Startup Issues

This article covers the most common reasons TradingForge fails to start or load in the browser after installation. Each issue includes the exact symptom to look for and the recommended fix.

Issue 1: Port 3000 Already in Use

Symptom

The console window opens but you see an error similar to:

Error: listen EADDRINUSE: address already in use :::3000

Cause

Another application on your machine is already listening on port 3000. TradingForge cannot start its web server until port 3000 is free.

Fix

• ›TradingForge may already be running. Open Task Manager (Ctrl+Shift+Esc), go to the Processes tab, and look for any existing node.exe processes. End them, then try launching TradingForge again.
• ›Another Node.js app or dev server is using port 3000. Common culprits include React dev servers, Next.js projects, or other local web applications. Close these applications or stop their server processes before launching TradingForge.
• ›To identify which process is using port 3000, open Command Prompt as administrator and run netstat -ano | findstr :3000. The last column is the Process ID (PID). Find and end that process in Task Manager.

Issue 2: Console Window Opens and Immediately Closes

Symptom

A black console window appears briefly and then disappears before you can read anything. TradingForge does not appear to start at all.

Cause

The application encountered a fatal error on startup. The error message disappears with the window. Common causes include a corrupted config file, a missing system dependency, or a port conflict that is caught before the window can be read.

Fix — Run TradingForge from Command Prompt

To see the error message, launch TradingForge manually from Command Prompt so the window stays open:

cd "C:Program FilesTradingForge"

TradingForge.exe

Issue 3: Browser Shows "This Site Can't Be Reached"

Symptom

The TradingForge console window is open and showing log output, but navigating to http://localhost:3000 in the browser shows a connection refused or "site can't be reached" error.

Fix

• ›Wait a few more seconds. TradingForge takes 10–20 seconds to fully initialize on first launch. Watch the console for a message indicating the server is ready, then refresh the browser.
• ›Use HTTP, not HTTPS. TradingForge runs on plain HTTP locally. Make sure the address is http://localhost:3000 and not https://localhost:3000.
• ›Try 127.0.0.1 instead of localhost. Some systems have misconfigured hosts files. Try navigating to http://127.0.0.1:3000 as an alternative.
• ›Check for a firewall block. Windows Firewall or a third-party antivirus may be blocking the local connection. Temporarily disable it to test.

Issue 4: License Activation Fails on Startup

If the license activation screen appears but activation consistently fails, refer to the dedicated License Activation article in the Getting Started section for specific troubleshooting steps, including what to do if activation fails due to network errors or machine ID issues.

Issue 5: App Stopped Working After an Update

Symptom

TradingForge was working correctly, you installed an update, and now it won't start or shows unexpected errors.

Fix