Freqtrade Tools

Shell aliases and helper commands for Freqtrade (cryptocurrency trading bot) that speed up common tasks. Use when setting up Freqtrade shortcuts, downloading market data quickly, running backtests from the command line, or controlling the bot. ⚠️ Bot control commands (ftstart/ftstop/ftrestart) require confirmation when connected to live trading. Covers bash/zsh (Linux/macOS) and PowerShell/Command Prompt (Windows). Trigger phrases: freqtrade aliases, freqtrade shortcuts, ftdata, ftback, freqtrade commands, freqtrade windows.

⚠️ Live Trading Warning: Before using ftstart, ftstop, or ftrestart, confirm whether Freqtrade is in dry-run or live-trading mode. These commands control real trading services. Verify your config before starting the bot.

Shell aliases and helper commands for faster Freqtrade workflows across Linux, macOS, and Windows.

Installation

Bash/Zsh: Copy functions from references/bash-zsh-aliases.md into ~/.bashrc (Linux) or ~/.zshrc (macOS), then source ~/.bashrc.

PowerShell: Copy functions from references/windows-equivalents.md into your $PROFILE file.

Core Commands

Command	Purpose
ftdata	Download market data from Kraken
ftback	Run backtesting on a strategy
ftstart	Start docker-compose services
ftstop	Stop docker-compose services
ftrestart	Restart docker-compose services
ftlogs	Stream live logs from bot
ftstatus	Check service status + tail logs
ftlist	List downloaded data files
ftui	Open bot UI in browser

ftdata — Download Data

Download market data with automatic date range calculation.

Usage:

bash

ftdata "BTC/USDT" 90 5m           # Download 90 days of 5-min BTC/USDT data
ftdata "ETH/USDT" 30 1h           # 30 days of 1-hour ETH/USDT
ftdata "SOL/USDT"                 # Use defaults: 30 days, 5-min
ftdata "XRP/USDT" 365 5m --erase  # Download 1 year, erase old data first

Parameters:

• Pair (required): Trading pair like BTC/USDT
• Days (optional): Historical days to download (default: 30)
• Timeframe (optional): Candle size — 5m, 1h, 4h, 1d (default: 5m)
• --erase (optional): Clear cached data before downloading (use when extending range)

Why --erase? Kraken enforces data continuity. When extending a download window (e.g., 30→90 days), you must erase existing data first to prevent overlaps.

ftback — Run Backtest

Run backtesting with automatic date calculations and optional pair filter.

Usage:

bash

ftback "MyStrategy" 60 5m                      # Test MyStrategy for 60 days
ftback "MyStrategy" 90 1h "BTC/USDT"          # Test on specific pair
ftback                                         # Use defaults: SampleStrategy, 30 days, 5m

Bot Control

Start, stop, restart, and monitor services:

bash

ftstart    # Start services
ftstop     # Stop services
ftrestart  # Restart services
ftlogs     # Stream logs (-f flag for follow)
ftstatus   # Service status + recent logs
ftlist     # View downloaded data inventory
ftui       # Open UI (auto-detect browser)

Safety

Before Using Bot Control Commands

• Check trading mode: Confirm dry_run: true in your config unless you intend live trading
• ftstart confirmation: When dry_run: false, ask for explicit human confirmation before starting
• ftstop/ftrestart: Always notify the human before stopping or restarting services

References

• See references/bash-zsh-aliases.md for full function implementations
• See references/windows-equivalents.md for PowerShell and Command Prompt versions