API Rate Limiting

Rate limiting is a crucial aspect of managing API usage and ensuring the stability and availability of our service. It serves several important purposes, including protecting against excessive use, preventing potential Denial-of-Service (DoS) attacks, and promoting efficient API utilization. Here's an expanded explanation of our rate limiting policy:

1. Protection Against Excessive Use and DoS Attacks: Rate limiting is implemented to safeguard our service from being overwhelmed by a single application or user making an excessive number of requests. This helps maintain the quality of service for all users.

2. Efficient API Utilization: Rate limits encourage developers to use our APIs efficiently, which not only benefits our service but also helps conserve resources on the user's side. By optimizing their use of the APIs, developers can achieve their goals with fewer requests.

3. Setting Limits Based on Anticipated Loads: Our rate limits are not arbitrary; they are carefully set based on our assessment of expected loads and potential usage peaks. This ensures that our service remains responsive even during periods of high demand.

4. Standard Limits: Our standard rate limit for most API requests is set as 60 requests within 10 seconds, which is 6 requests per second. This is designed to strike a balance between providing adequate access and preventing abuse.

5. Token Request Limit: For token requests, which are essential for authentication and authorization, we have a separate rate limit. Users are allowed 2 token requests per 10 seconds. It's important to note that tokens have a lifespan of 60 minutes. To avoid hitting the Token rate limit, developers should cache and reuse tokens for the full 60 minutes.

6. Handling Rate Limit Exceedances: If you exceed the rate limit, your API request will receive a response with an HTTP status of 429 (Too Many Requests). When this happens, we recommend that your code gracefully handles the situation by stopping any additional API requests for a short period before retrying. This prevents further rate limit violations and helps manage traffic spikes.

7. Real-Time Interactions: Our rate limits are designed to encourage real-time interactions with our service. Developers who wish to avoid being rate-limited should consider making requests as needed rather than batching them. Real-time interactions help distribute the load more evenly and improve overall service responsiveness.

8. Continuous Monitoring: If you find that your application consistently hits the rate limit, we encourage you to reach out to us. We can discuss your application's design and usage patterns to determine if it's appropriate to raise your rate limit to accommodate your specific needs.

In summary, our rate-limiting policy is designed to strike a balance between providing access to our services and ensuring their reliability and performance. It's a critical component of responsible API usage, and we appreciate your cooperation in adhering to these limits. If you have any questions or concerns, please don't hesitate to contact us for further assistance.