NFI + Freqtrade.
Dry-run comes first.

1. Understand what NFI adds to Freqtrade

NostalgiaForInfinity (NFI) is a strategy; Freqtrade is the bot engine that runs it. They are not competing products. Freqtrade handles the exchange connection and bot operation, while NFI supplies the trading logic. You operate the combined setup on your own machine or server.

Installing Freqtrade alone does not select NFI. Likewise, downloading the NFI repository does not prove that a bot is configured or running. Before starting, you should be able to identify the strategy you intend to load and the Freqtrade environment that will load it.

Use the NFI repository for strategy-specific guidance and the Freqtrade documentation for the engine. Our strategy overview explains the concepts without presenting illustrative charts as actual trades.

2. Choose one installation path

Begin with the current NFI installation guide. If you use Docker, read the Compose file you will actually run. NFI's repository and Freqtrade's generic quick start use different layouts; do not combine their relative paths without checking them.

• NFI repository setup: follow its configuration, environment and strategy-path instructions together. Keep the files from the same documented setup.
• An existing Freqtrade installation: check how it loads custom strategies and selects their class names. The generic Docker example starts with a demonstration strategy, not NFI.
• Your host: allow space for data and logs, and keep heavy research separate from a small bot host. See the hardware and hosting FAQ for practical starting points and their limits.

Before moving on, write down the working directory, Compose file or launch command, strategy location, and configuration inputs. This small record makes a wrong path much easier to spot. Sources: NFI Compose configuration and Freqtrade Docker quick start.

3. Check the configuration that will win

A value in one file may not be the value the bot uses. Freqtrade gives command-line arguments precedence over environment variables, which in turn override file settings. Multiple configuration inputs can also change the result. Use its documented show-config utility with the same configuration inputs and environment as your intended run.

• Dry-run: confirm the effective dry_run value is true. A file you edited is not enough if another input overrides it.
• Strategy and market: verify the selected NFI class, exchange, trading mode, stake currency and pairlist against the current NFI guidance.
• Persistent state: identify the database and log paths, including which host directory a container mounts.
• Secrets: ordinary dry-run setups usually do not need exchange API keys. Check exchange-specific requirements; keep credentials out of shared files and screenshots, and never grant withdrawal permission to a trading-bot key.

Source: configuration precedence. A typical mistake to look for is an environment setting overriding the dry-run value you just changed in a file.

4. Read the first startup, not just the process status

Start using the command from your chosen installation guide, then inspect the output and logs. A running container alone does not establish that the intended strategy and settings loaded successfully.

• Confirm the strategy being loaded is the intended NFI class, not the generic demonstration strategy.
• Check the dry-run mode, exchange and configuration information reported at startup.
• Resolve strategy-loading, configuration, market-data or exchange errors before judging trading behavior.

If the bot has no trades, distinguish “waiting for a valid entry” from “unable to operate.” Do not loosen strategy conditions simply to make a trade appear. The Freqtrade FAQ covers no-trade and exchange-permission troubleshooting; the Docker guide explains where to inspect its logs.

5. Review the dry-run as an operating test

Dry-run uses current market data with a simulated wallet and orders. Backtesting instead evaluates historical data under simulation assumptions. Neither establishes what future live execution will achieve.

Use the dry-run to answer practical questions: can you explain the loaded settings, locate and interpret logs, identify errors, and stop or restart the bot deliberately? Keep a private record of the strategy revision, Freqtrade version and configuration used, so a later change can be compared with a known setup.

This checklist does not prescribe a number of hours or simulated trades as a green light for live funds. Its purpose is preparation and operational understanding, not proving profitability. See Freqtrade's dry-run behavior and backtesting assumptions.

6. Keep the next decision separate

A successful startup is not an instruction to switch to live trading. Review the trading-risk notice, the current upstream instructions and your own limits before making that decision. Keep live and simulated records separate; Freqtrade advises using a fresh database when changing to production mode.

For help, describe your installation path, versions and the relevant error without including credentials. The NostalgiaForInfinity FAQ covers API keys, updates, hardware and results. For project-specific questions, use the existing NFI community. Source: Freqtrade's production-mode guidance.