Open MetaTrader 5, tap Manage Accounts and search for a broker, and you get a list of names, each with a Demo and a Live entry underneath it. That list is the broker server model, and almost every major trading platform, MetaTrader 4, MetaTrader 5, cTrader and eTrader among them, is built on some version of it. Understanding how it actually works, rather than assuming it means "the app is white-labelled" or "everyone shares one login," clears up most of the confusion firms have about switching platforms or running two at once.
We build eTrader on the same model, so this is also an explanation of how our own platform fits into an industry structure that predates us.
The model in one paragraph
A trader installs one app, published by the platform maker, not by any individual broker. Inside that app, the trader searches for their broker by name and picks a server, usually named something like "BrokerName-Live" or "BrokerName-Demo." That server belongs entirely to the broker: its own instruments, its own spreads, its own leverage rules, its own client accounts, invisible to every other broker on the same platform. The broker's own CRM, not the platform maker, is what actually opens a trading account on that server, through an API the platform maker publishes for that purpose. The trader then logs into the app with a login and password tied to that specific server.
What each layer actually does
| Layer | Who runs it | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| The trading app | The platform maker (MetaQuotes, Spotware, SGHK) | One app, installed once, works with any broker that runs a server on that platform |
| The broker server | The broker or prop firm, or hosted for them | Holds instruments, spreads, leverage, swaps and every client account for that one firm |
| The CRM | The broker's own CRM, or one it licenses | Opens accounts, sets account groups, handles deposits and withdrawals, through the platform's API |
| The platform login | The trader | A specific username and password issued for the broker's server, not a platform-wide account |
Why this is not a shared client database
A common misreading of this model, applied to any platform that lists many brokers inside one app, is that all those brokers' clients sit in one shared database the platform maker controls. That is not how it works on MetaTrader, cTrader or eTrader. Each broker's server holds its own accounts, its own balances and its own trade history, and no other broker on the same platform can see them. The app looks shared because the list of brokers appears inside one download; the data behind each broker on that list is not shared at all.
What is genuinely shared, on some platforms, is a personal login separate from any trading account: the MQL5.community account on MetaTrader, the cTrader ID on cTrader, and eTrader ID on eTrader. Each of these is for the platform's own add-on services, in eTrader's case eTrader Code and eTrader AI, and each one holds no money and places no trades on its own. A trader connects specific trading accounts to that personal login so a robot or an AI Trader can act on them, but the login itself is not where deposits, balances or client data live. Deleting it never touches a trading account.
How a CRM actually opens an account
This is the part most operators never see directly, because their CRM handles it for them. When a new client signs up, the broker's CRM calls the platform's API (MetaTrader's Manager API, cTrader's Open API, or the eTrader CRM API) with instructions: create an account, put it in this account group, set this leverage, this currency, this starting balance if it is a prop firm evaluation. The platform's server creates the account and hands back a login and password, which the CRM either displays to the client directly or emails automatically. From that point, deposits, withdrawals, balance adjustments and, on eTrader, dealing desk decisions and money manager settings all flow the same way: CRM to API to server.
This is also how a firm can run its own CRM instead of a bundled one. Any CRM that implements the same API can open accounts on that server, which is why established brokers sometimes keep a CRM they built years ago and simply add a new trading platform behind it, rather than switching CRM every time they add a platform.
Account groups: how one server holds different conditions for different clients
Inside one broker server, not every client trades on identical terms. Account groups let a firm set different spread markups, swap rates, leverage caps or Islamic swap-free terms for different tiers of client, on paper trading accounts, on a VIP tier, or on a specific partner's referred clients, all on the same server. An account lands in a group when it is created, and the CRM can move it between groups later through the same API. This is how a firm running one server can still offer a beginner tier and a professional tier without operating two separate broker deployments.
Where the model changes: eTrader has nothing to host
Up to this point, eTrader, MetaTrader and cTrader work the same way. The difference is in who hosts the server itself. On MetaTrader, a broker typically licenses a server and runs it on its own infrastructure or through a specialised hosting provider, alongside a separately sourced price feed, bridge and risk management plugins. cTrader servers are commonly hosted by Spotware for the broker, with the broker still assembling its CRM, liquidity connection and risk tools around it. eTrader is hosted in the cloud by SGHK and managed by the firm, with the price feed, dealing desk, MAM and PAMM, and copytrading built into the same server rather than sourced separately, and prices updating every 70ms. There is nothing for the firm to install, patch or host, and the firm's CRM connects to that same server the same way a MetaTrader or cTrader CRM connects to those platforms' APIs.
The trade-off is the one eTrader admits elsewhere: it is the newest platform built this way, its third-party indicator and robot library is smaller than MetaTrader's or cTrader's, and robots written for those platforms are rewritten in Tide, eTrader's own language, rather than imported directly.
Why firms run two platforms on this same model
Because every platform in this model works the same way structurally, a firm can run MetaTrader 5 and eTrader side by side without building two separate operations. The CRM simply calls two different APIs instead of one, and each platform's own server keeps its own client accounts. This is the practical answer to platform vendor risk: the September 2022 Apple App Store removal of MetaTrader and the early 2024 wave of prop firms adjusting platforms after MetaQuotes tightened its licensing terms both showed firms what happens when they depend on one vendor's decisions alone. A firm that already runs two platforms on the broker server model absorbs that kind of shock on one platform while the other keeps trading.
SGHK's Broker CRM and Prop Firm CRM connect to MetaTrader 4, MetaTrader 5, cTrader, DXtrade, NinjaTrader, Match-Trader and TradeLocker as well as eTrader, so one CRM can open accounts on more than one broker server model without a firm switching its back office every time it adds a platform. Book a call to see how that looks for your own stack.
"The broker server model is the reason a firm can add a second platform without rebuilding its CRM. We built eTrader on the same structure on purpose."
— The SGHK Team
Key Takeaways
- One app from the platform maker, one server per firm, one CRM opening accounts through an API: that structure is shared by MetaTrader, cTrader and eTrader.
- Listing many brokers inside one app is not a shared client database; each broker's server holds its own accounts, visible to no other broker.
- Personal logins like the MQL5.community account, cTrader ID and eTrader ID sit outside this structure entirely: no money, no orders, just access to the platform's own add-on services.
- eTrader runs the same model with nothing for the firm to host; the honest cost is a smaller third-party library and robots that are rewritten in Tide rather than imported.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the broker server model?
It is the standard structure behind MetaTrader, cTrader and eTrader: one app published by the platform maker, with each broker or prop firm running its own server inside that app, under its own name, holding its own client accounts, spreads and leverage that no other firm on the platform can see.
Does the broker server model mean client data is shared between firms on the same platform?
No. Each firm's server holds its own accounts, balances and trade history separately. The app itself lists many firms because it is one download that connects to many servers, not because the underlying data is pooled.
How does a CRM open a trading account on a broker server?
The CRM calls the platform's API, MetaTrader's Manager API, cTrader's Open API or the eTrader CRM API, with instructions to create an account, assign it to an account group and set its starting terms. The platform's server creates the account and returns a login and password, which the CRM delivers to the client.
Can a firm run eTrader and MetaTrader on the same CRM?
Yes. Because both platforms use the same broker server structure, a CRM built to call both APIs can open accounts on either one. SGHK's Broker CRM and Prop Firm CRM already connect to MetaTrader 4, MetaTrader 5, cTrader, DXtrade, NinjaTrader, Match-Trader and TradeLocker as well as eTrader.
What is the difference between a trading account and a platform login like eTrader ID?
The trading account is issued by the firm's CRM, on the firm's own server, and holds the client's balance and trade history. A platform login such as eTrader ID, cTrader ID or an MQL5.community account is a separate, personal login for the platform's own services, eTrader Code and eTrader AI in eTrader's case. It holds no money and never replaces the trading account.
About SGHK
SGHK is a FinTech company that designs and builds its own software for the trading industry: the eTrader trading platform, Launch your Broker and Launch your Prop Firm. Every product is written, hosted and supported in-house and licensed to trading firms, with the CRMs branded to them, all hosted by us in the cloud, managed by each firm and built to scale across clustered servers as our clients grow. Everything is encrypted, and each firm is the only one with access to its data and its clients' data.