# MT4 and MT5

> One API for both platforms, and the few things MT4 can't do.

Source: https://tickwire.io/docs/platforms/

Pick the platform when you create an account (`"platform": "mt4"` or `"mt5"`). After that, every
endpoint, field and stream frame is the same.

## What's different

MT4 is an older platform and lacks some features. Calls for them return `not_supported_on_mt4`:

| Capability | MT5 | MT4 |
|---|---|---|
| Market depth (`current-book`, `marketDepth` stream) | Yes | `not_supported_on_mt4` |
| Historical ticks | Yes | `not_supported_on_mt4` |
| Stop-limit orders | Yes | `not_supported_on_mt4` |
| Close-by | Yes, on hedging accounts | Depends on the broker |
| Timeframes | 21, from `1m` to `1mn` | `1m 5m 15m 30m 1h 4h 1d 1w 1mn` |
| History | Deals, orders and positions | Closed orders, exposed as deals and history orders |

Ask the account up front instead of catching errors:

```bash
curl -s https://api.tickwire.io/users/current/accounts/acc_7Qx/capabilities -H "auth-token: $TW_KEY"
```

```json
{ "platform": "mt4", "marketDepth": false, "tickHistory": false, "stopLimitOrders": false, "closeBy": true }
```

An unsupported call returns HTTP 400:

```json
{ "error": "not_supported_on_mt4", "message": "Market depth isn't available on MetaTrader 4." }
```

## Hedging and netting (MT5)

MT5 accounts are either hedging (many positions per symbol) or netting (one). `marginMode` in
account information tells you which. On hedging accounts, closes must name a `positionId`; on
netting accounts, positions are identified by their MT5 position identifier, which stays stable
while the position is scaled in and out.