Your first FastDOM session.

Learn the controls, connect the right data, and practice the full order lifecycle before trading live.

01 / Launch the application

1. Use a Windows 10 or 11 x64 computer with an interactive desktop session.
2. Keep the entire supplied application folder together, including runtime libraries and configuration. Launch FastDOM.exe from that folder.
3. For a self-contained build, a separate .NET installation is not required. Building from source requires the .NET 8 SDK.

Existing installations can contain saved credentials and settings. Confirm the displayed mode and account before interacting with order controls.

02 / Start in Simulation

1. Select Simulation in the application before practicing. Verify the displayed mode.
2. Choose a symbol and set a small quantity. The selected quantity is used by order actions; inspect it before each practice order.
3. Open Chart and Orders. Observe how quotes, order markers, and position information appear.
4. Practice staging, submitting, replacing, cancelling, and closing a simulated position. Verify the resulting order and position state.

Simulation uses a mock broker and generated market data. Use it to learn controls. It does not establish real-market fill quality or live performance.

03 / Build your workspace

Configure your hot buttons and inspect the current hotkey bindings before arming keyboard actions. Workspace restoration retains supported windows, chart timeframes, symbols, tabs, sizes, and positions.

Options context

The Options Hedging Map estimates public option-chain positioning and hedge sensitivity. On a chart, open Indicators and enable Options Levels. Select 0DTE, 0–7 DTE, or Aggregate for expiration scope. Read the snapshot time, delayed status, coverage, and quality badge alongside any level.

Estimated concentrations, gamma transitions, Hedge Wall, and expected-move bounds depend on available contracts and modeling assumptions. They do not reveal actual dealer inventory or forecast market direction.

04 / Configure connections

Open Configuration → Brokers and enable the integrations you use. Verify the selected trading account independently of your market-data provider.

Schwab

1. Use “Set up Schwab applications…” in the configuration window.
2. Enter the details for the trading and market-data applications registered in your Schwab Developer Portal. Keep their credentials separate.
3. Complete the connection or reconnect flow and confirm accounts load successfully.
4. Check data permissions and quote freshness before use. Schwab connectivity is live; use Simulation or an appropriate paper environment to practice.

Alpaca

Add an account row with its API key, secret, and Paper flag. The Paper selection determines the endpoint for that account. Verify the selected account and endpoint before placing orders. Alpaca does not provide the Level 2 book used by depth-based tools.

NinjaTrader

Set up the NinjaTrader bridge and its connection URL, then configure the permitted accounts. For futures symbols, review the contract selection and expiry. Data availability follows the connected NinjaTrader feed.

05 / Review orders and risk

1. Inspect the actual mode, account, symbol, quantity, side, order type, price, and time in force.
2. Review your configured order limits, account rules, loss controls, and stale-data protection. Do not assume defaults match your needs.
3. Practice the exact actions you plan to use, including hot buttons, shortcuts, drag-to-replace, cancellation, and flattening.
4. After any action, verify broker-reported orders and positions. A chart marker alone is not proof of an accepted broker order.
5. Learn the emergency controls and their confirmation behavior in Simulation before relying on them live.

FastDOM routes orders through shared validation and risk paths. These checks do not eliminate market, network, broker, liquidity, or execution risk.

Understand AI and automation boundaries

Trading Partner, Market Desk, Learn, and Check Trend are advisory and read-only. Position Manager is a separate feature allowed to manage protection through the order and risk system. Momentum Swing includes an explicit AutoTrade mode and defaults to AlertsOnly. Review the relevant settings and lifecycle before enabling features that can affect orders.

Risk-sized hotkeys and buttons

For a NinjaTrader-connected workflow, combine BookMap’s resting-depth view and FootPrint’s executed-volume view with a risk-entry action on the main window or chart.

1. Connect the NinjaTrader bridge, confirm your permitted account, symbol, and contract expiry, and verify quotes, trades, and depth.
2. Review the configured risk-entry hot button or script. Set your dollar risk amount and stop reference; configure any target ladder and protection behavior.
3. Risk sizing uses the distance between entry and stop together with the instrument’s contract multiplier. Whole-unit sizing can resolve to zero when the budget is too small.
4. Review the selected account and symbol. Trigger the configured button or armed hotkey in Simulation or a suitable paper environment first.
5. Verify entry fills, actual position size, stop protection, and targets against broker state. Recheck after partial fills or replacements.

FastDOM software pricing

FastDOM has no platform fee. Brokerage, exchange, market-data, and optional third-party service charges may apply separately. No measured execution-time comparison with thinkorswim or DAS has been established.

06 / Choose storage deliberately

This copy supports an optional SQLite archive. Open Configuration → Storage → Choose database, save the choice, and restart. The public Beta defaults to SQLite. The selected provider covers supported footprint, prints, depth, executions, and options archives.

• Changing providers does not migrate historical records or automatically copy them between archives.
• SQLite authentication uses a separate protected local credential store. Use the in-app Schwab setup and complete both browser approvals; copying the archive alone does not transfer credentials.
• Morning Scanner is supported only with Derby and is disabled in the SQLite configuration.

Open More > Help inside FastDOM for the detailed storage and Schwab setup guides.

Complete help, built into FastDOM

Open More > Help for 51 offline topics covering setup, every major window, chart indicators, order controls, optional AI, and troubleshooting. Search by control name or symptom, adjust the text size, and copy a topic when you need it.

Ready to explore?

Return to the platform tour for an overview of the tools, or keep this guide beside your first simulation session.