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C tutorial for high-frequency trading (HFT)

Jul 08, 2025 am 01:24 AM
c++ high frequency trading

To use C for high frequency trading (HFT), focus on performance, stability, and low latency. 1. Master the underlying system knowledge, including CPU caching mechanism, system call overhead and using perf tools to analyze hot spots; 2. Optimize compiler options and code structure, such as enabling -O3, LTO, reducing the use of virtual functions, and optimizing the structure layout; 3. Use zero-copy technology, non-blocking UDP, batch data processing to achieve low-latency network communication, and use shared memory or RDMA if necessary; 4. Emphasize debugging and testing strategies, including static analysis, unit testing, stress testing and light-weight logging, and verify the correctness of logic in combination with the simulator.

C tutorial for high-frequency trading (HFT)

If you plan to use C for high-frequency trading (HFT), you have to be prepared to face the challenges of performance, stability and low latency. C is almost the preferred language in this regard because it allows you to granularly control memory and execution paths, and these two points are crucial in HFT.

C tutorial for high-frequency trading (HFT)

Here are some key points and practical suggestions you really need to know:

C tutorial for high-frequency trading (HFT)

1. Mastering the underlying system knowledge is the foundation

In the HFT field, it is not enough to just write C. You also need to understand the "hard core" content such as operating system, network stack, and CPU caching mechanism.

  • Understanding CPU cache line : Avoiding false sharing is one of the keys to improving performance. When multiple threads access different variables but are located in the same cache line, it will cause cache consistency problems and lead to performance degradation.
  • Be familiar with system call overhead : seemingly simple operations such as read() , write() or malloc() may become bottlenecks in high-frequency scenarios.
  • Learn to use the perf tool to analyze hot topics : perf under Linux can help you find the most time-consuming part of your program.

For example: If your order processing logic frequently allocates small chunks of memory, it may be more efficient to implement an object pool yourself or use mmap() to allocate large chunks of memory in advance.

C tutorial for high-frequency trading (HFT)

2. Optimize compiler options and code structure

C's compiler optimization has a great impact on performance, especially options like -O3 and -flto can significantly improve operational efficiency.

  • Use -O3 -march=native -mtune=native to make extreme optimizations for your hardware.
  • Enabling link-time optimization (LTO) allows the compiler to optimize it during the link stage.
  • Minimize the use of virtual functions, especially on critical paths, as they can cause indirect jumps and affect instruction prediction.
  • Use constexpr and template metaprogramming to complete the calculations during the compilation period.

In addition, structure layout is also very important. Put together the data that is frequently accessed together and use alignment attributes (such as alignas ) to improve access efficiency.


3. Low-latency network communication skills

The HFT system usually needs to communicate quickly with the exchange, so the network part must be as fast as possible.

  • Use zero-copy technology, such as DPDK or Solarflare's Onload to bypass the kernel protocol stack.
  • For UDP protocol, make sure your socket is set to non-blocking and bound to a specific CPU core.
  • Reduce the number of system calls, such as sending/receiving packets in batches.
  • If the latency requirements are extremely high, consider using shared memory or RDMA technology for inter-process communication.

To give a practical example: if you have to send tens of thousands of orders per second, each sendto() call goes to the standard socket interface, which may introduce unnecessary delays. Use pre-allocated buffer batch sending method to better effect.


4. Debugging and testing strategies cannot be ignored

No matter how fast the code you write, it cannot be used for real transactions if it is unreliable.

  • Use static analysis tools (such as clang-tidy, Coverity) to discover potential problems in advance.
  • Write unit tests and stress tests, especially simulate performance in extreme market conditions.
  • Logging is lightweight but useful. You can use spdlog or implement a lock-free log module yourself.
  • Use the emulator or playback tool to verify that the policy logic is correct.

Some companies will also use FPGA or hardware acceleration cards to do order matching or risk control logic, and the software layer must also design the interface in conjunction with the design.


Basically that's it. C HFT is not complicated, but there are many details, and many things will only be exposed in actual combat. Maintaining attention to the underlying layer and continuously optimizing key paths is the key to continuously improving performance.

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