Instance setup

Before you can run a grid, you set up your own GRIDer instance: activate your licence, install the software, add exchange credentials, and confirm the instance can read balances and place orders. This setup happens on infrastructure you control.

1. Activate your licence

GRIDer is paid software. Your licence gives you access to the downloadable package, the capacity included in your plan and any updates included during its term. There are no builder fees and GRIDer does not take a percentage of trades, volume or results. Licence validation does not require wallets, balances, orders or trading telemetry.

2. Install GRIDer

Install GRIDer on a server or VPS that will stay online while your grids run. Your instance is the trading engine: it watches prices, places orders, manages risk rules and records history.

Keep the server patched, restrict access, and monitor disk, memory and network health. If the server is offline, automation cannot continue until the instance is running again.

3. Add trading access

Add exchange-specific trading access so your instance can place and cancel orders for your grids.

• On Hyperliquid and Aster, this is an agent wallet.
• On Lighter and Pacifica, this uses a trading/API key flow.
• On Extended it is a Stark key, and on RiseX a session key — both scoped to trading.
• The access should have trading permissions only — it can place and cancel orders, but must never be able to withdraw your funds.
• Trading secrets are stored by your own GRIDer instance. Protect that server as you would any system with trading credentials.

Why separate trading access? Your main wallet or exchange account keeps custody; trading access is limited and revocable. If you ever want to cut an instance off, revoke or rotate that access on the exchange.

4. Confirm balances and permissions

GRIDer trades the funds already in your exchange account — it never holds them.

• Perpetual grids use your perps (USDC) balance.
• Spot grids use your spot USDC balance where supported.

Use the setup checks to confirm your instance can read balances, fetch markets and place/cancel orders. If a permission is missing, fix it before starting a live grid.

Trading access expiry

Some exchange approvals have a lifetime. As yours nears expiry, GRIDer prompts you to renew trading access so your running grids keep trading uninterrupted. Renewal is a short exchange-specific flow. See Non-custodial & security.

Once your instance is up, the Admin panel is where you authorise which wallets can sign in and connect Telegram alerts.

Next: Create a grid.