You run PineConnector on a Windows VPS today and want to move the terminal to PineConnector Edge, the managed MT5 hosting included in every PineConnector plan. The move itself is short. The risk is in the overlap: for as long as a VPS terminal and an Edge instance are both alive and both listening for the same alerts, one TradingView alert could be acted on twice. This checklist sequences the move so that never happens, and it is explicit about what PineConnector documents and what you still need to confirm with support.
It is written for traders already using the PineConnector connector on MT5 with a self-hosted terminal. If you depend on custom EA settings, third-party Expert Advisors, MetaTrader 4, or terminal logs during trading, read the "Should you move at all?" section first, because for you the honest answer today may be to stay on the VPS.
Should you move at all? Check the Edge scope first
PineConnector Edge is in early access, and its guide is direct about the current limits. On EA configuration: "EA settings currently use a fixed default configuration and cannot be edited."[1] On visibility: "Trading account data, including account balance, and the Experts and Journal logs are not yet available on the Edge page."[1] On software: "Edge does not support custom or other third-party EAs. If your setup requires additional EAs, use PineConnector on your own computer or VPS."[1]
Translate that into three questions before you touch anything:
- Did you change any EA input on the VPS? If yes, those changes do not carry over. Edge runs the default configuration. Customisation is planned, not available. Either confirm the defaults suit you or wait.
- Do you read the Experts or Journal tab when something looks wrong? On Edge those logs are not available today. The portal Signals Log and the Bridge page test results are what you have.[1][2]
- Is anything else running on that VPS? Another EA, a copier, a script. None of it moves. Edge runs the PineConnector connector only, on MetaTrader 5 only.[3]
If all three answers are comfortable, continue. If not, the VPS is still the supported route for you, and nothing about this article changes that.
Step 1: Inventory what is on the VPS
Write down, before you stop anything: the broker server name exactly as shown in your MT5 login dialog, the account number, which Licence ID the VPS EA is using, and every EA input you changed from default. Take a screenshot of the EA inputs dialog. This is your record of what "working" looked like, and it is what you will compare against later.
Also list the alerts on TradingView that carry that Licence ID. An alert message begins with the Licence ID, in the documented order "LicenseID,Command,Symbol,Parameters", and the docs note the EA rejects a signal that is out of order.[4] Knowing which alerts point at which licence is what makes the cutover controllable.
Step 2: Confirm the broker server is supported on Edge
The Edge Guide refers to a supported brokers and servers table, and Edge setup asks you to "Select the corresponding broker server".[1] There is no public, dated list of servers on the guide page itself at the time of writing. Before you plan a date, ask PineConnector support to confirm your exact server name is available. A move that stalls at this step with the VPS already stopped is the avoidable outcome.
Step 3: Decide what happens to open positions
Open positions, pending orders, stop losses and take profits live at your broker, not inside a terminal. MetaQuotes' own help draws the line for the one exception: "The Trailing Stop is executed in the trading platform rather than on the server (like Stop Loss or Take Profit). This is why it will not work, unlike the above orders, if the platform is off."[5] So a position you opened from the VPS will still be there when Edge logs in to the same account, with its server-side stop and target intact. A trailing stop that the VPS terminal was managing will stop trailing the moment that terminal closes.
Two practical consequences:
- If you rely on trailing stops, either flatten before the move or accept that trailing pauses between stopping the VPS and Edge coming online.
- Any new alert sent while two terminals are logged in to the same account, both running the PineConnector EA under the same Licence ID, could in principle be executed by both. We have not found this documented either way, so treat "one alert, two orders" as an inference to test on a demo account, not a known behaviour. The safe design is to never be in that state with a real account.
Step 4: Trial on a demo account with a separate Licence ID
PineConnector recommends starting Edge with a demo account for the first setup and test trade.[1] Do exactly that, and do it with a Licence ID your VPS is not using, so the trial cannot interfere with live routing. If you are on Core with a single connection, this means the trial and the VPS cannot run at the same time; skip to Step 5 and do the demo test there.
The Edge setup steps from the guide are: open the Edge page in the portal and click Add Instance; "Select the License ID you would like to use for your Edge connection"; "Enter your MT5 account login and password. Select the corresponding broker server."; then wait, because "Setup typically takes approximately two minutes" before the account appears.[1]
Then send a test alert from TradingView carrying the trial Licence ID. The docs describe what you should see: an entry in the portal Signals Log "with timestamps indicating when our server received the signal and when the PineConnector EA processed it."[2] Confirm the order in the demo account itself: right symbol, right direction, right volume, exactly one order. Only then does the trial count.
Step 5: Stop the VPS EA before real alerts point at Edge
This is the step that prevents double routing. Before the Edge instance for your real account exists, remove the PineConnector EA from the chart on the VPS, or close the VPS terminal entirely. MetaQuotes lists turning off the platform among the ways an Expert Advisor stops running,[6] so a closed terminal cannot act on anything. Confirm by sending a harmless test alert and checking that nothing appears in the Signals Log as processed by that terminal.
There will be a gap. Between closing the VPS terminal and Edge showing as connected, alerts carrying that Licence ID have no terminal to reach. Choose a quiet time for your markets, and if you have open positions with trailing stops, remember Step 3.
Step 6: Go live on Edge and verify one intended order
Create the Edge instance for your real account with the same Licence ID your live alerts already use, using the four setup steps above.[1] When it shows as connected, send one deliberately small test instruction, or wait for the next genuine alert, and check three things: the Signals Log shows received and processed timestamps,[2] the broker account shows exactly one order matching the instruction, and nothing appeared at the old VPS. The Edge Guide adds that you do not need to keep sending test signals afterwards, because PineConnector monitors the hosted terminal.[1]
What Edge does and does not take over is stated on the product page: "Edge is managed infrastructure, not managed execution. PineConnector is responsible for the machine your terminal runs on. You remain responsible for what that terminal is told to do."[3] Your alerts, sizing and risk rules are unchanged by the move.
Step 7: Decommission the VPS properly
Do not just stop paying for it. The VPS holds your broker login in MT5's saved accounts and possibly in a password manager or a text file. Delete the saved account from MT5, remove any files containing credentials, and then cancel the server. If you want certainty, change the broker password after the VPS is gone, which also rotates the credential Edge is using; the Edge page notes that "you can also change the password at your broker at any time, which cuts off access at your broker",[3] so you would then update the Edge instance with the new password.
The checklist
| Step | Do | Confirm by | Documented? |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Record server, account, Licence ID, EA inputs | Screenshot of EA inputs | Your own record |
| 2 | Confirm broker server supported on Edge | Written answer from support | Guide references a table; no public list found |
| 3 | Decide on open positions and trailing stops | Trailing stops closed or accepted to pause | MetaQuotes: trailing stop needs the platform on |
| 4 | Trial Edge on demo with a separate Licence ID | Signals Log entry + one demo order | Guide: demo recommended; Test Alert page: Signals Log |
| 5 | Stop the VPS EA or close the terminal | Test alert not processed by VPS | MetaQuotes: closed platform stops EAs |
| 6 | Create real Edge instance, verify one order | Exactly one order on the intended account | Guide setup steps |
| 7 | Wipe credentials, cancel VPS | Saved account removed; optional password change | Edge page: password change cuts off access |
What PineConnector has not documented, and what to ask
Three things matter for a migration and are not, as far as we can find, written down publicly. Ask support and get the answers in writing before you move a live account:
- Settings parity. Which EA inputs differ between the default configuration on Edge and the default self-hosted EA, if any.
- In-flight instructions. What happens to an alert that arrives while an Edge instance is starting, restarting or being terminated. The guide describes manual restart and terminate controls,[1] but not what happens to a signal received during those seconds.
- Duplicate handling. Whether a TradingView resend of the same alert, or two terminals under one Licence ID, results in one order or two. TradingView documents that it may resend a webhook after certain server errors.[7] The consequence for orders depends on the receiver and is not stated in PineConnector's public docs.
The same three questions apply to any hosted MT5 provider you might consider instead. They are not a mark against PineConnector; they are the questions a careful migration needs answered.
Frequently asked questions
Can I keep the VPS running as a backup while Edge runs?
Not under the same Licence ID with the PineConnector EA attached, because both terminals would be listening for the same alerts. You could keep the VPS with MT5 open and the EA removed, purely to view charts or logs, since a terminal without the EA does not act on alerts.
Do my open trades close when I stop the VPS?
No. Positions, pending orders, stop losses and take profits are held at your broker. Only a trailing stop depends on the platform being open, per MetaQuotes.[5]
Do I need to change my TradingView alerts?
Not if you reuse the same Licence ID for the real Edge instance. The alert format and the licence in it stay the same; only the terminal that receives it changes.[4] For the demo trial, you create separate alerts carrying the trial Licence ID.
Is there anything Edge cannot do that my VPS does today?
Yes, and it is worth being plain: editable EA settings, Experts and Journal logs, account balance on the Edge page, third-party EAs and MT4 are not available on Edge today. The first three are marked as planned or early-access limits in the guide.[1] The comparison in PineConnector Edge vs running your own VPS lays these out side by side.
Next step
If the scope fits, start with the demo trial in Step 4 and run the verification checklist in the nine tests to run before going live against the Edge instance. If you are new to the connector itself, the complete TradingView-to-MT5 guide covers both the hosted and self-hosted routes, and What is PineConnector Edge? explains the product in full. Plans with hosting included are Core at $59 a month for one connection and one hosted MT5 instance, Plus at $129 for three, and Pro at $199 for five; see the Edge page.
Reviewed 10 September 2026. Facts and prices were checked against the linked sources on that date.
Sources
- PineConnector Docs – Edge (Early Access) Guide, accessed 10 September 2026.
- PineConnector Docs – Send a Manual or Test Alert, accessed 10 September 2026.
- PineConnector – PineConnector Edge: Managed MT5 Hosting Included in Every Plan, accessed 10 September 2026.
- PineConnector Docs – Syntax, accessed 10 September 2026.
- MetaQuotes – MetaTrader 5 Help: General Principles of Trading, accessed 10 September 2026.
- MetaQuotes – MetaTrader 5 Help: Algorithmic Trading (Expert Advisors), accessed 10 September 2026.
- TradingView – Webhook resubmission, accessed 10 September 2026.
PineConnector executes the instructions you send it. It does not select trades, manage money, or hold funds. Trading carries risk, and past performance of any strategy does not indicate future results.
