Purpose
Candle ID is a simple but powerful way to reference past or current candlesticks in your trading logic. Once you understand it, you can precisely tell your bot which candle’s data to use — opening the door to more advanced strategies.
The Concept
Every candlestick on a chart is assigned a number called its Candle ID:
Candle ID 0 – The current, still-forming candle.
Candle ID 1 – The most recently closed candle.
Candle ID 2 – The candle before that, and so on.
Think of it as counting candles backwards in time from the present moment.
Example on a Daily Time Frame
Candle ID 0 – Today’s candle, still moving as the market updates.
Candle ID 1 – Yesterday’s candle (fully closed).
Candle ID 2 – The day before yesterday’s candle.
Example on a 1-Hour Time Frame
Let’s say it’s 14:37 (market time):
Candle ID 0 – The 14:00–15:00 candle, still forming.
Candle ID 1 – The 13:00–14:00 candle (closed).
Candle ID 5 – The 09:00–10:00 candle earlier today.
Why It’s Powerful
By changing the Candle ID, you can:
Check conditions from past candles (e.g., “Was the high of Candle ID 5 higher than today’s high?”).
Build multi-candle logic (e.g., “If the last three candles closed higher than they opened…”).
Combine with indicators to reference past signals instead of only the current candle.
Pro Tip
When running backtests or applying your bot to a chart, remember:
Candle ID 0 changes every market tick — it’s not fixed until the candle closes.
For stable conditions, use Candle ID 1 or higher to avoid signals changing mid-candle.