institutional-trader/README/START_SERVICE.md

Starting the Python Service

Quick Start

cd backend/python_service
uvicorn main:app --reload --port 8010

Using Virtual Environment (Recommended)

If you want to use a virtual environment (recommended for isolation):

# Create virtual environment
cd backend/python_service
python -m venv venv

# Activate (Windows)
venv\Scripts\activate

# Activate (macOS/Linux)
source venv/bin/activate

# Install dependencies
pip install -r requirements.txt

# Start service
uvicorn main:app --reload --port 8010

Verify Service is Running

Once started, you should see:

INFO:     Uvicorn running on http://127.0.0.1:8010
INFO:     Application startup complete.

Test the health endpoint:

curl http://localhost:8010/health

Expected response:

{
  "status": "healthy",
  "service": "options-flow-processor"
}

Troubleshooting

ModuleNotFoundError

• Make sure you've run: pip install -r requirements.txt
• If using venv, make sure it's activated
• Check Python version: python --version (should be 3.11+)

Port Already in Use

• Change port: uvicorn main:app --reload --port 8001
• Update PYTHON_SERVICE_URL in Node.js .env to match

Database Connection Error

• Check .env file has correct database credentials
• Verify PostgreSQL is running
• Test connection: psql -h localhost -U postgres -d institutional_trader

Next Steps

Once the Python service is running:

1. Start Node.js backend: cd backend && npm run dev
2. Node.js will automatically detect and use Python service
3. Check logs to confirm: ✅ Using Python service