---
title: "Projects"
description: "Projects contain files to run backtests, launch research notebooks, perform parameter optimizations, and deploy live trading strategies."
canonical: https://www.quantconnect.com/docs/v2/cloud-platform/projects
markdown: https://www.quantconnect.com/docs/v2/cloud-platform/projects.md
language: python
source: https://github.com/QuantConnect/Documentation/tree/master/01%20Cloud%20Platform/06%20Projects
modified: 2026-10-22
index: https://www.quantconnect.com/llms.txt
---

# Projects

[Documentation](https://www.quantconnect.com/docs/v2.md) > [Cloud Platform](https://www.quantconnect.com/docs/v2/cloud-platform.md) > Projects

> Code examples are shown in Python. Append `?lang=csharp` to this URL for the C# version of this page.

Projects contain files to run backtests, launch research notebooks, perform parameter optimizations, and deploy live trading strategies. You need to create projects in order to create strategies and share your work with other members. Projects enable you to generate institutional-grade reports on the performance of your backtests. You can create your projects from scratch or you can utilize pre-built libraries and third-party libraries to expedite your development process.

- [Getting Started](https://www.quantconnect.com/docs/v2/cloud-platform/projects/getting-started.md): Learn the basics
- [Structure](https://www.quantconnect.com/docs/v2/cloud-platform/projects/structure.md): How projects are made
- [Files](https://www.quantconnect.com/docs/v2/cloud-platform/projects/files.md): Where code lives
- [IDE](https://www.quantconnect.com/docs/v2/cloud-platform/projects/ide.md): A browser coding experience
- [Encryption](https://www.quantconnect.com/docs/v2/cloud-platform/projects/encryption.md): Another layer of IP protection
- [Debugging](https://www.quantconnect.com/docs/v2/cloud-platform/projects/debugging.md): Solve those coding errors
- [Collaboration](https://www.quantconnect.com/docs/v2/cloud-platform/projects/collaboration.md): Work with your team members
- [Code Sessions](https://www.quantconnect.com/docs/v2/cloud-platform/projects/code-sessions.md): Connect to the remote IDE
- [Shared Libraries](https://www.quantconnect.com/docs/v2/cloud-platform/projects/shared-libraries.md): Share code across projects
- [Package Environments](https://www.quantconnect.com/docs/v2/cloud-platform/projects/package-environments.md): Bundled python libraries
- [LEAN Engine Versions](https://www.quantconnect.com/docs/v2/cloud-platform/projects/lean-engine-versions.md): Customized LEAN engine versions

### See Also

- [Backtesting](https://www.quantconnect.com/docs/v2/cloud-platform/backtesting.md)
- [Sharing Backtests](https://www.quantconnect.com/docs/v2/cloud-platform/community/forum.md#03-Sharing-Backtests)
- [Report](https://www.quantconnect.com/docs/v2/cloud-platform/backtesting/report.md)

## Pages in This Section

- [Getting Started](https://www.quantconnect.com/docs/v2/cloud-platform/projects/getting-started.md): The Algorithm lab enables you to create, store, and manage your cloud projects. Only you can access your projects unless you share them or add collaborators.
- [Structure](https://www.quantconnect.com/docs/v2/cloud-platform/projects/structure.md): Your account has a directory to organize the projects that you have access to in each of your organizations. These organization directories are your workspaces.
- [Files](https://www.quantconnect.com/docs/v2/cloud-platform/projects/files.md): The files in your projects enable you to implement trading algorithms, perform research, and store important information. You can use the C# or Python language.
- [IDE](https://www.quantconnect.com/docs/v2/cloud-platform/projects/ide.md): The web IDE lets you work on research notebooks and develop algorithms for backtesting and live trading. When you open a project, the IDE displays.
- [Encryption](https://www.quantconnect.com/docs/v2/cloud-platform/projects/encryption.md): When you save projects in QuantConnect Cloud, you can save encrypted versions of your project files instead of the raw file content.
- [Debugging](https://www.quantconnect.com/docs/v2/cloud-platform/projects/debugging.md): Debugging is the process of finding and fixing errors in software. Errors can cause unintended trades, algorithm crashes, and faulty risk management logic.
- [Collaboration](https://www.quantconnect.com/docs/v2/cloud-platform/projects/collaboration.md): Project collaboration is a real-time coding experience with other members of your team. Collaborating can speed up your development time.
- [Code Sessions](https://www.quantconnect.com/docs/v2/cloud-platform/projects/code-sessions.md): Code sessions let you access the remote IDE to research and develop trading algorithms. When you open a project, a new code session starts running.
- [Shared Libraries](https://www.quantconnect.com/docs/v2/cloud-platform/projects/shared-libraries.md): Libraries are QuantConnect projects you can merge into your project to avoid duplicating code files. Use libraries to share tools across several projects.
- [Package Environments](https://www.quantconnect.com/docs/v2/cloud-platform/projects/package-environments.md): We support various libraries for machine learning, plotting, and data processing. We've bundled together sets of libraries into distinct cloud environments.
- [LEAN Engine Versions](https://www.quantconnect.com/docs/v2/cloud-platform/projects/lean-engine-versions.md): The latest master branch on the LEAN repository is the engine branch that runs the backtesting, research, and live trading nodes in QuantConnect Cloud.