Rate limits
Rate limiting is a technique used to control the amount of incoming and outgoing traffic to or from a network. For APIs, it is a method used to control the number of requests a client can make to the API within a certain time period.
Rate limiting:
- prevents abuse of the API
- protects it from being overwhelmed
- ensures fair usage for users
There are three main types of rate limits:
| Limit type | Description | Limit |
|---|---|---|
| Quota | Maximum number of requests you can make in a day | 500000 |
| Burst | Maximum number of requests you can make in a short period of time. This helps the API to manage sudden spikes in traffic | 10 |
| RPS | Average number of requests you can make per second | 15 |
If you exceed these limits you will receive a response with 429 Too Many Requests HTTP status code. See error codes for further information.
What happens if you exceed your quota
If you exceed your daily quota, your key will be restricted for 24 hours from the point you have exceeded the limit. You will not be able to use the API during this period. Your access will be reinstated automatically.
Exponential backoff
Exponential backoff is a way to handle errors in network applications. It means that the client tries again if a request fails, but waits longer each time.
The steps are:
- Send a request to the server.
- If the request fails, wait for a while and try again.
- If the request fails again, wait longer and try again.
- Stop retrying when the request succeeds or after a certain number of tries.
This way works well when the server is busy or the client has network problems. It gives the server and the network a chance to get better.