If you trade only in your broker's app or website, nothing changes for you: the static IP rule is about orders that a program sends through an API. If you write your own code, run a script on a laptop, or connect software to your broker with your own API key, read on.
What a static IP is
Every device on the internet reaches other machines through an IP address. Most home and mobile connections get a dynamic address: the internet provider hands out an address when the router connects and may give a different one tomorrow, after a power cut or when the router restarts. A static address is one that the provider, or a cloud company, reserves for you alone, so it stays the same until you give it up.
There are two kinds of address in use:
| Type | Looks like | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| IPv4 | 203.0.113.25 | The older format. Addresses are scarce, so providers charge for them |
| IPv6 | 2001:db8::25 | The newer format. Addresses are plentiful and often cheaper, but not every broker accepts them yet |
The addresses above are documentation examples, not real ones. Your broker needs the public address that the internet sees, not the private address your router gives your laptop (such as 192.168.1.5).
Why brokers now ask for one
SEBI's circular of 4 February 2025 on safer participation of retail investors in algorithmic trading (SEBI/HO/MIRSD/MIRSD-PoD/P/CIR/2025/0000013) ended "open APIs".1 Brokers may give API access only through a unique API key, from a static IP that the broker has whitelisted, with OAuth sign-in and two-factor authentication. The aim is simple: every API order can be traced to a known client and a known machine.
NSE turned the circular into working rules in its implementation standards of 5 May 2025 (NSE/INVG/67858).2 The parts that matter for a static IP are these:
| Rule | What NSE's standards say |
|---|---|
| Static IP is mandatory | A client must give the broker a static IP to get API access |
| How many | One primary address, plus one optional secondary address for backup |
| Several API keys | Each key can use the same pair of addresses or a different pair |
| Changing it | No more than once a calendar week; exceptions only by contacting the broker |
| One client per IP | An address can be mapped to only one client at a time |
| Family sharing | Allowed among family members as SEBI defines family, on a written or email request, or through two-factor validation |
| Daily logout | Every API session is logged out before the next trading day starts |
| Sign-in | OAuth-based sign-in and two-factor authentication |
| Order rate | Up to 10 orders a second per exchange segment without registering the algo separately; above that, the algo must be registered with the exchange |
Brokers can be stricter than the exchange. Rupeezy, for example, locks a newly mapped address for 15 days rather than a week, according to its own help page.3 Check your own broker's page before you sign up for a provider; our guide to whitelisting a static IP with your broker has the steps broker by broker.
When the static IP rule applies
The rule follows the orders, not the person. NSE's FAQ on the retail algo framework, dated 3 November 2025, says a client static IP is needed only for a tech-savvy investor who places orders through the API.4 It also covers the case where the algo runs on the broker's infrastructure: there, the address that counts is the broker's own server, not yours.
| How you trade | Do you need your own static IP? |
|---|---|
| Manually, in the broker's app or website | No |
| Through a platform that runs inside your broker's setup | No; the orders leave from the broker's servers |
| Through an empanelled algo provider using the provider's own registered address | No, if the provider's address is the one registered; NSE's standards allow the provider's or the client's address |
| Your own code, with your own API key | Yes |
| Software you run with your own API key, on your laptop or server | Yes |
| Reading data only: prices, holdings, positions | Usually no; most brokers check the address only for orders |
The last row depends on the broker. Dhan's API documentation says the address is needed for order placement and not for fetching order or trade details,5 and Rupeezy says read-only calls such as holdings, positions and funds do not need one.3
The timeline
The framework took longer to arrive than first planned:
| Date | What happened |
|---|---|
| 4 February 2025 | SEBI's circular sets the framework, with 1 August 2025 as the start date1 |
| 5 May 2025 | NSE publishes its implementation standards2 |
| 29 July 2025 | SEBI moves the start to 1 October 20256 |
| 30 September 2025 | SEBI sets a glide path: brokers that are ready go live from 1 October 2025, with registration and mock-session milestones through January 20266 |
| 5 January 2026 | Brokers that missed the milestones may not onboard new retail clients for API algo trading6 |
| 1 April 2026 | The framework applies to every broker6 |
As of this guide's check on 14 November 2026, the framework is in force at every broker, so an API order from an unregistered address is rejected.
Three ways to get a static IP
1. A static IP from your internet provider
Internet providers sell static addresses, usually on business plans or as an add-on. Jio's Business Broadband Max page, for example, lists a public static IP among the plan's features.7 Groww's guide to static IPs puts an internet provider's add-on at roughly ₹300 to ₹1,000 a month, depending on the provider and speed.8 Prices vary by city and plan, so ask your provider for the exact figure and whether the address is IPv4 or IPv6.
This route keeps your code at home. It also keeps home risks: a power cut, a router restart, a laptop that goes to sleep or an internet outage stops your strategy, and a backup connection from another provider has a different address that must also be registered as your secondary IP.
2. A cloud server (VPS) with a reserved address
A virtual private server (VPS) is a computer you rent in a data centre. It runs all day, and the cloud company can reserve a fixed public address for it. Prices on the providers' own pages, checked on 14 November 2026:
| Provider | Cheapest option | Static address |
|---|---|---|
| Amazon Lightsail | US$5 a month with a public IPv4 address; US$3.50 a month for an IPv6-only server9 | A static IP is included in every Lightsail plan; plans in the Mumbai region come with half the listed data transfer |
| DigitalOcean | Servers (Droplets) from US$4 a month10 | A reserved IP is free while it is assigned to a server; an unassigned reserved IPv4 address costs US$5 a month11 |
| Amazon EC2 | Priced per server size and region | Every public IPv4 address costs US$0.005 an hour, about US$3.65 for a 730-hour month, on top of the server12 |
| Google Cloud | Priced per server size and region | An external IPv4 address in use on a standard server costs US$0.005 an hour; a reserved address that is not in use costs US$0.01 an hour13 |
Prices are in US dollars, before taxes, and change from time to time. For an Indian broker, choose a data centre in India where the provider has one, so that the order does not travel abroad and back.
3. A cloud free tier
Several cloud companies give free servers or credits, and a free server can have a fixed public address. The catches are real: some free servers are reclaimed when idle, some free plans end after a few months, and one major free tier offers its free server only in US regions. Our guide to free static IP options for algo trading goes through Oracle Cloud, AWS and Google Cloud with their current terms.
Static IP vs VPS
People often ask whether to buy a static IP or a VPS. They are not the same kind of thing: a static IP is an address, and a VPS is a computer that comes with an address.
| Static IP from your internet provider | VPS with a reserved address | |
|---|---|---|
| Where your code runs | Your own computer at home or in the office | A rented server in a data centre |
| Runs when your laptop is off | No | Yes |
| Power cuts and router restarts | Stop your strategy | Do not affect it |
| Monthly cost | The add-on, plus your connection | The server; the address is included or charged by the hour |
| Setup | Ask your provider; register the address | Create the server, install your code, register the address |
| Upkeep | Your computer's updates and uptime | Server updates, security, monitoring |
| Backup address | A second connection with its own static IP | A second server, or a second reserved address |
For a script that must run through the trading day, a VPS is usually the steadier choice, because it does not depend on your home power and internet. For someone who trades from a desktop that is always on, with a reliable connection, a provider's static IP can be enough.
IPv4 or IPv6: which brokers accept which
IPv6 servers are often cheaper; on Lightsail, the IPv6-only plan costs less than the plan with a public IPv4 address.9 Use IPv6 only if your broker accepts it. What each broker's own pages said on 14 November 2026:
| Broker | IPv6 accepted? |
|---|---|
| Upstox | Yes: IPv4 or IPv6 notation14 |
| Dhan | Yes: the API's set-IP call takes IPv4 or IPv65 |
| Rupeezy | Yes: IPv4 and IPv6 both accepted3 |
| Zerodha | Yes, according to a reply on the Kite Connect developer forum15 |
| Kotak Neo | Not yet: its page says only IPv4 is supported for now16 |
| Angel One | Not for every account yet, according to the SmartAPI forum's admin; use IPv417 |
If your broker accepts only IPv4, pay for an IPv4 address. A server with both kinds of address must also send its orders over the registered one; if your code reaches the broker over IPv6 while only the IPv4 address is registered, the order is refused.
Setting up a static IP step by step
- Check how you will trade. If your orders come from a platform inside your broker's setup, stop here: you need no static IP.
- Check your broker's rules. IPv4 or IPv6, how often you can change, and whether a family member can share.
- Get the address. From your internet provider, or by creating a cloud server and reserving its address.
- Find the public address. On a server, the provider's console shows it. At home, the provider confirms it in writing.
- Register it. Add it as the primary IP in your broker's API settings, and add a backup as the secondary IP if you have one.
- Sign in again. Some brokers end the existing API session when the address changes, so generate a fresh session.
- Test with one small order in a quiet hour, and watch for an error that mentions the IP.
- Write down the date. You cannot change the address again for about a week, so plan any move to a new server around it.
Common mistakes
- Registering the private address.
192.168.x.xand10.x.x.xare inside your network; the broker sees your public address. - Assuming a home address is fixed because it has not changed for a few days. Unless your provider sold you a static IP, it can change at any restart.
- Moving servers on a Monday morning. With one change a week, a mistake can leave you without API orders for days.
- Sharing one address with a friend. An address belongs to one client; only family sharing is allowed, and only after the broker approves it.
- Running two programs on two machines with only one address registered. Orders from the unregistered machine fail.
- Forgetting the daily sign-in. A static IP does not keep a session alive; every API session ends before the next trading day.
Or skip it: no static IP when QuantPower runs inside your broker's setup
You do not need a static IP to automate a strategy if your orders do not leave from your own machine. Where your broker hosts QuantPower inside its own infrastructure, your strategies run there and the orders leave from the broker's servers, so, as NSE's FAQ explains for algos hosted on a broker's infrastructure, the address that counts is the broker's.4 You build the rules in the strategy builder, backtest them, run a forward test, and switch the algo on, fully automated or as a one-touch algo, with no server or address to look after.
If you connect QuantPower with your own API key instead, the orders carry your key, so you need your own static IP registered with your broker, exactly as above. Either way, the token prices are the same: a live algo costs 200 tokens per 28 days and a forward test 100 tokens per algo per 28 days, with the strategy builder free. See broker connection requirements for what each connection needs, and the trading API basics guide for how API orders work.
Start with 500 free tokens
Connect your broker, build a strategy and test it on paper before a single live order goes out.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a static IP for algo trading in India?
Only if your own program sends orders through your own API key. Trading in your broker's app, or through a platform that runs inside your broker's setup, needs no static IP of your own.
What is the cheapest static IP for algo trading?
On the providers' pages checked on 14 November 2026, the lowest paid options were a DigitalOcean server from US$4 a month with a free reserved IP while assigned, and an IPv6-only Lightsail server at US$3.50 a month, which works only with brokers that accept IPv6. Free tiers exist but have limits.
How many static IPs can I register with my broker?
One primary and one optional secondary for backup, under NSE's standards. Several API keys can share the same pair.
How often can I change my static IP?
No more than once a calendar week under NSE's standards. Some brokers count seven days from the last change, and some lock it for longer.
Can my family use the same static IP?
Yes, if your broker approves it. NSE's standards allow sharing among family members as SEBI defines family, on a written or email request or through two-factor validation. Each broker has its own form or process.
Is a static IP the same as a VPS?
No. A static IP is a fixed address; a VPS is a rented server that comes with an address. You can have a static IP at home without a VPS, or a VPS whose reserved address is your static IP.
Do I need a static IP just to read prices or my positions?
Usually not. Most brokers check the address only for orders. Dhan and Rupeezy say so on their own pages; check your broker's.
What happens if my order comes from another address?
The broker rejects it. A careful program stops and alerts you rather than retrying from another connection.
Related guides
- How to whitelist a static IP with your broker: the steps at each broker
- Free static IP for algo trading: what the free tiers really give
- SEBI rules for algo trading: the whole framework
- Trading API basics: how API orders work
References
- SEBI, circular SEBI/HO/MIRSD/MIRSD-PoD/P/CIR/2025/0000013, safer participation of retail investors in algorithmic trading, 4 February 2025 (sebi.gov.in)
- NSE, circular NSE/INVG/67858, implementation standards for safer participation of retail investors in algorithmic trading, 5 May 2025 (nseindia.com)
- Rupeezy, FAQs for static IP in API trading, checked 14 November 2026 (support.rupeezy.in)
- NSE, FAQ on retail algo trading, 3 November 2025 (nseindia.com)
- DhanHQ API documentation, authentication and static IP, checked 14 November 2026 (dhanhq.co)
- SEBI, circular SEBI/HO/MIRSD/MIRSD-PoD/P/CIR/2025/132, extension of timeline for the circular of 4 February 2025, 30 September 2025 (sebi.gov.in)
- Jio, Business Broadband Max, checked 14 November 2026 (jio.com)
- Groww, static IP for API trading: setup guide, 2 September 2026 (groww.in)
- Amazon Lightsail pricing, checked 14 November 2026 (aws.amazon.com)
- DigitalOcean pricing, checked 14 November 2026 (digitalocean.com)
- DigitalOcean, reserved IPs pricing, checked 14 November 2026 (docs.digitalocean.com)
- AWS News Blog, public IPv4 address charge, in effect from 1 February 2024 (aws.amazon.com)
- Google Cloud, Virtual Private Cloud pricing: external IP addresses, checked 14 November 2026 (cloud.google.com)
- Upstox developer documentation, algo trading circular announcement, checked 14 November 2026 (upstox.com)
- Kite Connect developer forum, reply on IPv6 static IPs (kite.trade)
- Kotak Neo, static IP whitelisting for retail algo trading, checked 14 November 2026 (kotakneo.com)
- Angel One SmartAPI forum, IPv6 support, admin reply (smartapi.angelone.in)