Step-by-Step Guide to Generate Access Token in Zerodha Kite API

Algo Trading is a method of trading in the stock market where computer programs automatically place buy and sell orders based on pre-defined rules. These rules are created using mathematical models, technical indicators, or market conditions.

1. API Key & API Secret

• When you create an app on Kite Developer Console, Zerodha gives you:
  • API Key → a public identifier for your app.
  • API Secret → a private key (keep it confidential).
    These are permanent for your app (unless you regenerate them).

2. Request Token

• The request token is a temporary code generated every time a user logs in through Kite’s login URL.
• Flow:
  1. You redirect the user to Zerodha Kite login with your API key.
  2. The user logs in with their Zerodha credentials & OTP.
  3. Zerodha redirects back to your redirect URL with a request_token (valid only once and for a few seconds).
• Example: https://your-redirect-url.com?request_token=rakeshtest

3. Access Token (most important for Algo Trading)

• You exchange the request token + API secret (using Kite SDK / API call) to get an access token.
• The access token is what you actually use for trading APIs (place order, fetch data, etc).

from kiteconnect import KiteConnect

# Define your API credentials
api_key = "your_api_key"
api_secret = "your_api_secret"

# Create KiteConnect instance
kite = KiteConnect(api_key=api_key)

# Set your request token
request_token = "your_request_token"

# Generate session and fetch access token
data = kite.generate_session(request_token=request_token, api_secret=api_secret)
access_token = data["access_token"]

# Set the access token for subsequent requests
kite.set_access_token(access_token)

Explanation:

from kiteconnect import KiteConnect

• Purpose: Imports the KiteConnect class from the kiteconnect library.
• Why it matters: This class allows you to interact with Zerodha’s Kite Connect API for trading, fetching data, and managing your account.

api_key = "your_api_key"
api_secret = "your_api_secret"

• Purpose: Stores your API credentials as strings.
• Why it matters: These are provided by Zerodha when you create an app on their developer platform. They authenticate your app

kite = KiteConnect(api_key=api_key)

• Purpose: Creates an instance of the KiteConnect class using your API key.
• Why it matters: This object (kite) is your gateway to all API operations like placing orders, checking positions, etc.

request_token = "your_request_token"

• Purpose: Stores the request_token received after user login.
• Why it matters: After the user logs in via the Kite login URL, Zerodha redirects to your app with a request_token. This token is needed to generate the access token.

data = kite.generate_session(request_token=request_token, api_secret=api_secret)

• Purpose: Exchanges the request_token for an access_token using your API secret.
• Why it matters: The access_token is what allows you to make authenticated API calls on behalf of the user.

access_token = data["access_token"]

• Purpose: Extracts the access_token from the response dictionary.
• Why it matters: You’ll need this token to authenticate future requests.

kite.set_access_token(access_token)

• Purpose: Sets the access_token in your kite object.
• Why it matters: This step is essential before making any further API calls like placing orders or fetching market data.