# Introduction

## General idea

**OptimusFLOW** trading platform provides a wide set of professional features for manual trading, but you can use it for algorithmic trading also. With OptimusFLOW Algo solutions you can simply create standard trading scripts such as indicators and strategies, as well as additional platform extensions: own connectors with brokers, plugins, Custom columns, etc. What is differ OptimusFLOW, from others trading platforms - you don't need to study some proprietary language or development environment. You will use only standard, well known instruments, that used by developers all over the world.

There are three main key points in our vision of algorithmic scripts development:

* C# programming language
* Integration with major Development Environments: Visual Studio, Visual Studio Code, Atom, etc.
* Open and transparent API

### C# programming language

C# is simple, powerful, flexible and it is one the most popular programming languages in The World. It means large community and great support, many ready-to-use components and a lot of tutorials, video lessons in any languages and for any level of development skills - from starter to professional. In additional, most of modern trading platform support coding in C#. It became a kind of standard in trading industry, so you can be sure - you will always be able to use your knowledges later and not waste your time studying it.

### Integration with major Development Environments

We are planning to provide our users the possibility to use all well known products via special extensions or plugins. At the moment we have an integration between OptimusFLOW trading terminal and Visual Studio - just in a few click you can create your indicator and see it directly on chart panel. All professional features from Visual Studio are available for you out of the box: a code editor with IntelliSense, advanced debugger, supporting for source control systems and many others. You can use special Community version of Visual Studio which is free for private usage.

### Open and transparent API

We provide absolutely full access to all functionality of our trading core layer for developers. Moreover, we are developing OptimusFLOW using the same API, which means you always will have up-to-date and powerful set of features, which allows you to create script any level script, from trivial indicators to complex strategies or trading/analytics panels.

{% hint style="info" %}
OptimusFLOW API documentation is available on: <https://api.optimusflow.app/>
{% endhint %}

## Before you start

You just need to spend some time to read our articles about Algo Solutions in OptimusFLOW and you will be able to start writing you first indicators or strategies.

In the next topic we will show you how to [install Visual Studio and OptimusFLOW Algo extension](https://help.optimusflow.qtower.app/OptimusFLOW-algo/installing-visual-studio). If you aware how to do it or if you already have Visual Studio installed on your computer you can skip it and start writing your [first simple indicator](https://help.optimusflow.qtower.app/OptimusFLOW-algo/simple-indicator).


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