⚠️ Note: This tool was previously hosted on Heroku, but due to recent platform changes, the live app is currently offline. All code and core logic remain functional and can be reviewed or run locally.

🔎 Why This Project

While working in crypto support and incident operations — and actively trading myself — I noticed that most retail platforms lack built-in historical backtesting tools to guide trading decisions. Unlike institutional platforms, everyday users are left without clear ways to validate strategies or assess risk before placing trades. This tool was an attempt to bridge that gap.

BTC/USD Backtester

The BTC/USD Backtester is a simple command-line application for backtesting a hypothetical Bitcoin trade against historical pricing data.

How to Use

1. Run the app.
2. Enter 1 to backtest a trade or 2 to exit when prompted.
3. Input the trade details (start date/time, end date/time, fee percentage).
4. View the results including starting price, ending price, fees, and profit/loss.

Features

• Validates user inputs for proper datetime format and valid fee percentage.
• Retrieves historical BTC/USD pricing data from a Google Sheet.
• Calculates profit or loss for the backtested trade including fees.
• Provides clear user prompting and error handling.

Data Model

The app uses a Google Sheet with pricing data structured Timestamp Low High 2021-01-01 06:00:00 29237.45 29338.25

User Stories

Casual Crypto Enthusiast - Easy Backtest

• I want to: Understand how much profit (or loss) I would've made by buying and selling BTC on specific dates.
• So that: I can see how well I would've done if I'd acted on my hunches.

Acceptance Criteria

• The tool should allow me to easily input the buy and sell dates/times.
• It should display a simple breakdown: initial investment, final value, gross profit/loss, fee amount, and net profit/loss.
• There should be an easy and clear user guide that helps me understand how to use the tool without prior backtesting experience.

Aspiring Trader - Impact of Fees

• I want to: Understand how much profit (or loss) I would've made by buying and selling BTC on specific dates.
• So that: I can see how even a single trade is influenced by fees, setting the foundation for my understanding before I scale up to multiple trades.

Acceptance Criteria

• The tool should allow me to input single trade (buy/sell pair).
• It should provide a breakdown of results for a trade, highlighting the fees.
• The tool should emphasize the difference between the gross outcome and net outcome (after fees).
• A brief note on the impact of fees and how they can add up with increased trading frequency would be educational.

Researcher - Historical Price Exploration: reputable source

• I want to: Explore historical BTC/USD prices for specific timeframes.
• So that: I can gather insights on price movements and volatility for my research.

Acceptance Criteria:

• The tool should allow me to input a start and end date/time.
• It should display the opening, closing, highest, and lowest prices within that timeframe.
• A simple visualization or chart (even if it's just a link to the Google Sheet's chart) would be a bonus.
• It would be beneficial to have a note or reference on where the historical data comes from to ensure its reliability.

ISSUE I RAN INTO

• I used Alpaca API and alpaca-py library with a client and successfully retrieved data till 2021, but I would get empty lists after that date. The free tier promised to give 5 + years of free historical but able to retrieve data till 2021.