Skip to main content
Version: v5

Data Sources

In V5, each provider package owns its own namespace, so the data source is usually implied by the menu: /oecd commands come from the OECD, /cboe commands from Cboe, /fred commands from FRED. In the in-process mode, the menu listing shows each command's provider in brackets. The available providers are whatever OpenBB extensions are installed; the extensions overview lists the packages.

Choosing a provider​

Commands still accept --provider, but most list a single choice. A few commands are served by more than one provider, for example /news/company, which accepts nasdaq or tmx:

/news/company --symbol AAPL --provider nasdaq

Parameters that only one provider supports are grouped under that provider's name in the command help. In the in-process mode, when --provider is given, flags that belong to other providers are dropped before the call; with --spec or --server, passing one of them is an error. Without --provider, the provider comes from the default list described below.

Credentials​

Providers that need an API key read it from the OpenBB credentials, under a name made of the provider and the credential, such as fred_api_key. The in-process mode takes them from the credentials object in ~/.openbb_platform/user_settings.json, or from an environment variable with the same name in upper case, such as FRED_API_KEY.

{
  "credentials": {
    "fred_api_key": "..."
  }
}

For the current session only, set a credential in the /user/credentials menu. Its help screen lists every credential the installed providers declare and whether each one is set; enter the credential's name with -v to set it:

/user/credentials/fred_api_key -v YOUR_KEY

Nothing set in /user/credentials is written to user_settings.json, but the line you typed is saved in the prompt history file, ~/.openbb_platform/.cli.his. Put long-lived keys in user_settings.json instead.

With --server, commands run on the server and use the server's credentials. With a spec for a non-OpenBB API, keys travel as headers or query parameters; see Authentication.

Default providers and parameters​

user_settings.json can also set defaults per command under defaults.commands, keyed by the dotted command path. A provider list sets the order in which providers are tried when --provider is omitted: the first one whose required credentials are all set is used. Other keys set default values for parameters that you do not pass.

{
  "defaults": {
    "commands": {
      "news.company": {
        "provider": ["tmx", "nasdaq"]
      },
      "oecd.gdp_real": {
        "country": "japan",
        "frequency": "annual"
      }
    }
  }
}

The /user menu shows the OpenBB preferences, such as the data and export folders or the chart style, and changes them for the current session only.

On this page