Getting Started

Get your API key, make your first request, and receive your first backtest result in minutes.

Prerequisites

To use the EmidLabs Backtesting API you need:

An EmidLabs account — create one at the Console.
An API key generated from the Console.
Any HTTP client — curl, fetch, Python requests, or any language SDK.

#Authentication

All API requests must include your API key in the x-api-key header. There are no other authentication methods.

Authentication header

x-api-key: em_YOUR_API_KEY

⚠

Never expose your API key in client-side code, public repositories, or logs. Always use server-side code or environment variables to make API calls.

Generating an API key

Open the Console

Navigate to console.emidlabs.com and sign in to your account.

Go to API Keys

In the Console sidebar, select "API Keys" to access key management.

Create a key

Click "Generate New Key". Give it a descriptive name. The key is shown once — copy and store it securely.

Set an expiry (optional)

You can set an expiry date for the key for better security hygiene.

#Your First Backtest

A backtest is submitted as a POST request. The body includes the asset pair, date range, and a strategy definition as a nested JSON object.

Step 1 — Define the strategy

The strategy is a JSON object that describes what the engine should look for. Here is a simple EMA crossover with RSI confirmation:

strategy.json

{
  "configuration": {
    "timeframe": "1H"
  },
  "inputs": {
    "emaFast": "ema(close, 9)",
    "emaSlow": "ema(close, 21)",
    "rsiValue": "rsi(close, 14)"
  },
  "conditions": {
    "trendUp": "emaFast > emaSlow",
    "rsiHealthy": "rsiValue > 40 AND rsiValue < 65"
  },
  "score": {
    "trendUp": 20,
    "rsiHealthy": 30
  },
  "decision": {
    "entry": "score >= 40"
  }
}

Step 2 — Submit the request

The strategy is nested directly under the strategySnapshotJson field of the request body.

Submit backtest

curl -X POST \
  "https://backtest.emidlabs.com/api/public/v1/backtest" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -H "x-api-key: em_YOUR_API_KEY" \
  -d '{
  "assetPair": "BTC-USDC",
  "initialDate": "2023-01-01",
  "finalDate": "2023-12-31",
  "strategySnapshotJson": {
    "configuration": { "timeframe": "1H" },
    "inputs": { "emaFast": "ema(close, 9)", "emaSlow": "ema(close, 21)", "rsiValue": "rsi(close, 14)" },
    "conditions": { "trendUp": "emaFast > emaSlow", "rsiHealthy": "rsiValue > 40 AND rsiValue < 65" },
    "score": { "trendUp": 20, "rsiHealthy": 30 },
    "decision": { "entry": "score >= 40" }
  }
}'

ℹ

The API returns immediately with a backtest ID and status: "Running". Execution typically completes within 200–500ms for most date ranges.

Step 3 — Fetch the results

Use the returned id to fetch results via a GET request. Add includeTrades=true to receive individual trade details.

Fetch results

curl -X GET \
  "https://backtest.emidlabs.com/api/public/v1/backtest/YOUR_BACKTEST_ID?includeTrades=true" \
  -H "x-api-key: em_YOUR_API_KEY"

#Reading Results

When status is Completed, theresult object contains all performance metrics.

Key metrics

tradesTotal number of trades executed.

winRatePercentage of winning trades (0–1).

expectancyRAverage expected R per trade. Positive is profitable.

pnlRTotal profit/loss in R-units across all trades.

profitFactorGross profit divided by gross loss. >1 is profitable.

maxDrawdownPctLargest peak-to-trough drawdown as a percentage.

conditionsDistributionPctHow often each condition was true per candle.

scoreDistributionPctDistribution of total score values across all candles.

R-units explained

All profit/loss values are in R-units, not currency amounts. By default, 1R = 1% of your position (the default stop-loss distance) — configurable per strategy viariskManagement. A result of +10R means the strategy would have returned 10× the risked amount per trade, in aggregate.

This makes results comparable across strategies and assets regardless of position size, and forces focus on the statistical edge rather than dollar amounts.