QuantRocket runs inside Docker. The operating system requirements for QuantRocket are the same as those for Docker.
Docker runs on Linux, Mac, or Windows.
| Docker memory | Total system memory on Linux | Total system memory on Windows/MacOS | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum | 4 GB | 4 GB | 8 GB |
| Recommended | 8-16 GB | 8-16 GB | 16+ GB |
The amount of memory your system needs depends on how you use QuantRocket, and on your platform.
The minimum memory to give Docker is 4 GB. The minimum memory of the host computer may be greater than 4 GB, depending on the platform.
On Linux, Docker runs natively and shares memory with the host operating system. A Linux machine with 4 GB of system memory may be adequate to run a basic installation of QuantRocket.
On Windows and MacOS, Docker runs inside a Linux VM, which is allocated a fixed portion of system memory, with another portion of memory reserved for the host operating system. Because of this segregation, Windows or MacOS typically requires a minimum of 8 GB of total system memory: 4 GB for Docker/QuantRocket, and 4 GB reserved for the host operating system (with the latter varying by what you use your computer for).
Each instance of IB Gateway, under load, can consume nearly 1 GB of memory. Thus, if you run multiple IB Gateways, you will need proportionately more memory.
The more data you wish to analyze in a research notebook, the more memory you will need.
The troubleshooting guide highlights symptoms that may indicate that your system lacks adequate memory.
The amount of storage required depends primarily on the amount of data you plan to collect. You could need anywhere from 25-100+ GB, depending on your data needs. Most end-of-day datasets are several GB in size at most. The 1-minute US stock dataset is 50-60 GB. QuantRocket's Docker images take up approximately 10 GB of disk space.
Multi-core systems with fast processors will provide faster performance. However, the available CPU is usually a less important factor than memory and storage.