Does Replikanto work with the NinjaTrader Playback connection?

Yes — starting with NinjaTrader 8.1.7 and Replikanto 1.7.0.0, Replikanto can be used with the Playback connection and copies trades between Playback accounts on the same computer.

This article explains which versions you need, how copying between Playback accounts works, why a Playback leader never sends trades to remote followers, which accounts to use as followers, and what to check if your Playback accounts do not appear in Replikanto.

Version Requirements

To use multiple Playback accounts with Replikanto, you need both:

• NinjaTrader 8.1.7 or later — Introduced Feature #31845: Multiple Playback Accounts
• Replikanto 1.7.0.0 or later — Required for Replikanto to work with multiple Playback accounts

Replikanto 1.6.1.7 and earlier ignore the orders of a Playback leader and do not list Playback accounts as followers. There was no 1.6.1.8 release: the first version that supports Playback accounts is 1.7.0.0. If you are on an older version, update Replikanto.

What Changed in NinjaTrader 8.1.7+

NinjaTrader 8.1.7 introduced Feature #31845: Multiple Playback Accounts, which removes the previous limitation. You can now create and manage separate Playback accounts to simulate trading more realistically.

How to Use Multiple Playback Accounts

To use multiple Playback accounts with Replikanto:

• Enable Multi provider mode: This setting must be enabled to add additional Playback accounts
• Create separate accounts: Set up different Playback accounts to test strategies, assign instruments across accounts, or mirror real-world setups
• Select accounts during Playback: Playback accounts can be selected anywhere account selection is available

How Replikanto Copies Between Playback Accounts

Select one Playback account as the Leader Account and check the other Playback accounts in the Follower Accounts grid. Replikanto copies between them the same way it copies between any other accounts: the follower ratio, ATM Copy, Market Only and Follower Guard all work as usual.

1 = Leader Account: Playback101; 2 = the other Playback accounts, turned on as followers; 3 = the Connection column shows Playback Connection. Both followers copied the leader's 1-contract long. The Connection column is hidden by default: right-click the Follower Accounts grid > Columns > Connection.

A Playback Leader Never Sends Trades to Remote Followers

Replayed trades from a Playback leader stay on the computer where they happen. They are copied only to follower accounts in the same NinjaTrader, and they are never sent to remote followers, whether over the local network (Network Node Mode) or over the internet (Remote Node Mode). This is by design, and no Log line is written when a Playback trade is not sent to a remote follower — the remote follower simply receives nothing.

To test copying to a remote follower, use a leader account that is not on the Playback connection (and not on the Simulated Data Feed connection either). See Remote Copy trades not reaching remote followers (nodes).

Use Only Playback or Sim Accounts as Followers

Replikanto copies to every connected account that is checked as a follower — it does not check what kind of account the follower is. When the leader is a Playback account, the followers of that tab should be Playback or Sim accounts only. Never check a live or funded account as a follower in a tab whose leader is a Playback account.

If Your Playback Accounts Do Not Appear as Followers

• You are on Replikanto 1.6.1.7 or earlier. Those versions do not list Playback accounts as followers. Update to Replikanto 1.7.0.0.
• NinjaTrader's Global Simulation Mode is on. In this mode Replikanto lists only simulation (Sim) accounts as followers, so Playback accounts are removed from the Follower Accounts grid. If that follower was on, the Log tab shows [Follower] Removed the follower account from the list because NinjaTrader is in Global Simulation Mode. Turn Global Simulation Mode off to see them.
• The Playback account is not connected. Replikanto lists only connected accounts as followers.

Control Center > Accounts: 1 = the Accounts tab; 2 = Playback101, Playback102 and Playback103 on Playback Connection. Check here that your Playback accounts are connected: Replikanto lists only connected accounts as followers.

For Older NinjaTrader Versions

If you're using a NinjaTrader version older than 8.1.7, Playback mode only provides a single Sim account (Playback101). In that case, use the Simulated Data Feed connection instead, which allows multiple Sim accounts for testing.

Refer to the official NinjaTrader guide for setting up multiple simulation accounts:

NinjaTrader Guide: Multiple Simulation Accounts