Have you ever wanted to create your own crypto exchange but didn’t know how? Or are you planning on creating your own token and need a marketplace for it. Maybe you just have a general interest in cryptocurrency. If you resonate with any of the statements above, read on to learn how to start your own exchange from the comfort of your bedroom using HollaEx Kit.

HollaEx Kit is a comprehensive exchange solution by bitHolla that allows anyone to launch a full crypto exchange. HollaEx Kit simplifies the setup process and makes creating a new marketplace easy. You can create and operate your own exchange within minutes by following seven easy steps. Even better, you can test out the exchange for free by running a trial version of HollaEx Kit. After completing the seven steps below, you will have your trial exchange up-and-running in no time.

Before we start

System Requirements

The steps you need to take to run your exchange are simple but the process behind the scenes is not. Make sure your computer meets the following requirements:

Debian-based Linux (Ubuntu) or macOS

Minimum 2vCore of CPU

Minimum 4GB of Memory

Minimum 50GB of Free Disk Space

Latest docker and docker-compose

Currently, HollaEx Kit is designed for Unix-based machines (Linux, macOS). For Windows users, please refer to this link before proceeding. Note: HollaEx Kit for Windows is still in beta.

Third-party services

HollaEx Kit currently uses the following third-party services to operate exchanges:

The services in bold (SMTP, reCaptcha, Vault) are required for your exchange setup while AWS S3 is optional. You may skip the optional service for this tutorial but keep in mind that your exchange will not have full functionality without it.

Before starting, you need a bitHolla account. Visit the bitHolla Dashboard to sign up for a new account.

Launching your trial Exchange

Step 1: Obtain AWS S3 (optional), SMTP, reCaptcha, and Vault credentials

AWS S3 (optional)

HollaEx Kit uses AWS S3 for storing user data. You will need to create an AWS access key, secret key, and S3 bucket.

To get your AWS access key and secret, go to the AWS page, sign up for an account, and create an IAM User. Once created, you will need to generate an access key and secret for the IAM user. Save your secret, you won’t be able to view it after creation.

To create an S3 bucket, click here. Make sure you set your bucket as a private bucket.

SMTP

HollaEx Kit uses SMTP to send emails to exchange users. Email services such as Gmail and Yahoo Mail provide SMTP servers that users can connect to using their accounts. Third-party services like AWS SES and SendGrid also provide their own SMTP servers. There is also the option of running an SMTP server on your own. HollaEx Kit will require your SMTP server’s endpoint, account username, account password, and port number. For more information, click here.

Google reCaptcha

HollaEx Kit uses Google reCaptcha to protect your website from spam and abuse. To obtain your reCaptcha credentials, click here.

Vault

Vault is a business cryptocurrency management service provided by bitHolla. Its purpose in HollaEx Kit is to provide cryptocurrency integration. In simple terms, Vault handles cryptocurrency deposits and withdrawals for your exchange. Vault allows new users to use their Lite Wallet. The Vault Lite Wallet allows users to create one wallet per asset.

To get a Vault key and secret, go to the bitHolla dashboard. Once there, go to the Wallets section, click the API Keys button on the left and generate a new key. You will not be able to see your secret in the future so make sure to save it.

Vault API Key generation

Step 2: Exchange General Setup (1–5)

Go to the bitHolla Dashboard, login, and click the Create Exchange button located in the center of the page. This will take you to the Exchange General Setup page.

The Exchange General Setup is where you will set your exchange’s general settings such as the exchange name, logo, assets and trading pairs, etc. The General Exchange Setup is split into six parts: General, Branding, User Account Levels, Asset Setup, Trading Pair Setup, and Plan & Hosting. Each part is easy to follow and includes detailed descriptions for each of its settings.

Once you arrive at step six ( Plan & Hosting ), there are three options for hosting your new exchange: Holla-Cloud, DIY Self-Hosting, and Enterprise.

Holla-Cloud : bitHolla will handle your exchange hosting on the Holla-Cloud.

: bitHolla will handle your exchange hosting on the Holla-Cloud. DIY Self-Hosting : You will host your exchange on your own server. (May require XHT collateralization)

: You will host your exchange on your own server. (May require XHT collateralization) Enterprise: For enterprises who have an established team that can manage their own liquidity.

This tutorial will go over DIY Self-Hosting. For information on the other two methods, have a look at the official bitHolla docs. Choose the DIY Self-Hosted option and click next. You will then see a popup of the image below.

Click the first link (Download the Kit) to download HollaEx Kit. After downloading the Kit, proceed to the next step.

Step 3: Install HollaEx CLI

HollaEx CLI is a powerful tool that allows you to easily interact with your HollaEx Kit. To download the CLI, go to your downloaded HollaEx Kit directory through your terminal and run the command bash install.sh . This will download the latest version of HollaEx CLI on your computer.

Step 4: Pull and setup your exchange on your computer

Once you’ve downloaded HollaEx CLI, you will be able to pull the configurations you made on the dashboard to your computer. Inside your HollaEx Kit directory, run the command hollaex setup . The interactive form will ask you if you’ve already set up your exchange on the bitHolla Dashboard. Choose y and then input your bitHolla credentials to log in.

Once you’ve successfully logged in, you will be asked to pick the exchange you want to configure. Pick your exchange and press enter. The CLI will again ask you if you wish to continue (press y ) and then proceed to build your exchange.

Along the process, you will be asked if you want to push your HollaEx Core image to your Docker Registry and if you’re sure you want to run your exchange on your machine. For now, select no for the first question and yes for the second question.

You’ve successfully set up your exchange!

Step 5: Start your exchange server

You’re done setting up your exchange and now ready to have your exchange up-and-running. First, your exchange will need a server. Run the command hollaex start to bring up your server. Once finished, your exchange server will be up and running. Don't believe me? Click here to see the status of your exchange and click here to see the available coins and trading pairs of your exchange. Voila! Your exchange's server is now running on your machine and accessible through http://localhost .

Step 6: Start your exchange web client

You may be wondering how you and your users can interact with the server created above. Don’t worry, HollaEx Kit provides an interactive web client to fill the void. Inside your HollaEx Kit directory, run the command hollaex web --start to deploy your web client. Be patient, the initial client setup process will take about 10 minutes. After your web client has finished setting up, click here. Congratulations! Your trial exchange is running and is accessible through http://localhost:8080 . Log in with your exchange’s admin account to view the summary page.

Once logged in, you will be presented with your summary page

Step 7: Setup Third-Party Services

To have your exchange fully operational, you need to setup its email, captcha, and Vault connections. The HollaEx Kit web client provides an admin panel that simplifies this setup. Click the Admin Page button on the top right of the client to access your exchange’s admin panel.

HollaEx Kit Admin Panel

To set up your exchange’s email and captcha services, go to the Settings section. First, click the Email tab. Once there, you will be able to input the SMTP server , SMTP port , SMTP username , and SMTP password values you obtained in step one. Once you input and save your email configurations, click on the Security tab. Input the Google ReCaptcha V3 key and secret you obtained in step one and click save. Your exchange’s email and captcha services are now set and active.

For connecting your exchange to Vault, go to the Plugins section of the admin panel. This will display all the available plugins for HollaEx-enabled exchanges. Click on the Vault plugin to bring up the setup page.

Once here, input the Vault API key and secret you obtained in step one. For name , you can enter your exchange’s name. Once you input all the values, click Connect and wait a few seconds for the connection to be successful. On a successful connection, you will see the coins that are connected to Vault. Your exchange is now successfully connected to Vault!

If you obtained the optional AWS S3 configuration values in step one, you can input them through the Manual KYC plugin. The process is similar to the Vault plugin connection.

And that is it! Your exchange can now onboard new users, handle cryptocurrency transactions, and much more! Feel free to browse around the fruit of your labor. If you'd like to know how to upgrade your trial exchange, read the bonus step below.

(Optional) Bonus Step: Upgrading your trial exchange

All good things must come to an end…or do they? Your trial exchange expires after 15 days but what if you wish to continue operating your exchange after the trial period?

To fully activate your exchange, you will need to credit your bitHolla account with HollaEx Token (XHT), the fuel of HollaEx Kit. Go to the Credit section of the bitHolla dashboard and charge your account with Bitcoin or other cryptocurrency and automatically get credited HollaEx Tokens.

Charge your XHT Balance

After doing so, you will be able to collateralize your exchange with HollaEx Token. Once done, your exchange will be fully activated. You can also buy XHT from the HollaEx exchange.

Exchange Collateralization

Conclusion

Although creating a brand new exchange might sound intimidating, HollaEx Kit makes the process a breeze. With seven simple steps, you are able to create your very own crypto exchange without moving from your seat. For more in-depth information, refer to the bitHolla docs. If you have questions on anything related to HollaEx, ask them in the bitHolla forums.