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System Requirements

Operating system

QuantRocket runs inside Docker. The operating system requirements for QuantRocket are the same as those for Docker.

Docker runs on Linux, Mac, or Windows. For Windows, Windows 10 Professional or higher is required. Windows 10 Home is not supported.

Memory requirements

Docker memoryTotal system memory on LinuxTotal system memory on Windows/MacOS
Minimum4 GB4 GB8 GB
Advanced (minute data collection, multiple IB Gateways)8-16 GB8-16 GB12-16+ GB

The amount of memory your system needs depends on how you use QuantRocket, and on your platform.

The minimum recommended memory to give Docker is 4 GB. The minimum recommended memory of the host computer may be greater than 4 GB, depending on the platform.

On Linux, Docker runs natively and shares memory with the host operating system. A Linux machine with 4 GB of system memory may be adequate to run a basic installation of QuantRocket.

On Windows and MacOS, Docker runs inside a Linux VM, which is allocated a fixed portion of system memory, with another portion of memory reserved for the host operating system. Because of this segregation, Windows or MacOS typically requires a recommended minimum of 8 GB of total system memory: 4 GB for Docker/QuantRocket, and 4 GB reserved for the host operating system (with the latter varying by what you use your computer for).

Each instance of IB Gateway, under load, can consume nearly 1 GB of memory. Thus, if you run multiple IB Gateways, you will need proportionately more memory.

During minute data collection for large date ranges, the quantrocket/history container may consume 3-5 GB of memory. Thus, for minute data collection, 4 GB of Docker memory is too small. 8-12 GB is better.

The more data you wish to analyze in a research notebook, the more memory you will need.

The troubleshooting guide highlights symptoms that may indicate that your system lacks adequate memory.

Storage

The amount of storage required depends primarily on the amount of data you plan to collect. You could need anywhere from 25 GB to multiple terabytes, depending on your data needs. For trading futures or end-of-day stocks, 100 GB of storage is probably sufficient. For intraday stock data, more space will be required. The table below hints at the range of database sizes:

DatabaseSize
End of day data for all US stocks, 1980-present2.5 GB
1-minute data for all US stocks, 2004-present700 GB

QuantRocket's Docker images take up approximately 10 GB of disk space.

CPU

Multi-core systems with fast processors will provide faster performance. However, the available CPU is usually a less important factor than memory and storage.