Connecting SabrTrader to Rithmic
Rithmic is the market-data and order-routing backbone behind most futures prop firms and many futures brokers. This guide walks through every step of connecting SabrTrader to a Rithmic account - from the credentials in your welcome email to a live chart and DOM - and explains each setting along the way.
Overview
SabrTrader connects to Rithmic for live futures market data and order execution. Rithmic is the infrastructure used by most proprietary trading firms (Apex, TopStep and similar evaluation programs) and by many futures brokers, so if you trade a funded or evaluation account, a Rithmic connection is usually the first thing to set up.
Before you start you need three things, all normally delivered in the welcome email from your prop firm or broker:
- Username and password for your Rithmic account. These are Rithmic credentials, not your SabrTrader login.
- System and gateway - which Rithmic server environment your account lives on and which regional access point to use.
- Transport, if specified. Almost every account today uses R Protocol.
Out of the box SabrTrader is already connected to a free, delayed data feed from dxFeed, so the platform is fully explorable before you connect a funded account.
The Connections Window Explained
All data and broker connections are managed in one place: open the Control Panel and click Connections. The window lists 57 pre-configured connections covering futures, stocks, forex and crypto. A category filter on the left narrows the list - for Rithmic, select Futures and then Rithmic.
SabrTrader makes no distinction between "Rithmic proper" and a Rithmic connection resold by a broker or prop firm. The same connection type is used for both; only the credentials and the system/gateway you enter differ.
Every field on a Rithmic connection
| Field | What it does |
|---|---|
| Name | A label of your choosing (for example "Apex 50K"). Use one connection per account so saved credentials never mix. |
| Username / Password | The Rithmic credentials from your welcome email or your firm's member area. |
| System | The Rithmic server environment your account is provisioned on. Your firm tells you which one to pick; choosing a different system will fail to log in. |
| Gateway | The regional access point (for example Chicago or Europe). Pick the one your firm specifies; when in doubt, the gateway closest to you. |
| Transport | R Protocol (default, correct for 99.9% of accounts) or R API+ (legacy, only when explicitly instructed). |
Adding, disconnecting and deleting
The connection fields are read-only until you add the connection to the cluster at the bottom of the window - click the add button first, then fill in the fields. Disconnect takes a connection offline but keeps its saved settings; Delete removes it entirely. To switch from the default delayed feed to Rithmic, disconnect dxFeed - do not delete it, so you can switch back any time.
Concepts: Data Feeds, Transports and Prop Accounts
A market data provider is the service that streams prices into the platform. Delayed data (like the built-in dxFeed connection) lags real time and is free to use without exchange subscriptions; live data requires a funded account or a data subscription. Everything in SabrTrader works identically on both - the only difference is the timestamp of the prices.
Rithmic operates the servers that carry both market data and your orders. Your account lives on a specific system (server environment) and is reached through a gateway (regional access point). The transport is the wire protocol the platform speaks to Rithmic: R Protocol is the current standard; R API+ is the older native API kept for special cases.
Prop firm accounts (Apex and similar) are evaluation or funded accounts whose data and execution run over Rithmic. The firm - not Rithmic and not SabrTrader - issues your credentials and dictates the system and gateway.
Once connected you will typically work with a chart plus two order-flow tools: the SuperDOM and liquidity heatmap, which show resting bid and ask depth per price (Rithmic can deliver full Market-by-Order depth), and the footprint chart, which shows executed buying and selling inside each bar.
Step-by-Step: Connect to Rithmic
- Open the Control Panel and click Connections.
- Filter the list: click Futures, then select Rithmic.
- Disconnect the default dxFeed connection (do not delete it).
- Click the add button to add a new Rithmic connection to the cluster below - the fields stay locked until you do this.
- Name the connection (for example "Apex Rithmic").
- Enter the username and password from your welcome email.
- Select the system, gateway and transport your firm specified. Unless told otherwise, the transport is R Protocol.
- Click Save, then Connect. The connection shows as online and your saved settings are remembered for next time.
Open your first live chart
- Create a new workspace so your Rithmic layout is saved separately from the default one.
- Go to File and open a New Chart; pick a symbol - a liquid micro contract such as MES (Micro E-mini S&P 500) or MNQ (Micro E-mini Nasdaq) - with a 1-minute bar over 7 days of history.
- The chart loads history and starts streaming live Rithmic data, with the Chart Trader order panel docked beside it.
- Right-click the chart to add a DOM next to it for a per-price view of resting bids and asks.
Best Practices
- Copy settings from the welcome email exactly. System and gateway names look similar; a near-miss fails to authenticate or lands you on the wrong environment.
- Keep the dxFeed connection. Disconnected, it costs nothing - and it lets you build workspaces, test indicators and explore the platform outside market hours or before funding an account.
- One connection per account. If you hold multiple prop accounts or a demo and a live account, create a separate named connection for each so credentials and environments never mix.
- Save before connecting. Saved connections remember your credentials; next session you just click the saved entry and connect.
- Prefer R Protocol. Only choose R API+ when your firm's instructions explicitly say so.
Common Mistakes
- Typing before adding the connection to the cluster. The fields are intentionally read-only until the connection is added - click add first.
- Deleting dxFeed instead of disconnecting it. Delete removes the pre-configured entry; disconnect is all you need to switch feeds.
- Using SabrTrader login details for Rithmic. The connection wants the Rithmic credentials issued by your prop firm or broker.
- Guessing the system or gateway. These are account-specific; when the login fails, the wrong system is the most common cause.
- Expecting live prices while still on dxFeed. If the data looks stale, check which connection is actually online in the Connections window.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Rithmic?
Rithmic is a market-data and order-routing provider for futures. It runs the server infrastructure that streams exchange prices to your platform and carries your orders to the exchange. Most futures prop firms and many futures brokers run their accounts on Rithmic.
Why do prop firms use Rithmic?
Prop firms need reliable, low-latency data and execution that they can provision per trader at scale. Rithmic provides exactly that, which is why evaluation and funded accounts from firms such as Apex are delivered as Rithmic credentials.
Should I choose R Protocol or R API+?
Choose R Protocol unless your firm's instructions explicitly say otherwise. R Protocol is the modern transport and the correct choice for 99.9% of accounts; R API+ is the legacy native API kept for special circumstances.
Where do I find my Rithmic username, password, system and gateway?
In the welcome email from your prop firm or broker, or in their member area. The firm that opened your account issues the credentials and specifies the system, gateway and (rarely) transport to use. SabrTrader cannot look these up for you.
Why can't I type into the connection fields?
The fields are locked until you add the new connection to the cluster at the bottom of the Connections window. Click the add button first; the fields then become editable.
What is the difference between disconnect and delete?
Disconnect takes a connection offline but keeps its saved settings, so you can reconnect with one click. Delete removes the connection and its settings entirely. To switch feeds, disconnect - deleting is almost never needed.
Can I keep using the free dxFeed connection?
Yes. The built-in dxFeed connection provides delayed data at no cost and stays available after you add Rithmic. Disconnect it while trading live and reconnect it any time - for example to work on charts outside market hours.
Does SabrTrader work with Apex accounts?
Yes. Apex accounts run on Rithmic, so they connect through the standard Rithmic connection using the credentials, system and gateway from your Apex welcome email. Other Rithmic-based firms work the same way.
Is delayed data enough to learn the platform?
Yes. Every feature works on the delayed feed - charts, indicators, DOM, simulated order entry. The only difference is that prices lag real time, so use it for learning and configuration, not for live trading decisions.
Can I have more than one Rithmic connection?
Yes. Create one named connection per account or environment (for example one per prop account, or demo and live separately). Saved connections keep their own credentials, so switching accounts is a matter of connecting the right entry.
Which symbol should I open first?
A liquid micro contract such as MES (Micro E-mini S&P 500) on a 1-minute chart is a good start: heavy volume, tight spreads and one tenth the size of ES, so mistakes are cheap while you learn the platform.
How do I get a DOM next to my chart?
Right-click the chart and add a DOM from the context menu, or open a standalone SuperDOM from the Control Panel. On Rithmic feeds the DOM shows live per-price depth; see the SuperDOM documentation for the full feature set.
Troubleshooting
The Rithmic connection fails to log in
Re-check all four inputs against your welcome email: username, password, system and gateway. The wrong system is the most common cause. If the credentials are new, confirm the account is already activated by your firm. If everything matches and login still fails, contact the firm or broker that issued the account - they control the Rithmic side.
Connected, but the chart shows no data
Confirm the Rithmic connection is the one actually online in the Connections window, then open a symbol your account is entitled to (prop accounts are typically CME futures such as MES or ES). Outside exchange hours little or no data will print - that is the market, not the connection.
Prices look delayed after connecting Rithmic
The chart may still be using the dxFeed delayed connection. Disconnect dxFeed in the Connections window so Rithmic is the active feed, then reopen the chart.
I can't enter my username or password
Add the new connection to the cluster first (the add button at the bottom of the Connections window). Fields stay read-only until the connection exists in the cluster.
My firm's instructions mention a system or gateway that isn't listed
Make sure you selected the Rithmic connection type (not another futures provider) and that SabrTrader is up to date. If it is still missing, reach out to SabrTrader support with the exact system and gateway names from your firm's email.
Glossary
- Chart Trader
- The order-entry panel docked to a SabrTrader chart for placing, modifying and managing orders directly on the chart.
- Delayed data
- Exchange prices delivered with a time lag, available without a paid data subscription; suitable for learning and configuration, not live trading.
- DOM
- Depth of Market - a price ladder showing resting bid and ask liquidity at each price level, used for order-flow trading and precise order entry.
- dxFeed
- The delayed market-data feed SabrTrader is connected to out of the box, providing free data across supported markets.
- Gateway
- The regional Rithmic access point a connection routes through, such as Chicago or Europe.
- Market data provider
- The service that streams live or delayed exchange prices into a trading platform.
- MES
- The Micro E-mini S&P 500 futures contract, one tenth the size of ES; a liquid, low-risk instrument for learning a platform.
- Prop firm account
- An evaluation or funded trading account issued by a proprietary trading firm; for futures these typically run on Rithmic infrastructure.
- R API+
- Rithmic's legacy native API transport, used only when a firm or broker explicitly instructs it.
- R Protocol
- Rithmic's modern connection transport and the default for new SabrTrader Rithmic connections; correct for nearly all accounts.
- Rithmic
- A futures market-data and order-routing provider whose infrastructure underlies most prop firm accounts and many futures brokers.
- System (Rithmic)
- The Rithmic server environment an account is provisioned on; specified by the issuing firm and required to log in.
- Transport
- The wire protocol a platform uses to communicate with Rithmic: R Protocol or R API+.
- Workspace
- A saved arrangement of windows - charts, DOMs and panels - that can be created, named and switched in SabrTrader.