Bring-your-own (BYO) market-data keys mean the private terminal reads quotes and history through your contracts with a data provider - not through a RomeWay-owned real-time entitlement. The two states to keep apart are Demo delayed public paths (Yahoo chart / Stooq fallback / SEC literacy on the public board) and private BYO paths (customer API key, provider badge on each number). When the path works, every quote shows a source and an as-of, and a missing key leaves cells empty instead of inventing last prices. The look-alike to refuse is treating the Demo tape as entitled real-time, or assuming a private install includes Bloomberg-class licensed data sold by RomeWay.
This page owns the key-and-badge job. Sibling pages: packaging in private AI trading terminal on-prem, Demo vs private clocks in demo delayed vs private real-time, public vs licensed framing in public market data vs terminal data, citation hygiene in cited market numbers, board mechanics in how a web research terminal works, live Demo at Desk terminal, learn delayed quote and citation chip.
- During Demo evaluation: expect DELAYED badges; do not narrate SIP/IEX entitlement.
- On private morning one: paste keys into the local secure store; watch badges flip to the provider you contracted.
- When the key is missing or rate-limited: empty or stale cells - not fabricated fills.
Who this page is for
Stay here if you operate a small trading desk or RIA tech stack and need to explain why real-time costs and contracts sit with the firm, not inside a Demo URL.
Takeaway: Keys are customer entitlements; the terminal is the reader.
Who should skip
Skip if you want RomeWay to sell you exchange data. Skip if the question is only "what is a delayed quote" - use the learn page. Skip if you need broker holdings - use broker read-only.
Takeaway: Leave when the job is data resale, glossary-only, or broker sync.
Out of scope
No vendor price quotes, no guarantee of IEX vs SIP coverage, no buy/sell signals from a feed, no claim of Bloomberg data. Provider names below are examples of BYO classes, not endorsements.
Takeaway: Entitlement literacy only.
Clock: Demo badge to BYO badge
- Open Demo; read DELAYED · public-source badges.
- Decide private install; provision local stack (on-prem explainer).
- Store encrypted provider keys on the customer side.
- First subscribed symbols show RT or DELAYED according to that contract.
- Rate-limit or revoke - board degrades honestly.
Trouble starts when step 1 language ("we are live") is spoken before step 3.
Takeaway: Badge clock follows the key clock.
What BYO changes on the desk
Capability table (mechanism):
| Capability | Demo | Private BYO |
|---|---|---|
| Last / change | Delayed public | Per your key (IEX / SIP / vendor delayed) |
| History | Public chart path | Provider history endpoints you entitled |
| Fundamentals | SEC XBRL when available | Same + optional vendor fundamentals you add |
| Who pays the feed | Public path / Demo | Customer - data vendor |
Example providers customers often wire themselves include Alpaca market data, Polygon, and similar REST/WebSocket APIs. The terminal gateway picks a source by capability priority and prints the winner on the chip - see cited numbers.
Takeaway: BYO changes the contract and the badge, not the honesty rule.
Look-alike matrix
| Object | What it is | Misread |
|---|---|---|
| Demo quote | Delayed public literacy | "Paid real-time included" |
| BYO key | Customer entitlement token | "RomeWay SIP license" |
| Empty PE / last | Missing source or parse | "Bug; invent a fill" |
| Source badge | Provider + latency class | Decorative UI chrome |
Takeaway: Same panel chrome - same entitlement.
Common mistakes
- Narrating Demo as RT after seeing a private screenshot.
- Sharing production keys into a public Demo browser profile.
- Assuming one key covers every capability (news, fundamentals, SIP).
- Filling blanks from memory when the provider 429s.
Takeaway: Keys fail closed.
FAQ
Does a private install include real-time data by default?
No. Real-time appears only after your entitled key is configured and the provider returns it.
Can RomeWay store my keys on the public Demo?
No. BYO keys belong on the private single-tenant install's encrypted store.
What if my key only has delayed SIP?
The badge should say delayed. Do not relabel it as RT.
Is Yahoo on Demo a BYO path?
No. Demo public paths are evaluation literacy, not your vendor contract.
What to do next
- Compare editions: Demo delayed vs private real-time.
- Practice badges on the Demo terminal.
- Holdings are a different port: broker read-only.