Requirements to Design a Rate Limiter API

The requirements of a rate limiter API can be classified into two categories: functional and non-functional.

Functional requirements to Design a Rate Limiter API:

  • The API should allow the definition of multiple rate-limiting rules.
  • The API should provide the ability to customize the response to clients when rate limits are exceeded.
  • The API should allow for the storage and retrieval of rate-limit data.
  • The API should be implemented with proper error handling as in when the threshold limit of requests are crossed for a single server or across different combinations, the client should get a proper error message.

Non-functional requirements to Design a Rate Limiter API:

  • The API should be highly available and scalable. Availability is the main pillar in the case of request fetching APIs.
  • The API should be secure and protected against malicious attacks.
  • The API should be easy to integrate with existing systems.
  • There should be low latency provided by the rate limiter to the system, as performance is one of the key factors in the case of any system.

How to Design a Rate Limiter API | Learn System Design

A Rate Limiter API is a tool that developers can use to define rules that specify how many requests can be made in a given time period and what actions should be taken when these limits are exceeded. 

Rate limiting is an essential technique used in software systems to control the rate of incoming requests. It helps to prevent the overloading of servers by limiting the number of requests that can be made in a given time frame. 

It helps to prevent a high volume of requests from overwhelming a server or API. Here is a basic design for a rate limiter API In this article, we will discuss the design of a rate limiter API, including its requirements, high-level design, and algorithms used for rate limiting.

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Why is rate limiting used?

Avoid resource starvation due to a Denial of Service (DoS) attack. Ensure that servers are not overburdened. Using rate restriction per user ensures fair and reasonable use without harming other users. Control the flow of information, for example, prevent a single worker from accumulating a backlog of unprocessed items while other workers are idle....

Requirements to Design a Rate Limiter API

The requirements of a rate limiter API can be classified into two categories: functional and non-functional....

High Level Design (HLD) to Design a Rate Limiter API

Where to place the Rate Limiter – Client Side or Server Side?...

Algorithms to Design a Rate Limiter API

Several algorithms are used for rate limiting, including...

Examples of Rate Limiting APIs used worldwide

Google Cloud Endpoints: It is a platform for building APIs that includes a built-in rate limiter to help prevent excessive API usage. AWS API Gateway: Amazon Web Services (AWS) API Gateway includes a feature called Usage Plans that allows for rate limiting and throttling of API requests. Akamai API Gateway: Akamai API Gateway is a cloud-based platform that includes a rate limiter feature for controlling API requests. Cloudflare Rate Limiting: Cloudflare’s Rate Limiting feature helps prevent DDoS attacks and other types of abusive traffic by limiting the number of requests that can be made to an API. Redis: It is an in-memory data structure store that can be used as a database, cache, and message broker. It includes several features that make it useful for implementing a rate limiter, such as its ability to store data in memory for fast access and its support for atomic operations....