MT5 on a VPS: where your trading journal fits in
One account, two terminals. Where the history lives, what a journal reads, and how to tag automated trades.
Many traders run MetaTrader 5 on a virtual private server so that a strategy keeps working while their own computer is off. That setup raises a practical question for anyone who keeps a trading journal: where does the history live, which machine reads it, and what happens to the journal if the terminal is somewhere you do not sit? This page explains the pieces, so that your records stay complete whichever machine does the trading.
Where your trade history actually lives
The record of your closed trades is kept by the broker’s server, tied to your account login. A terminal, on any machine, shows that history after it logs in and downloads it. This is why you can install MetaTrader 5 on a new computer, log in, and see the old trades again. The history you see is not a file that belongs to one particular PC. How far back it goes depends on the broker and on the period you select; if something seems missing, see MT5 trade history not showing.
This matters for a VPS because the trades placed by a program running there are in the same account history as the ones you place by hand from home. One account, one history, two terminals.
Two machines, two jobs
| Machine | Typical job | Journal angle |
|---|---|---|
| VPS terminal | Runs an Expert Advisor around the clock | Produces trades; usually nobody is watching |
| Your own PC | Manual trading, analysis, review | Where you read the history and write notes |
A journal app that reads the history from a terminal needs that terminal to be logged in to the account. AI Trading Journal is a Windows desktop app for MetaTrader 5, and it keeps its journal as a file on the PC where it runs. If you want it to collect the trades placed by a VPS program, the terminal on your own PC needs to be logged in to the same account for the history to download; check the installation notes for the exact steps. Closed trades from the VPS then arrive in your journal the same way as any other, within the five-minute cycle after the terminal has the data.
It is a reading relationship only. The app never places, modifies or closes a trade, so it cannot interfere with the program on the VPS.
A caution about passwords
Using the same account from two places means more than one login in more than one place. There is a separate, read-only password on MetaTrader 5 accounts, often called the investor password, which lets someone view but not trade. How it relates to journals is explained in MT5 investor password and trading journals. Never type a broker password into a website you do not trust; a journal that works from the terminal history does not need you to.
Separating automated from manual trades
On a mixed account, the VPS program and you share one history. For the analysis to mean anything, they must be separated, in the same way as in any other mixed setup. Programs usually put a magic number on their orders, which you can use as a marker; see magic numbers in the trade history. Tag the automated trades in your journal and review them apart from the manual ones. Otherwise, a profitable program can hide poor manual habits, or the reverse.
- Write the program name and version in the notes the day you change anything.
- Tag each trade as automated or manual, using the magic number or the comment as a guide.
- Review the automated group by week, not by trade; single trades rarely say much.
- Note any time you stopped the program or intervened by hand.
What to check when the numbers look wrong
If a time looks odd, remember that trade times follow the broker’s server clock rather than the clock of either of your machines; see MT5 server time explained. If a number of trades seems missing, remember that open positions are not in the closed-trade history until they close, and that a terminal only shows the period it has loaded.
A worked example (hypothetical)
A trader runs one Expert Advisor on a VPS and trades a second idea by hand from a laptop. Every Friday the trader opens the journal on the laptop, filters by the automated tag, and checks that the count of trades matches the rhythm of the program. One week the count is far lower than usual. Reading the notes, there was a maintenance restart on the VPS that left the program disabled for two days. The journal did not cause or prevent that, but the weekly review caught it. The scenario is invented to show a routine, not a result.
Limits of this page
- Server setups, hosting products and terminal behaviour differ; this page describes ideas, not a configuration.
- A journal reading from a terminal needs that terminal to have the account history; confirm this in your own setup.
- This page does not recommend any hosting provider or any automated program.
Frequently asked questions
Does my VPS trade history show up on my home PC?
Does the journal app run on the VPS?
Can the app disturb a program running on the VPS?
How do I separate automated from manual trades?
Which clock do the times follow?
Related guides
- A local trading journal for MT5
- P&L calendar for MT5
- Trade notes, ratings and screenshots
- Trading progress and goals
- Back up your journal and move it to a new PC
- An offline trading journal for Windows
- How to set monthly trading goals
- Import your whole MT5 history
- How to tag trades
- Trade screenshots for your journal
- All trading journal comparisons
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