What is StrategyTester5?

Full documentation -> https://strategytester5.com

StrategyTester5 (ST5) is a Python framework for building, testing, and optimizing algorithmic trading strategies using the MetaTrader 5 platform.

It extends the native MetaTrader 5 Python API by adding high-performance backtesting, simulation, and data handling capabilities that are not available out of the box.

Why StrategyTester5?

The official MetaTrader5 Python API provides access to market data and trading operations — but it lacks a built-in way to efficiently backtest and simulate trading strategies.

StrategyTester5 fills this gap by providing backtesting and optimization capabilities.

!!! Note "Note"

Built for developers who want full control over their trading logic without leaving the MetaTrader 5 ecosystem.

How it Works

It simulates the MetaTrader5 API on the actual historical data from the MetaTrader5 terminal. See a quick start guide.

Installation

With pip (recommended)

This package is available at Python package index pypi.org.

pip install strategytester5

Or, you can install while checking for the updates.

pip install -U strategytester5

With git

Of course, you can pull strategytester5 directly from the GitHub repository.

Git clone:

git clone git@github.com:MegaJoctan/StrategyTester5.git strategytester5

Install the cloned repository as a package:

pip install -e strategytester5

Quick Start | Build & Test your First Trading Robot

All you need is to add three (3) Lines of code to your existing Python project.

01: Import the VirtualMetaTrader5 class

from strategytester5.MetaTrader5.api import VirtualMetaTrader5

02: Assign the parent (MetaTrader5) initialized instance to the VirtulMetaTrader5 object

if not mt5.initialize():
    raise RuntimeError(f"Failed to initialize mt5. Error = {mt5.last_error()}")

virtual_mt5 = VirtualMetaTrader5(parent_mt5=mt5)

Optional : Choosing the right MT5 instance

Since the VirtualMetaTrader5 object has similar methods and constants to MetaTrader5 API.

To keep all the code in a single file, introduce if statements to check for passed arguments from the script.

!!! Note "Rule of Thumb"

For instance, if a user has passed `--backtesting` when calling the main script the script should use a simulated MetaTrader5 rather than the actual one.

```python
script_argument = sys.argv[1:]
if "--backtesting" in script_argument:
    mt5 = VirtualMetaTrader5(parent_mt5=parent_mt5) # Assign parent MetaTrader5 to the virtual MetaTrader5 class object
else:
    mt5 = parent_mt5
```

> Always use the virtual MetaTrader5 object for backtesting and visualization purposes and stick to the original one for live trading. *That's all*

03: Backtesting your Python Trading Strategies

To Backtest your trading systems call the function run_backtesting.

if "--backtesting" in script_argument:

    stats = run_backtesting(
        main_function=main,
        tester_config=tester_config,
        virtual_mt5=mt5,
        logging_level=logging.DEBUG
    )

else:
    # run the script on the market (realtime)
    while True:
        main()

Tester Configurations

The so-called tester_config is supposed to be a dictionary with a set of key, and value pairs that resemble MetaTrader5's strategy tester section.

tester_config = {
        "bot_name": "RSI Strategy Bot",
        "symbols": ["EURUSD"],
        "timeframe": "H1",
        "start_date": "01.01.2026",
        "end_date": "01.06.2026",
        "modelling" : "open price only",
        "deposit": 1000,
        "leverage": "1:100"
}

Learn More.

!!! Note "Rule of Thumb"

Storing tester configuration in a JSON file is the best way forward. It helps adjust the values without changing the original code :)

Backtest your Python bots in MetaTrader5 👉 Learn How