Share New Research 
Are there any limitations to using VisualStudio as ones development environment instead of the online IDE? Do these limitations affect the "free account" vs the "subscription account" differently?
I would like to be to do all development, backtesting and live trading in VisualStudio on my own server without losing any access to data or algorithmic functionality whether I am using the free account or the paid account. Is this possible?
My understanding is that LEAN is the open source code behind QuantConnect that one loads into VisualStudio in lieu of using the online IDE. Can an account token (free or paid) allow one to access the historical data sources and/or trade live in a brokerage account from within the VisualStudio IDE?
My issue is that the online IDE is not sufficiently ergonomic to meet my needs. I have keyboarding issues as well as visual impairment that makes my custom configuration of the VisualStudio IDE a near necessity.
Thank you in advance for your advice and for all of the work you have invested into this wonderful project. I'll be signing up for a subscription even if I can't use VisualStudio as my primary tool.
Alexandre Catarino
When we develop our strategies locally with Lean, we need our own data to debug.
If our strategies only trades Forex and CFD, we can download the data for free.
In any case, we can to use the API (or a plug-in that relies on it) to upload our strategies to QuantConnect and run backtests and deploy them live.
Tray Dr
Thanks for your response. The API + plug-in is exactly what I'm looking for from what I can tell.
Tray Dr
The material on this website is provided for informational purposes only and does not constitute an offer to sell, a solicitation to buy, or a recommendation or endorsement for any security or strategy, nor does it constitute an offer to provide investment advisory services by QuantConnect. In addition, the material offers no opinion with respect to the suitability of any security or specific investment. QuantConnect makes no guarantees as to the accuracy or completeness of the views expressed in the website. The views are subject to change, and may have become unreliable for various reasons, including changes in market conditions or economic circumstances. All investments involve risk, including loss of principal. You should consult with an investment professional before making any investment decisions.
To unlock posting to the community forums please complete at least 30% of Boot Camp.
You can continue your Boot Camp training progress from the terminal. We hope to see you in the community soon!