> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.surgecardano.com/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://docs.surgecardano.com/getting-started/what-is-surge.md).

# What Surge is

Surge is an automated trading platform for Cardano decentralised exchanges (DEX's). You describe a trading plan once: a grid, a dollar-cost-averaging schedule, a cross-DEX arbitrage watch, a set of price levels, or a volume schedule. Surge watches the market and prepares each trade at the right moment. Surge never holds your funds or keys.

## What you can do with Surge

| Feature                                                     | What it does                                                                                     |
| ----------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ |
| [Grid](/strategies/grid.md)                                 | Buys low and sells high repeatedly inside a price band you choose                                |
| [DCA](/strategies/dca.md)                                   | Buys or sells a fixed ADA amount on a fixed schedule                                             |
| [Sequential arbitrage](/strategies/sequential-arbitrage.md) | Buys a token, then sells it after the buy fills                                                  |
| [Parallel arbitrage](/strategies/parallel-arbitrage.md)     | Buys and sells simultaneously using two strategy wallets                                         |
| [Rule-based](/strategies/rule-based.md)                     | Fires buys or sells when the price reaches levels you draw on the chart                          |
| [Cadence (Volume)](/strategies/cadence-volume.md)           | Executes a planned schedule of buys and sells across your own wallets over 12–72 hours           |
| [Manual swap](/dashboard-and-account/manual-swap.md)        | A one-off swap, optionally split across several DEX's for a better price                         |
| [Staking](/fees-tiers-and-staking/staking.md)               | Hold SURGE tokens to earn a share of protocol fees (paid in ADA) and a discount on your own fees |

Surge trades on Minswap, SundaeSwap, WingRiders and Splash. See [Supported DEX's](/core-concepts/supported-dexes.md) for how they differ.

## What Surge is not

Surge is not a custodial bot service. It does not have a server-side wallet that trades on your behalf; your browser signs every transaction with a key that only your browser holds, automatically and within limits you set, so you do not have to be at the computer. The practical consequence is that **your strategies only run while your Surge browser tab is open**. See [How non-custodial works](/getting-started/how-non-custodial-works.md).

Surge is not a guarantee of profit. Every strategy page in these docs lists the fees a strategy pays and the ways it can lose money.

## Who Surge is for

Surge assumes you already know what ADA, a wallet and a token swap are. It does not assume you know how Cardano DEX's settle trades, what a batcher is, or why an order can sit unfilled. [How trading on Cardano DEXes works](/core-concepts/how-cardano-dex-trading-works.md) explains these concepts, and the [Glossary](/help/glossary.md) defines each term.

Surge is a desktop application. Screens narrower than 768 pixels (phones) show a "desktop only" message; tablets and laptops work.


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