BitMEX Testnet: BitMEX closed on September 23, 2026
BitMEX has closed. BitMEX (operated by HDR Global Trading Limited) announced the closure on July 23, 2026. Trading ceased at the Closure Time, September 23, 2026 at 04:00 UTC. BitMEX's closure notice says the platform no longer offers trading or deposits, while login and withdrawals still work. Its July announcement says KYC-verified users who didn't withdraw by the Closure Time pay an account fee of 1% per year, charged monthly, or USD 50 equivalent for accounts holding no more than that, and that the fee may rise over time with advance notice. Source: BitMEX's closure notice and its July 23 announcement, checked September 30, 2026.
BitMEX hasn't said what happens to testnet. As of September 30, 2026, the testnet.bitmex.com home page redirects to BitMEX's main site, which shows the closure notice, although some testnet app pages and its public market-data API still respond. Neither of BitMEX's two closure posts mentions testnet. Don't plan on BitMEX Testnet for anything new.
If you came here looking for a free place to test Autoview commands on demo funds, skip to where to test instead. The rest of this page is the original setup guide, kept as a record of how the BitMEX Testnet connection worked.
Where to test Autoview commands instead
The point of BitMEX Testnet was placing real orders on demo funds to check that an automation behaves before any money is at stake. Other derivatives exchanges that Autoview connects to still offer that. Each guide below covers opening the free demo account and adding it to Autoview:
Commands move over with small changes. The d=1 dry run works the same everywhere, but symbols differ by exchange (BitMEX's XBT naming is its own), so check the symbol on the new exchange before you send a live order. The signal side doesn't change at all: TradingView or any other tool that can send a webhook drives the new connection the same way it drove BitMEX.
What BitMEX Testnet is
BitMEX runs a full parallel exchange at testnet.bitmex.com, a separate environment with its own API endpoint. It mirrors live BitMEX's order types, instrument codes, and account mechanics, but the balances are demo funds BitMEX credits you, not real money, and orders match against other testnet users rather than the live order book. It exists so you can place a real order, see a real fill, and confirm your automation behaves the way you expect, with nothing at risk.
On Autoview, this shows up as its own exchange connection, BitMEX Testnet, priced at $0. It's a first-class connection, not a toggle on your live BitMEX account; you add it separately, with its own API key, and it runs alongside (or instead of) your live connection.
Register a BitMEX Testnet account
Don't count on this step: the testnet home page now redirects to BitMEX's closure notice, and BitMEX hasn't said whether testnet registration continues. Before the closure, testnet accounts were separate from live BitMEX accounts, so you registered one on BitMEX's own testnet site, not through Autoview, and BitMEX credited it with demo funds once it was created.
From there, generate an API key the same way you would on live BitMEX: open Account > API Keys on the testnet site, create a key with order permission (so Autoview can place and cancel orders and read your balances and positions), and skip withdrawal permission. Testnet funds can't be withdrawn, so there's nothing to protect there, but it's still the right habit to carry over. BitMEX calls the two pieces you'll paste into Autoview ID and Secret; copy both somewhere safe, since BitMEX doesn't show the Secret to you twice.
Connect it to Autoview
In Autoview, add an account and choose BitMEX Testnet from the exchange list rather than BitMEX. Paste the ID and Secret from the testnet site's API management page into the same two fields a live BitMEX connection uses. Run the connection test after saving; it's read-only, so it checks that your key authenticates without placing or touching any order.
Make sure you're adding it as BitMEX Testnet, not BitMEX. They're two separate connections in Autoview, matching the two separate accounts on BitMEX's side, and credentials from one don't work on the other.
Sending commands: what changes, what doesn't
The command syntax is identical to live BitMEX, including the instrument codes: BitMEX names Bitcoin XBT rather than BTC, on testnet the same as live. Every parameter on the BitMEX getting-started guide works the same way on testnet. Only the account differs.
The one thing that changes is how the Chrome extension picks the exchange. On the webhook platform, a webhook is already tied to whichever account you connected it to, so you never set an exchange in the command itself. On the extension, swap e=bitmex for e=BITMEXTESTNET (or the equivalent e=BITMEX-TESTNET):
| Live BitMEX (extension) | BitMEX Testnet (extension) |
|---|---|
e=bitmex s=XBTUSD b=buy p=-5% q=1 | e=BITMEXTESTNET s=XBTUSD b=buy p=-5% q=1 |
Add d=1 to any command first, on testnet the same as live, and Autoview parses it and reports what it would have done without placing anything. It's worth keeping the habit even on demo funds, since it's the fastest way to confirm the resolved symbol and size look right before you check the order lands correctly on testnet.
One BitMEX quirk carries over unchanged from live: BitMEX places one order per alert, so an entry with a stop-loss or take-profit attached in the same command doesn't bracket together the way it does on some other exchanges. Send the entry in one alert and the stop or target in its own separate alert. The getting-started guide's "One BitMEX quirk" section covers this in full, including how trailing stops don't share the limitation.
If you're winding down a BitMEX connection instead
Trading on BitMEX ended at 04:00 UTC on September 23, 2026. BitMEX's July announcement said any position still open at the Closure Time would be force-closed. What's left to do now:
- Withdraw your balance. BitMEX says you can log in and withdraw available funds at any time. A balance left on a KYC-verified account is charged the account fee described at the top of this page.
- Keep your own records. BitMEX's announcement says you can still log in to see your wallet balance and historical transaction information, so save what you need while you're there.
- Remove the BitMEX connection in Autoview. There's nothing to migrate automatically. Disconnect the account from Autoview the same way you'd disconnect any exchange you no longer use, and point your alerts at a new connection.
Which exchange to move to depends on where your funds are going and what you trade. Autoview's supported exchanges list shows what's available, and the testnet guides above let you rebuild and check an automation on demo funds first.