What are the best practices for API rate limiting?

What are the best practices for API rate limiting?

API rate limiting is crucial for managing traffic and ensuring fair usage. Best practices include setting clear limits, using exponential backoff, and providing informative error messages.

Can you explain what exponential backoff means?

Exponential backoff is a strategy where the wait time between retries increases exponentially. For example, if a request fails, the next attempt might wait 1 second, then 2 seconds, then 4 seconds, and so on.

How can I implement rate limiting in my application?

You can implement rate limiting by using middleware in your application that tracks the number of requests from each user and enforces limits based on your defined rules.

What tools can help with API rate limiting?

There are several tools available, such as Redis for in-memory data storage, API gateways like Kong or Apigee, and libraries like Flask-Limiter for Python applications.