NinjaTrader runs well on a Windows Server VPS and benefits from the stable connection and 24/7 uptime. Here is the setup that works, and the sizing that avoids laggy charts.
Plan sizing
NinjaTrader 8 is heavier than MetaTrader: it is a .NET application and a single Market Replay or a few charts with indicators can use 2 to 4 GB of RAM on their own.
- VPS Bear (2 vCPU, 4 GB): works for one chart and a strategy, but it is the floor.
- VPS Grizzly (4 vCPU, 8 GB): recommended. Smooth with several charts, Market Analyzer and automated strategies.
- VPS Kodiak (8 vCPU, 16 GB): for heavy backtesting or many instruments.
Starting on Bear and upgrading later keeps the same server and only costs the difference.
Install
- Connect by Remote Desktop (IP from the dashboard, user
Administrator, password from Reveal password). On a new server wait 10 minutes after the first boot. - Inside the VPS, download NinjaTrader 8 from ninjatrader.com and run the installer. It installs the .NET runtime it needs.
- Log in with your NinjaTrader account and connect your broker or data feed as you do on your PC. Your licence belongs to you; the VPS is just another machine it runs on. If NinjaTrader says the machine ID changed, re-activate it from your account page.
Keep it running after you disconnect
Close the Remote Desktop window with the X to disconnect. Never choose Sign out, which closes NinjaTrader and stops every strategy.
To start NinjaTrader automatically after a reboot, press Win + R, type shell:startup, and paste a copy of the NinjaTrader shortcut into that folder. In NinjaTrader, Tools > Options > General, enable Reconnect on startup for your connections.
Reboots and updates
Windows Update restarts the server when it installs updates. Set Active hours in Settings > Windows Update to your trading session so restarts happen outside it, and keep the auto-start above in place so NinjaTrader comes back on its own.
Performance tips
- Keep the server's time zone correct (Settings > Time & language) so session templates line up.
- Close chart windows you are not using; each one costs RAM.
- If the CPU is pegged at 100% in the first half hour after a fresh install, that is Windows Defender's initial scan. It finishes on its own.
- Our servers are in Amsterdam and Paris. For US futures feeds the latency is higher than from a US server; it does not affect strategy logic, but if you scalp on sub-second signals, keep that in mind.
Backups
A strategy and its settings take a long time to rebuild. Add the Automated Backups add-on so the whole server is copied daily, or at minimum export your workspace (Tools > Export) to your PC now and then.