How do I handle rate limit errors?

Implement exponential backoff: wait, retry with increasing delays. Respect Retry-After headers. Queue requests when approaching limits. Consider request batching to reduce call volume.

What rate limits should I set for my API?

Consider: infrastructure capacity, expected usage patterns, cost per request, fair usage across customers. Start conservative, monitor, adjust. Different limits for different tiers.

How do I track rate limit usage?

Check response headers (X-RateLimit-Remaining, etc.). Maintain local counters. Log and alert on approaching limits. Build dashboards for usage visibility.

Should I rate limit internal APIs?

Often yes. Prevents cascading failures, protects shared resources, enables capacity planning. May use higher limits than external APIs but still important for stability.

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Rate Limiting

Controlling the number of requests a client can make to an API within a specified time period to prevent abuse and ensure fair usage.

In-Depth Explanation

Rate limiting restricts how many API requests a client can make within a time window. It protects services from abuse, ensures fair resource allocation, and maintains system stability.

Rate limiting strategies:

Fixed window: X requests per minute/hour
Sliding window: Smoother limits across time boundaries
Token bucket: Allow bursts up to a maximum, refill over time
Leaky bucket: Process requests at fixed rate, queue excess

Implementation levels:

Per user/API key
Per IP address
Per endpoint
Global across service

Response handling:

HTTP 429 (Too Many Requests) when exceeded
Retry-After header indicates when to retry
Rate limit headers show remaining quota

Common limits (examples):

OpenAI: Varies by tier and model
Anthropic: 60 requests/minute (varies by plan)
Google: Often 600 requests/minute

Business Context

Rate limiting is essential for API products, protecting infrastructure, enabling tiered pricing, and ensuring no single customer degrades service for others.

How Clever Ops Uses This

We implement rate limiting for Australian business APIs and advise on handling rate limits when integrating with AI providers.

Example Use Case

"Implementing tiered rate limits: free tier gets 100 requests/day, standard gets 1000/hour, enterprise gets 10000/minute."

Frequently Asked Questions

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