Matching Logic

Core price-time prioerity logic explained

The matching engine implements a continuous limit order book with price-time priority.

Order Book Structure

Orderbook {
    bids: BTreeMap<OrderbookKey, Order>,  // Sorted high-to-low
    asks: BTreeMap<OrderbookKey, Order>,  // Sorted low-to-high
}

OrderbookKey {
    price: i64,      // Negated for bids
    timestamp: u64,
    order_id: OrderId,
}

• Bids: Price negated so BTreeMap iteration yields highest prices first

• Asks: Price as-is so iteration yields lowest prices first

• Tie-breaking: Secondary sort by (timestamp, order_id) for FIFO at same price level

Matching Algorithm

while best_bid.price >= best_ask.price:
    1. Prune any zero-quantity orders at top of book
    2. Check crossing conditions (price, market_id, self-trade)
    3. Determine maker (earlier timestamp wins)
    4. Execute at maker's price
    5. Update quantities; remove exhausted orders

Maker Determination

maker_is_bid = (bid.timestamp, bid.order_id) <= (ask.timestamp, ask.order_id)
price = if maker_is_bid { bid.price } else { ask.price }

The order that arrived first is the maker; the match executes at the maker's price. This protects passive liquidity providers.

Partial Fills

When order quantities differ:

fill_quantity = bid.quantity.min(ask.quantity)

• Smaller order is fully filled and removed

• Larger order has quantity decremented; remains in book

• Multiple trades may result from a single aggressive order

Trade Output

Trade {
    market_id: MarketId,
    maker_order_id: OrderId,
    taker_order_id: OrderId,
    price: i64,
    quantity: u64,
    timestamp: u64,  // max(maker.timestamp, taker.timestamp)
}

Safety Checks

• Cross-market prevention: Matching stops if bid.market_id != ask.market_id

• Self-trade prevention: Optional flag stops matching if bid.account_id == ask.account_id

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