGE,DESCRIPTION,IB_CONTRACT_ID,SCHEDULED_INELIGIBILTY_DATE
AAP,NYSE,ADVANCE AUTO PARTS INC,4027,
ABM,NYSE,ABM INDUSTRIES INC,4050,
ABT,NYSE,ABBOTT LABORATORIES .,4065,
ADC,NYSE,AGREE REALTY CORP,4151,

Usage:

1. Download the CSV file 2. Parse it to create a symbol → IB_CONTRACT_ID mapping 3. Use the IB_CONTRACT_ID in your order requests

Multiple records may exist for a single ticker on different exchanges — filter by valid exchanges (NYSE, NASDAQ, ARCA, AMEX, BATS) to ensure you get the correct contract ID.

javascript

const fs = require("fs");
const csv = require("csv-parser");

const symbolToConid = {};
const validExchanges = new Set(["NYSE", "NASDAQ", "ARCA", "AMEX", "BATS"]);

fs.createReadStream("fracshare_stk.csv")
  .pipe(csv())
  .on("data", (row) => {
    if (validExchanges.has(row.MAIN_EXCHANGE)) {
      symbolToConid[row["#SYMBOL"]] = row.IB_CONTRACT_ID;
    }
  })
  .on("end", () => {
    console.log("ABT Contract ID:", symbolToConid["ABT"]); // 4065
  });

1. Preview Order

POST https://api.ibkr.com/v1/api/iserver/account/{accountId}/orders/whatif

Simulate an order execution without placing it. Returns order validation results, margin requirements, commission estimates, and price impact analysis.

IBKR Documentation

Parameters:

Parameter	Type	Required	Description
`conid`	integer	Yes	Contract ID of security
`orderType`	string	Yes	`MKT` (market) or `LMT` (limit)
`side`	string	Yes	`BUY` or `SELL`
`tif`	string	Yes	Time in force: `DAY`, `GTC`, etc.
`ticker`	string	Yes	Stock ticker symbol
`acctId`	string	Yes	Account ID
`cashQty`	number	Conditional	Amount in dollars (for BUY orders)
`quantity`	number	Conditional	Share quantity (for SELL or LMT orders)
`price`	number	Conditional	Limit price (for LMT orders)

2. Submit Order

POST https://api.ibkr.com/v1/api/iserver/account/{accountId}/orders

Execute a real order on the market. Requires an authenticated, connected session and sufficient margin.

IBKR Documentation

Notes:

Order must pass validation — use Preview Order first
Session must be authenticated and connected, see IBKR Session Management
Orders execute based on current market conditions

3. Order Status

GET https://api.ibkr.com/v1/api/iserver/account/order/status/{orderId}

Retrieve the current status, execution details, and any fills for a placed order.

IBKR Documentation

Status Values:

Status	Meaning
`Submitted`	Order accepted but not yet executed
`Filled`	Order completely filled
`Partially Filled`	Order partially filled, may fill more
`Cancelled`	Order cancelled
`Rejected`	Order rejected by exchange

Example

Usage Example

Preview an order, submit it, then poll its status:

javascript

const IBKR_BASE_PATH = "https://api.ibkr.com";

// 1. Preview order first
const previewResponse = await fetch(
  `${IBKR_BASE_PATH}/v1/api/iserver/account/U25076105/orders/whatif`,
  {
    method: "POST",
    headers: {
      Authorization: `Bearer ${bearerToken}`,
      "Content-Type": "application/json",
      "User-Agent": "Your Application/1.0",
    },
    body: JSON.stringify({
      orders: [
        {
          conid: 265598,
          orderType: "MKT",
          side: "BUY",
          tif: "DAY",
          ticker: "AAPL",
          acctId: "U25076105",
          cashQty: 1000,
        },
      ],
      outsideRegularHours: false,
    }),
  },
);

// 2. If preview successful, place order
const orderResponse = await fetch(
  `${IBKR_BASE_PATH}/v1/api/iserver/account/U25076105/orders`,
  {
    method: "POST",
    headers: {
      Authorization: `Bearer ${bearerToken}`,
      "Content-Type": "application/json",
      "User-Agent": "Your Application/1.0",
    },
    body: JSON.stringify({
      orders: [
        {
          conid: 265598,
          orderType: "MKT",
          side: "BUY",
          tif: "DAY",
          ticker: "AAPL",
          acctId: "U25076105",
          cashQty: 1000,
        },
      ],
      outsideRegularHours: false,
    }),
  },
);

const { order_id } = await orderResponse.json();

// 3. Check order status
const statusResponse = await fetch(
  `${IBKR_BASE_PATH}/v1/api/iserver/account/order/status/${order_id}`,
  {
    headers: {
      Authorization: `Bearer ${bearerToken}`,
      "User-Agent": "Your Application/1.0",
    },
  },
);

For a full working script that also handles authentication and session setup, see the Complete Flow Example.

Interactive Brokers Trading APIs

Authentication

Getting Contract IDs (CONID)

1. Preview Order

2. Submit Order

3. Order Status

Usage Example

Request

Response

More in Interactive Brokers Integration