rate limit
A cap on how many requests a client can make to an API per unit of time, after which further calls are rejected.
Definition
A rate limit is the maximum request volume an API allows from a single client (per second, per minute, per day, often layered). When exceeded, the API typically responds with HTTP 429 Too Many Requests plus a Retry-After header. Automation flows that touch high-volume APIs (Google Sheets, Stripe, HubSpot) must implement backoff and retry logic against these limits.
When to use
See also
- API — A formal contract that lets one software system call functions or fetch data from another, usually over HTTP.
- idempotency — A property of an operation where calling it twice has the same effect as calling it once.