Interactive Brokers API POST /iserver/account/{accountId}/orders

POST/iserver/account/{accountId}/ordersversion v1Orders

Submits an order ticket, a bracket or an OCA group. The reply is either the order ID or a question you must confirm with POST /iserver/reply/{replyId}.

Risk warning: CFDs and spread bets are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage. You can lose money on these products, and each provider publishes its own loss figure under FCA rules. You should consider whether you understand how they work and whether you can afford to take the high risk of losing your money. Automated and API trading can amplify losses through bugs, connectivity failures and runaway orders.

Independent and unofficialinteractivebrokers.comchecked 18 Sep 2026

The 200 body is one of four shapes: a list with order_id, order_status and encrypt_message; a list of reply messages with id, message, isSuppressed and messageIds; an object with error; or an advanced order reject. The order ticket fields are listed on IBKR's Modify Open Order reference page and used in IBKR's Placing Orders lesson; the Submit New Order page itself shows the orders array without expanding it.

Parameters

Name	In	Type	Description
accountIdrequired	path	string	Your IBKR account ID. The code reads it from the IBKR_ACCOUNT_ID environment variable. Never type it into this site.
orders	body	array	Array of order ticket objects. IBKR: only one order ticket may be submitted per request, unless constructing a bracket.
orders[].conidrequired	body	integer	IB contract ID of the instrument. Find it with GET /iserver/secdef/search.
orders[].orderTyperequired	body	string	IB order type identifier. IBKR's Placing Orders lesson uses STP in its example.
orders[].siderequired	body	string	BUY or SELL.
orders[].tifrequired	body	string	Time in force, such as DAY.
orders[].quantityrequired	body	number	Order quantity.
orders[].price	body	number	Order price. For the STP example it is the stop price.
orders[].cOID	body	string	Your own client order ID, 64 characters at most.

Authentication headers

Name	Type	Description
Authorization	string	OAuth only; the Gateway sends none. On the OAuth host this is the SSO bearer token IBKR's reference lists for this call. With the Client Portal Gateway on your own computer the browser login holds the session. Placeholder only.

Request

Written from the method, path and parameters recorded on this page. No demo host is recorded as a plain address for this API, so the samples read the base address from an environment variable. Not executed against a live or demo account. Credentials are read from environment variables on your own machine and are never entered on this site. The request builder writes these same snippets, from the same record.

This call takes a request body. The samples send it as JSON with a Content-Type of application/json (in Python, passing json= sets that header) and a placeholder for each of the 5 body fields the record marks as required. Each placeholder has to be replaced with a real value before the request can succeed.

Python

# Set IBKR_BASE_URL, IBKR_ACCOUNT_ID as environment variables first. Never paste real values into code.
# No demo host is recorded as a plain address for this API, so the base address is read from IBKR_BASE_URL.
# Replace each {placeholder}, "..." and 0 with a real value before running.
# Optional and not shown: headers Authorization; body fields orders[].price, orders[].cOID.
import os
import requests

BASE_URL = os.environ["IBKR_BASE_URL"]
headers = {}
body = {"orders": [{"conid": 0, "orderType": "...", "side": "...", "tif": "...", "quantity": 0}]}
resp = requests.post(BASE_URL + "/iserver/account/" + os.environ["IBKR_ACCOUNT_ID"] + "/orders", headers=headers, json=body, timeout=10)
resp.raise_for_status()
print(resp.json())

JavaScript

// Set IBKR_BASE_URL, IBKR_ACCOUNT_ID as environment variables first. Never paste real values into code.
// No demo host is recorded as a plain address for this API, so the base address is read from IBKR_BASE_URL.
// Replace each {placeholder}, "..." and 0 with a real value before running.
// Optional and not shown: headers Authorization; body fields orders[].price, orders[].cOID.
// Run as a module, for example a .mjs file, on a Node version that has fetch built in.
const BASE_URL = process.env.IBKR_BASE_URL;
const res = await fetch(BASE_URL + "/iserver/account/" + process.env.IBKR_ACCOUNT_ID + "/orders", {
  method: "POST",
  headers: {
    "Content-Type": "application/json",
  },
  body: JSON.stringify({"orders": [{"conid": 0, "orderType": "...", "side": "...", "tif": "...", "quantity": 0}]}),
});
if (!res.ok) throw new Error(`HTTP ${res.status}`);
console.log(await res.json());

curl

# Set IBKR_BASE_URL, IBKR_ACCOUNT_ID as environment variables first. Never paste real values into code.
# No demo host is recorded as a plain address for this API, so the base address is read from IBKR_BASE_URL.
# Replace each {placeholder}, "..." and 0 with a real value before running.
# Optional and not shown: headers Authorization; body fields orders[].price, orders[].cOID.
curl -X POST "$IBKR_BASE_URL/iserver/account/$IBKR_ACCOUNT_ID/orders" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"orders": [{"conid": 0, "orderType": "...", "side": "...", "tif": "...", "quantity": 0}]}'

Response

A mock response. The values are invented, so check field names against the official reference.

[
  {
    "_mock": true,
    "order_id": "MOCK-ORDER-0001",
    "order_status": "Submitted",
    "encrypt_message": "1"
  }
]

Limits that apply at Interactive Brokers

Limit	Value	Scope	Source
Global requests a second (Web API)	10	Per authenticated username, that is per Web API session	ibkrcampus.comchecked 12 Oct 2026corroborated by interactivebrokers.com/docs/web-api/trading/usage-and-availability/pacing-limitations
Historical market data requests	Either 10 req/s or 50 req/minute, as the page words it	GET /iserver/marketdata/history only	interactivebrokers.comchecked 12 Oct 2026corroborated by ibkrcampus.com/campus/ibkr-api-page/webapi-doc/
Market data snapshot requests a second	10	GET /iserver/marketdata/snapshot only	interactivebrokers.comchecked 12 Oct 2026corroborated by ibkrcampus.com/campus/ibkr-api-page/webapi-doc/
Order and trade list requests	1 req/5 s	GET /iserver/orders and GET /iserver/trades, each counted on its own	interactivebrokers.comchecked 12 Oct 2026corroborated by ibkrcampus.com/campus/ibkr-api-page/webapi-doc/
Session validation requests a minute	1	GET /sso/validate only	interactivebrokers.comchecked 12 Oct 2026corroborated by ibkrcampus.com/campus/ibkr-api-page/webapi-doc/
Session keep alive requests a second	1	GET /tickle only	interactivebrokers.comchecked 12 Oct 2026corroborated by ibkrcampus.com/campus/ibkr-api-page/webapi-doc/

Interactive Brokers API errors you may meet

All Interactive Brokers API error codes, including 505 more not listed here.