Latest Rate Limiting Articles

Rate limiting controls how frequently a client, user, application, or service can perform an operation within a defined period. An API might allow 100 requests per minute per user, while a login endpoint might permit only five failed attempts within a short interval.

An API rate limiter sounds simple: count requests and reject clients that exceed a limit. The design becomes much harder when requests are handled by dozens or hundreds of application instances across multiple servers, availability zones, or regions.

API rate limiting controls how many requests a client may send during a defined period. Throttling controls how the system responds when traffic exceeds its allowed rate or the infrastructure approaches capacity.