Trade Desk beta / invited testers
Your own Trade Desk.
On your own server.
Ballast Trade Desk runs on a small DigitalOcean server that you rent and control. It starts with practice money (PAPER). Real trades happen only if you type GO LIVE yourself, after its checks pass.
Easiest: let your own AI set it up. Open Claude Code or Codex and paste: Set up my Ballast Trade Desk using https://ballastdigital.xyz/desk/ai
About $12 a month to DigitalOcean. You copy your own secrets yourself; nothing secret goes through the chat. You start in PAPER. How it works · Check the signed skill. You still tick the boxes below yourself.
Prefer to do it by hand? Use the step-by-step wizard, which shows one step at a time, or follow the steps on this page.
Wizard
One step at a time
This wizard walks you through the same setup: your invitation, your username, your DigitalOcean server, the install command and the wait for your desk. Nothing here creates the server for you. DigitalOcean's API does not accept requests from web pages, and Ballast never holds your DigitalOcean password or API token, so the server step happens in your own DigitalOcean account and the install runs from its console.
Your DigitalOcean password and any API token stay with DigitalOcean and you. Your invite code and install command stay in this page's memory only.
Step 4
Create your DigitalOcean server
- Sign in at cloud.digitalocean.com. New accounts need a payment method.
- Choose Create, then Droplets.
- Region: the one nearest to you.
- Image: Ubuntu 24.04 (LTS) x64.
- Size: Basic, Regular, 2 GB memory (about $12 a month).
- Authentication: SSH key or password. Either works; you will use the console in your browser.
- Choose Create Droplet and wait until it shows an IP address.
- Open the server, choose Access, then Launch Droplet Console.
Step 5
Paste this into the Droplet Console
Copy the whole line, paste it into the console, and press Enter.
Your install command
Paste this into your setup assistant's prompt. The assistant creates the server and runs it for you; nothing else on this page is needed.
This command works once, until . If it expires, press Get my install command again with the same code and email.
The command downloads the installer, checks its signature, and only then runs it. Ballast release key fingerprint:
Step 6
Wait for your desk
Waiting for your server to check in.
Installing takes about 5 to 10 minutes; the line above names each step as your server reports it. If the install stops, it says why: paste the same command again, or delete the server and press Get my install command again with the same code and email. Keep the console open. When it finishes, the console shows your one-time setup link and code. Open the link, enter the code, add a passkey and save your recovery codes.
- Your desk opens in PAPER, with a short tour.
- Connect Robinhood from the desk itself.
- Readiness and reconciliation checks run.
- Only if you choose, type GO LIVE.
Already set up?
I rebuilt my server
Moving your username to a new server needs your invite code and a link we email you. You can move it 3 times in 30 days. The old server stops getting updates.
Use this link to move your desk to a new server.
Ballast support never asks for your codes, passkeys, broker logins or DigitalOcean password, and never logs in to your server. Questions: hello@ballastdigital.xyz. Guide: ballastdigital.xyz/desk is the only setup page.