Kite Web (Zerodha browser trading terminal)
Kite Web is the browser-based trading terminal component of the Kite platform operated by Zerodha, accessible at kite.zerodha.com. It is a single-page application that runs in any modern web browser without installation, providing real-time market data, charting, order placement, portfolio tracking, and back-office access for clients trading in NSE and BSE equities, equity derivatives, currency derivatives, and commodity derivatives on MCX.
Kite Web is one of two primary client interfaces in Zerodha’s platform; the other is the Kite Mobile app for Android and iOS. The web terminal is designed for clients who prefer a large-screen trading environment with multi-chart layouts and detailed watchlists. Both interfaces share the same underlying data feeds, order management system, and authentication layer, ensuring consistent behaviour and data synchronisation across devices.
As India’s largest stockbroker by active client count, Zerodha’s adoption of a browser-first architecture in 2015-2016 influenced the broader Indian retail brokerage market. Multiple competing brokers subsequently migrated away from legacy desktop terminals (NEST, ODIN) toward browser-based platforms during 2018-2022.
History and development
From NEST to browser-first (2010-2015)
From its founding in 2010, Zerodha initially offered trading through the NEST-based Zerodha Trader terminal, a licensed Windows desktop application from OMNESYS Technologies. NEST required installation and maintenance on each trader’s PC, and its user interface reflected the design conventions of the 2005-2010 period: data-dense, function-focused, and not optimised for casual use.
The subsequent Pi desktop terminal (2014) addressed some of the charting and scripting limitations of NEST but retained the Windows-only, installation-required model. With smartphone penetration in India rising rapidly from 2013 onward and with a younger cohort of retail investors accustomed to app-first financial services, the limitations of a Windows-only terminal became strategic constraints.
Launch and early Kite (2015-2016)
Kite Web launched as a public beta in late 2015. The design philosophy, documented in Z-Connect posts from that period, centred on eliminating installation requirements, reducing page-load time to under two seconds on average Indian broadband, and presenting a minimal interface that enabled order placement within two interactions from a watchlist. The initial jQuery-based implementation used a polling mechanism for market data refresh. Supported segments at launch were NSE and BSE equities and equity futures and options; currency and commodity segments followed.
Kite’s browser-first approach was notable in the Indian brokerage market at the time. The dominant terminals (NEST for discount brokers, ODIN for full-service brokers) were all desktop applications. Zerodha’s decision to build a web-native platform reflected both the strategic intent to eliminate OMNESYS/NSE IT dependency and the practical observation that clients with only a smartphone could not use the existing desktop terminals.
Kite 3 rewrite (2018)
The Kite 3 rewrite replaced the jQuery-based polling architecture with a component-driven JavaScript single-page application and a binary WebSocket data feed. This change reduced market data latency from the seconds typical of a polling system to sub-second push delivery, matching the responsiveness that active traders expected. The rewrite also integrated TradingView’s charting library, replacing Kite’s earlier charting implementation and providing professional-grade technical analysis tooling within the browser.
The Kite 3 architecture article documents the technical foundations of the rewrite in detail. From the Kite Web user’s perspective, the visible changes in Kite 3 were: real-time price updates without visible polling delays, a dramatically expanded chart indicator and drawing tool library, and the multi-chart layout feature allowing up to four charts in a single browser tab.
Kite 3’s launch in 2018 coincided with the retirement of Pi as an actively developed platform. Clients who had relied on Pi’s AFL scripting capabilities were directed toward the ecosystem of algorithmic trading platforms built on Kite Connect, particularly Streak.
Technical architecture
Kite Web is delivered as a static build over HTTPS from Zerodha’s CDN. The JavaScript bundle is served with cache-control headers that allow browser caching of unchanged assets, reducing repeat-visit load times. The application hydrates into a single-page application on the client side after initial load.
WebSocket data feed
Market data is streamed over a persistent binary WebSocket connection (wss://ws.kite.trade) to Zerodha’s quote servers. The WebSocket protocol uses a compact binary encoding that transmits market data packets for subscribed instruments. Three subscription modes are available:
- LTP mode: Transmits only the last traded price per instrument. Minimal bandwidth; suitable for monitoring a large list of instruments for price-level purposes.
- Quote mode: Transmits LTP, OHLC (open, high, low, close), volume, average traded price, and open interest for derivatives. Suitable for comprehensive market monitoring.
- Full mode: Transmits all quote-mode fields plus five-level market depth (five best bid prices and quantities, five best offer prices and quantities). Required for order book analysis.
The binary WebSocket protocol is the same protocol exposed through Kite Connect API’s streaming endpoint, documented in Kite Connect’s technical reference. This means the Kite Web application and external algorithmic trading applications built on Kite Connect consume market data through the same infrastructure.
Order management and REST API
Order placement, modification, cancellation, and order book queries are handled via HTTPS REST API calls to Zerodha’s OMS back end. The OMS interfaces with NSE’s and BSE’s exchange order entry gateways. Order acknowledgements return in the REST response. Post-trade events (fills, partial fills, rejections, order status changes) are pushed to the browser client through the WebSocket channel in the order update frame format, eliminating the need for polling the order book for status updates.
Authentication
The login flow requires the client’s user ID, password, and a TOTP (time-based one-time password) second factor. The TOTP secret is set up during initial account configuration and is compatible with standard authenticator apps (Google Authenticator, Authy, and others). After successful authentication, a session token is issued; this token is shared between kite.zerodha.com and console.zerodha.com, enabling navigation between the two portals without re-login.
Session tokens expire at approximately 07:00 IST each morning, after the exchange’s inter-session maintenance window, requiring a fresh login each trading day. This daily token expiry is by design and aligns with SEBI’s internet-based trading security guidelines.
TradingView charting integration
The charting module in Kite Web is the TradingView charting library embedded as an iframe. TradingView’s library provides the chart rendering engine, technical indicator computation, and drawing tool management. Kite provides the data layer: historical OHLCV candle data is served from Zerodha’s own candle data store via a UDF (Universal Data Feed) adapter, and real-time tick data is streamed from the binary WebSocket feed via an adapter layer.
Historical data for charting is available at minute, hour, and daily resolution going back to 2000 for most NSE instruments, supporting technical analysis on long-term charts. TradingView’s charting library runs within the iframe’s isolated execution context; drawing saves and indicator configurations are managed within TradingView’s framework and are tied to the client’s TradingView session (if linked) or Kite’s own user preferences.
Features
Watchlists and market data
Kite Web allows up to five named watchlists per account, each holding up to 50 instruments from any exchange or segment. The watchlist search auto-completes across the complete instrument universe of NSE, BSE, MCX, and NCDEX. Matching results include exchange name, instrument type (equity, futures, options, currency futures, commodity futures), expiry date for derivatives, and lot size.
Each watchlist row displays the last traded price, the change from the previous session’s close (absolute and percentage), and one-click buy and sell trigger buttons. Hovering or clicking on the instrument name opens an expanded tile showing:
- Full OHLC data for the current session
- Previous session’s close price
- Circuit limits (upper and lower circuit percentages and prices)
- 52-week high and low
- Volume for the current session
- Five-level market depth (bid and offer quantities for five price levels)
- Quick links to open a chart, set an alert in Zerodha Sentinel, or view the instrument on partner research platforms
Watchlists sync across Kite Web and Kite Mobile for the same account, so additions or changes made on mobile are visible on the web and vice versa.
Charts
The TradingView-integrated charting module supports all major chart types: candlestick, Heikin-Ashi, hollow candle, bar, line, area, and Renko. Time frames range from one-minute to monthly. Over one hundred built-in indicators cover momentum (RSI, MACD, Stochastic, CCI, Williams %R), trend (Bollinger Bands, Keltner Channel, Supertrend, Ichimoku Cloud, Parabolic SAR), volume (OBV, Volume Profile, VWAP), and volatility (ATR, Standard Deviation).
The multi-chart layout feature allows up to four charts displayed simultaneously in a single browser tab. Common uses include:
- Monitoring a major index (Nifty 50) alongside an individual stock for relative performance
- Comparing the same instrument across two time frames (daily and hourly) for multi-timeframe analysis
- Monitoring correlated currency pairs or commodity contracts alongside an equity position
Drawing tools include trend lines, horizontal lines, ray lines, channels, Fibonacci retracement and extension, Fibonacci fan, Fibonacci arc, Fibonacci time zones, Andrews pitchfork, Schiff pitchfork, price range measurement, and text annotations. Drawings are saved to the user’s account and persist across sessions and devices.
Custom Pine Script indicators created in a linked TradingView.com account can be used within Kite Web’s charting module, extending the indicator library beyond the built-in set. The depth of Pine Script support within the Kite-embedded TradingView library may differ from TradingView’s hosted platform.
Order placement
The order window opens from a watchlist row, from a right-click on a chart, or from the holdings or positions view. Kite Web supports the following order types:
- Regular orders: Limit, market, SL (stop-loss limit), SL-M (stop-loss market)
- AMO (after-market orders): For placement outside trading hours
- IOC (immediate or cancel): For liquidity-sensitive executions
- Cover orders (CO): Two-leg intraday orders with a mandatory stop-loss
- Bracket orders (BO): Three-leg orders with entry, stop-loss, and target (subject to exchange-level availability)
- GTT (Good Till Triggered): Server-side conditional orders active for up to one year
Product types include CNC (cash and carry, for delivery equity trades), MIS (margin intraday square-off, for intraday leveraged equity trades), NRML (normal, for carry-forward derivatives positions), and MTF (margin trading facility, where applicable for equity pledge-based leverage).
The order window displays the margin required for the proposed order, computed from the exchange’s SPAN + exposure margin framework. The margin display satisfies SEBI’s pre-trade margin disclosure requirement under the peak margin regulations.
Keyboard shortcuts for the order window: pressing B from a focused watchlist row or pressing the keyboard shortcut for buy opens the buy order window; S opens sell. Escape closes the window. Tab and Shift+Tab navigate between fields.
Portfolio, holdings and positions
The holdings view displays the client’s long-term demat account equity and mutual fund unit holdings, sourced from CDSL or NSDL via Zerodha’s DP data feed. Each holding row shows:
- Security name and exchange symbol
- Quantity held
- Average cost (weighted average of all purchase transactions)
- Current market price
- Day’s change in absolute and percentage terms
- Total current value
- Overall unrealised P&L (absolute and percentage)
Sorting, filtering by gain or loss, and a search function within holdings allow navigation of large portfolios. A summary row shows total portfolio value, total invested value, and aggregate unrealised P&L.
The positions view lists open intraday and carry-forward derivatives positions. The F&O positions view shows:
- Instrument, expiry, strike, and type (CE/PE/FUT)
- Buy or sell side and quantity
- Average trade price
- Current LTP
- Day’s unrealised MTM P&L
- Greeks for options (delta, gamma, theta, vega) computed from the current market price using a Black-Scholes-Merton model
An aggregate Greeks summary for the entire options portfolio is displayed, allowing traders to see their net delta, gamma, theta, and vega exposure across all open positions. This aggregate view helps option strategy managers track their collective risk profile rather than monitoring each leg individually.
Funds view
The funds view shows:
- Available cash balance (net of open order blocks)
- Collateral margin from pledged securities (with haircut applied)
- Span + exposure margin used by open derivatives positions
- Total available margin (cash plus collateral minus used margin)
- Withdrawable balance (cash minus any pending settlement obligations)
- Segment-wise breakdown (equity segment vs commodity segment with separate margin accounting)
Fund additions are initiated via UPI, net banking, or NEFT/RTGS from the funds view. UPI additions are near-instantaneous; NEFT and RTGS additions credit within the respective payment system’s batch cycle.
IPO module
The IPO module lists mainboard and SME IPOs open for application on NSE and BSE. The interface displays the offer price band, lot size, category allocation (retail, non-institutional, QIB), open and close dates, and subscription status updated from NSE/BSE data feeds during the bidding period. Applications are submitted via UPI-ASBA mandate; the client authorises a block on their linked bank account via their UPI app.
Bid history, modification, and withdrawal are accessible within the IPO module until the issue close date. Allotment results appear in the IPO section after the registrar’s basis of allotment is announced.
GTT orders
The GTT (Good Till Triggered) section lists all active conditional orders with their instrument, trigger price, limit price, order type, and creation date. GTT orders can be created for any instrument (delivery equities, futures, or options). OCO (One Cancels Other) GTT orders allow setting both a stop-loss trigger and a target trigger on the same instrument; when one fires and its limit order is submitted, the other is automatically cancelled.
Basket orders
The basket order builder allows assembling up to 20 order legs across different instruments, with individual parameters for each leg (instrument, transaction type, quantity, price, order type, product type). Baskets can be saved for repeated use and shared via a link. Smallcase basket rebalancing and portfolio basket execution are the most common use cases.
Mutual funds via Coin
A navigation link within Kite Web leads to Zerodha Coin for direct mutual fund purchases. The shared authentication means the client’s Zerodha session is passed to Coin without re-login.
Regulatory compliance features
Kite Web implements the following compliance features:
- Two-factor authentication: TOTP required on every login, compliant with SEBI’s internet-based trading circular.
- Pre-trade margin display: Estimated margin shown in the order window before submission, satisfying the peak margin disclosure requirement.
- Session expiry: Daily token expiry at 07:00 IST requiring fresh authentication.
- UPI-ASBA for IPOs: UPI mandate flow compliant with SEBI’s 2022 IPO application circular.
- Peak margin shortfall prevention: Orders that would leave the client with insufficient margin are blocked at the order submission stage.
- T+1 settlement display: Holdings and funds views reflect T+1 sale proceeds timing.
- Audit trail: All orders, modifications, and cancellations are logged and accessible in Zerodha Console for client review and regulatory purposes.
Comparison with competitors
Comparable browser trading terminals in the Indian market as of 2024 include Upstox Pro Web, Angel One Web, ICICI Direct’s browser terminal, and Groww’s equity trading interface.
Upstox Pro Web adopted TradingView charting and WebSocket data feeds following a similar architecture transition to Kite’s 2018 rewrite. Upstox’s interface is broadly comparable to Kite Web in terms of order types, charting capability, and overall feature depth. Both offer GTT-equivalent conditional order features (Upstox calls theirs “Good Till Cancelled orders with triggers”).
Angel One Web integrates research calls, target price alerts from Angel One’s research team, and SmartBuy recommendations directly within the trading interface. Kite Web maintains a research-neutral stance, consistent with Zerodha’s discount brokerage model; Zerodha does not provide stock recommendations or research.
ICICI Direct’s integrated platform combines research, advisory, and trading in a single interface, targeting clients who value the bank’s research services alongside execution. The brokerage cost per trade is higher than Kite’s flat fee, reflecting the bundled research and advisory services.
Groww’s equity trading interface emphasises simplicity over feature depth: the order types, chart tools, and derivatives capabilities are more limited than Kite Web, but the user experience is designed for less-experienced investors making their first equity purchases.
See also
- Kite (Zerodha trading platform)
- Kite Mobile app
- Kite 3 architecture and technical stack
- Kite Connect API
- Zerodha Console
- Zerodha Coin
- Zerodha Sentinel
- Kite nudges framework
- Sensibull
- Smallcase
- Zerodha
References
- Zerodha Z-Connect Blog. “Kite 3.0, the new Kite”. z-connect.zerodha.com. 2018.
- Zerodha Support. “Getting started with Kite”. support.zerodha.com. Accessed May 2026.
- SEBI. “Circular on internet-based trading”. SEBI/MRD/DoP/SE/Cir-11/2003 and subsequent amendments. Accessed May 2026.
- SEBI. “Circular on peak margin collection”. SEBI/HO/MIRSD/DPIEA/CIR/P/2020/229. December 2020.
- TradingView. “Charting library documentation”. tradingview.com. Accessed May 2026.
- Zerodha Z-Connect Blog. “Introducing GTT, Good Till Triggered orders”. z-connect.zerodha.com. 2019.