Writing Algorithms

Log statements are added to the log file while your algorithm continues executing. Logging dataset information is not permitted. Use Log statements to debug your backtests and live trading algorithms.

If you execute algorithms in QuantConnect Cloud, log length is capped by organization tier. If your organization hits the daily limit, contact us.

If you log the same content multiple times, only the first instance is added to the log file. To bypass this rate-limit, add a timestamp to your log messages.

For live trading, the log files of each cloud project can store up to 100,000 lines for up to one year. If you log more than 100,000 lines or some lines become older than one year, we remove the oldest lines in the files so your project stays within the quota.

To record the algorithm state when the algorithm stops executing, add log statements to the OnEndOfAlgorithm event handler.

Log("My log message");

self.Log("My log message")

Debug statements are the same as log statements, but Debug statements are orange in the Cloud Terminal. Use these statements when you want to give more attention to a message in the Cloud Terminal. Debug messages can be up to 200 characters in length. If you send multiple debug statements within 1 second, your messages are rate-limited to avoid crashing your browser.

Debug("My debug message");

self.Debug("My debug message")

Error statements are the same as log statements, but Error statements are displayed in red text in the Cloud Terminal. Use these statements when you want to give the most attention to a message in the Cloud Terminal. Error statements are rate-limited like debug statements.

Error("My error message");

self.Error("My error message")

Quit statements cause your project to stop running and may log some data to the log file and Cloud Terminal. These statements are orange in the Cloud Terminal. When you call the Quit method, the program continues executing until the end of the method definition. If you want to quit execution immediately, return after you call Quit.

Quit("My quit message");

self.Quit("My quit message")

The following tables describe how to access the logs of your backtests and live algorithms: