AmpTrade (formerly steadfastapp) Is Now Free & Open Source

If you’ve been following my journey since I wrote about launching my first SaaS, you’ll know how much passion went into building SteadfastApp. Initially, diving into the Zerodha API and building a seamless trading wrapper was an exciting technical challenge. My goal as a developer and designer was to build something with a clean, modern, and minimalistic UI that took the clutter out of execution.

For a few months, running it was a fantastic learning experience. I saw firsthand what it takes to build and scale a financial tool. However, the landscape of algorithmic trading in the Indian market has shifted dramatically. Today, I’m announcing a major pivot: SteadfastApp is no longer a commercial SaaS product. Instead, I’ve decided to completely open-source the codebase under its new name, AmpTrade.

Here is a transparent look at why I made this decision and what it means moving forward.

1. The Financial and Maintenance Reality#

Running a reliable trading API wrapper requires absolute precision. Markets don't wait, and any latency or bug can cost users money. Over the last few months, SteadfastApp simply stopped generating enough revenue to justify the continuous, exhausting effort required to maintain the infrastructure and handle support. It reached a point where the maintenance overhead was becoming a roadblock to building new things.

2. SEBI's Static IP Regulations#

The biggest external factor for shutting down the commercial side was the new SEBI regulatory mandate for API trading. As of April 2026, algorithmic and API order placements must originate from a whitelisted Static IP address or route through in-house broker hosting.

While this is a great step by the exchange to ensure traceability, prevent unauthorized access, and secure the market, it effectively kills the frictionless, plug-and-play experience for retail traders using an indie API wrapper. Asking everyday users to purchase, configure, and maintain their own Static IPs through an ISP or VPS—just to use a lightweight app—goes against the accessible ethos I wanted for the project.

3. The Rise of Advanced Trading Terminals#

Let’s be honest—the broker ecosystem has evolved rapidly. We are seeing a massive rise in incredibly powerful, built-in trading terminals. Brokers are actively integrating advanced charting, instant execution, and automated features right out of the box. Competing against these feature-rich, native terminals as a solo developer running a third-party wrapper is an uphill battle that no longer makes sense to fight.

What's Next: Enter AmpTrade and OIData#

Instead of letting the code gather dust or simply deleting the repository, I’ve rebranded the application to AmpTrade and pushed it to GitHub. It is now 100% free and open-source.

If you are a developer looking to build your own custom trading logic, you can fork AmpTrade, whitelist your own static IP with your broker, and tweak the interface to your liking without any subscription fees.

As for my own journey, my focus in the markets remains heavily on options scalping and pure data analysis rather than managing trade execution platforms. I am redirecting my energy into a new data analysis tool I've been working on called OIData, which is designed to track Open Interest and market momentum without the direct execution overhead.

Thank you to everyone who supported SteadfastApp, read the previous blogs, and traded alongside me. Feel free to check out AmpTrade on GitHub, fork the repo, and build something awesome.