docs/integrations/API_RESEARCH_LOG.md

API Research Log

Date	Provider	Source	Findings used in architecture	Test status
2026-10-20	Alpaca	Authentication	Trading API uses key-based authentication; paper trading has distinct credentials and the documented paper-api domain.	Not tested; no credentials used.
2026-10-20	Alpaca	Market Data	HTTP/WebSocket access is documented. Plans differ in real-time coverage, history access and request limits; documentation lists Basic and Algo Trader Plus plan characteristics.	Not tested.
2026-10-20	Alpaca	Paper Trading	Paper fills use simulation and omit market impact, information leakage, latency slippage, queue position, price improvement, regulatory fees, and dividends.	Not tested.
2026-10-20	Polygon.io	Stocks API overview	US stocks documentation covers REST, WebSocket and flat files; timestamps are UTC Unix timestamps.	Not tested; no credentials used.
2026-10-20	Interactive Brokers	TWS API introduction	API needs a running TWS or IB Gateway; paper trading is available but has limitations; client message rate limit is documented.	Not tested; no account or gateway used.
2026-10-20	Interactive Brokers	Initial setup	Gateway/session authentication and market-data subscriptions require operational design; the documentation warns about paper/live session distinctions.	Not tested.

This log must be extended with current official URLs, contract details, tested API/SDK versions, permission evidence, and observed behavior immediately before provider code is written.