What Candlestick Charts Show
Each candlestick represents price action over a single time period (determined by your selected timeframe). A candle encodes four data points:
The rectangular body of the candle spans from the open to the close. The thin lines extending above and below the body are called shadows (or wicks), and they represent the high and low of the period.
- A bullish candle (close > open) indicates that price moved up during the period. By default, bullish candles are colored green.
- A bearish candle (close < open) indicates that price moved down during the period. By default, bearish candles are colored red.
Timeframe Selection
The timeframe determines the duration each candle represents. Cluster Terminal supports the following timeframes:
Select the timeframe from the dropdown in the chart toolbar. Changing the timeframe reloads the candle data from the server and re-renders the chart.
All candle data originates from Binance Futures & Spot aggregate trades and is computed server-side. The server stores raw tick data and constructs candles dynamically for the requested timeframe, ensuring accuracy across all intervals.
Body Colors
Cluster Terminal uses separate color settings for bullish and bearish candle bodies. You can customize these in Appearance > Color Overrides or through the chart settings panel.Bullish (Up) Body Color
The fill color for candles where close is greater than or equal to open. The default is a green shade optimized for dark themes.Bearish (Down) Body Color
The fill color for candles where close is less than open. The default is a red shade that provides clear contrast against the bullish color on any theme.Body Opacity
The bodyOpacity setting controls the transparency of the candle body fill. The default value is 0.88 (88% opaque), which provides a slightly translucent appearance. Reduce opacity if you want indicators or overlays behind the candles to show through.Borders and Outlines
Each candle body can display a distinct border (outline) with independent color control.Border Width
The borderWidth setting controls the thickness of the candle body outline in pixels. The default is 1px. Set to 0 to disable borders entirely and show only filled bodies.Border Colors
Border colors are configured separately for bullish and bearish candles:- Up Border (
candleUpBorder) — the outline color for bullish candles. If not set, it defaults to a slightly darker shade of the up body color. - Down Border (
candleDownBorder) — the outline color for bearish candles. If not set, it defaults to a slightly darker shade of the down body color.
Setting border colors independently from body colors is useful when you want a “hollow candle” look — for example, a transparent body with a visible colored outline, or a filled body with a contrasting border for emphasis.
Shadows (Wicks)
Shadows extend vertically from the candle body to the high and low prices. Their color is configurable independently from the body and border.Shadow Colors
- Up Shadow (
candleUpShadow) — the wick color for bullish candles. - Down Shadow (
candleDownShadow) — the wick color for bearish candles.
Corner Radius
The cornerRadius setting rounds the corners of the candle body. The default is 1 (minimal rounding). Increase this value for a softer, more modern appearance. Set to 0 for perfectly sharp rectangular candles.Glow Effect
The glowIntensity setting adds a luminous glow around candle bodies. The default value is 0.28 (subtle glow). This effect uses the body color to generate a soft halo, making candles stand out against the background.Configuring Candle Appearance
1
Open the chart settings panel
Click the gear icon in the chart toolbar, or right-click the chart background and select Settings.
2
Select the Candles preset
In the preset dropdown at the top of the settings panel, choose Candles. This activates the candlestick display mode without cluster overlays.
3
Adjust candle style
In the Candle Style section, configure corner radius, body opacity, border width, and glow intensity.
4
Override colors
Switch to the Appearance panel and modify color overrides for up/down body, border, and shadow colors. You can also switch chart themes here.
When to Use Candlestick Mode
Candlestick mode is the lightest rendering mode in Cluster Terminal. It does not load or render volume cluster data, which makes it ideal for several scenarios:Higher Timeframe Overview
Use candlestick mode on 4h or 1d charts to identify the broader trend and key price structure. Cluster data is less actionable at these timeframes because the volume is aggregated over very long periods.Multi-Chart Layouts
When running four or more charts simultaneously, switching some panes to candlestick mode reduces GPU and memory usage significantly. Each cluster chart requires rendering hundreds or thousands of individual cells; a candlestick chart renders only the candle bodies and wicks.Pattern-Based Analysis
If your trading methodology focuses on candlestick patterns (engulfing, doji, hammer, pin bar) or classical chart patterns (head and shoulders, triangles, wedges), candlestick mode provides a clean, uncluttered view.Candlestick Mode vs. Other Modes
Color Override Reference
All candle color overrides are found in the Appearance settings. These override the active theme’s defaults:Color overrides persist independently of the selected theme. Switching themes does not reset your overrides. Use the Reset to theme defaults button in the Appearance panel to clear all customizations.