Getting Started with AlphaLens
Connect your Alpaca or IBKR account in minutes and start tracking your portfolio performance with professional-grade analytics.
Welcome to AlphaLens
AlphaLens gives you a real-time view of your investment portfolio with the same analytics tools used by professional fund managers — Sharpe ratio, Sortino ratio, max drawdown, time-weighted returns, and more.
This guide walks you through connecting your first broker account and understanding what you're looking at once the data loads.
Step 1: Create an account
Head to alphalens.dev and sign up with your email. You'll receive a confirmation email — click the link to activate your account.
Step 2: Connect a broker
AlphaLens currently supports two brokers:
- Alpaca — Connect with your Alpaca API key and secret. Read-only keys work perfectly; no trading permissions are required.
- Interactive Brokers — Connect via the IBKR OAuth flow. You'll be redirected to authenticate through IBKR's portal.
To connect a broker, go to Settings → Connections and click Add connection.
Step 3: Explore your dashboard
Once your account is connected, the dashboard loads automatically. Here's what you'll find:
Ticker Bar
The top strip shows your key portfolio metrics at a glance:
| Metric | Description |
|---|---|
| NLV | Net Liquidation Value — total portfolio value |
| Today | Today's P&L in dollars and percent |
| Return | Total return since inception |
| Sharpe | Risk-adjusted return (higher is better) |
| Win Rate | Percentage of closed trades that were profitable |
Chart Panel
The main chart panel shows your equity curve plotted against a benchmark (SPY by default). You can change the benchmark using the picker in the controls row, and adjust the time period from 1 day to 5 years.
Positions & Orders
The bottom panel lists your current open positions with live prices, and a full history of orders and round-trip trades.
Next steps
- Click any ticker symbol to open a detailed chart with candlestick data, technicals, and financial statements
- Use the period selector to compare your performance over different time horizons
- Switch between multiple broker accounts using the account selector
Questions? Reach out via the contact page.
Trader-grade analytics, in your inbox
One short email when we publish a new piece on portfolio analytics, risk metrics, or broker integrations. No spam, no auto-DRIPs.
Keep reading
Related postsHow to Analyze Your Alpaca Portfolio Beyond P&L
Alpaca gives you a return number and a chart. Here's how to go deeper — Sharpe ratio, drawdown, benchmark comparison, and trade-level analysis — using your existing account data.
How to Benchmark Your Portfolio Against SPY
Benchmarking isn't just plotting two lines on a chart. Here's the right way to compare your portfolio to SPY — and the common mistakes that make the comparison meaningless.
The Monthly Returns Heatmap: How to Read It and What It Reveals
A monthly returns heatmap compresses years of performance into a single glance. Here's how to read one — and what patterns to look for in your own data.