A software architecture for Continuous Double Auctions

Abstract

A Continuous Double Auction (CDA) is a powerful auction mechanism used in online share trading. A CDA has many buyers and sellers continually exchanging items. Implementing an online CDA in software is more complicated than a regular online auction (such as eBay). This paper describes our experiences with implementing an online CDA. We present the model as an abstraction of the online share trading process, and discuss implementation specific details. We describe the major software components, address web site navigation and object-oriented software design. An online CDA database schema is presented along with a discussion regarding timing issues. We show how bids are cleared and contrast differing matching strategies. We also investigate CDA software bidding agents, present an agent application programming interface, and a description of different bidding agent strategies. Online CDA privacy and security considerations are also discussed. The auction model is simple/concise, and presented as a general guide on how to basically implement an online CDA system.