Direct (native) connection

A direct (native) connection is a link in which trading software speaks the broker's or data provider's own protocol itself, without a second platform running in between. For Rithmic accounts this means the application implements R | Protocol and logs in with the account's username, password and system name.

Senzoukria · Glossary · Updated September 2026

Direct connection versus local bridge

Two paths bring a market feed into a charting application. With a direct connection, the application itself opens the session to the broker's gateway and receives trades, depth and history in the provider's format. With a bridge, another platform already connected to the feed (NinjaTrader or Quantower, for example) runs an add-on that forwards what it receives to the application over the local machine.

The distinction matters because the two paths do not necessarily carry the same fields. A bridge forwards what the host platform is entitled to and what its chart is configured to emit; if the host chart is not set to tick-by-tick data, order flow is lost before it reaches the second application. A direct connection is bounded by the account's own entitlements instead.

  • Direct: one application, one login, entitlements checked by the gateway at login and at each request.
  • Bridge: two programs running side by side; closing the host platform closes the feed.
  • Either path still depends on exchange subscriptions and provider fees; neither removes them.

What a Rithmic direct connection requires

  • An account whose provider permits third-party API access (R | Protocol), which is a separate entitlement from opening the provider's own platform.
  • The account's system name, copied exactly as the provider spells it, because it identifies which server hosts the account.
  • Platform credentials, which are often not the same as the credentials for the provider's website.
  • A market-data entitlement on the plant being used; paper and live plants are separate.
  • A free Rithmic demo (the 14-day trial) cannot use this path, because Rithmic does not offer the R | Protocol API to demo accounts.

In Senzoukria

The Broker Connections screen lists the sources side by side: Rithmic Direct is labelled "Broker connection (no bridge needed)", while the NinjaTrader and Quantower entries are labelled as local bridges that require the host platform to be running. The Rithmic form asks for the gateway, the username, the password and the System name; credentials go into the operating-system keychain and are never written to a file or a log.

A preflight step compares the system name with the gateway's list before logging in. If everything is accepted but nothing arrives, the connection help suggests asking the broker, in these words, whether the login is enabled for third-party API access, for which data, and under which system name.

Common mistakes

  • Assuming that an account which opens the provider's own platform will also accept an API login; they are sold as different products.
  • Reading a login failure as a permissions problem when the system name is simply wrong for that account.
  • Expecting a direct connection and a bridge to show identical history depth; compare the fields actually received.
  • Entering broker credentials into a website form. A direct connection lives in the desktop application, not in a browser.

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Frequently asked questions

Is a direct connection faster than a bridge?
It removes one program from the path, but this glossary does not publish latency measurements. The practical difference is usually about data fields and history: a bridge forwards what the host chart emits, while a direct connection receives what the account is entitled to. Verify both on the same contract before drawing conclusions.
Can any Rithmic login be used directly?
No. The account must permit the connection method, the application and the requested datasets, and the system name must match the server hosting the account. Demo trial logins are excluded from the R | Protocol API. Confirm third-party access with the provider before assuming compatibility.
Does a working direct connection guarantee historical data?
No. Live trades, depth and history are separate entitlements on the same account. A login can succeed while a history request is refused or returns nothing. Treat each capability as something to verify rather than something the login proves.

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