API Limits
DreamFactory API Rate Limiting
DreamFactory limits can be set for a specific user, role, service, or endpoint. Additionally, you can set limits for each user, where every user will get a separate counter. Limits can be created to only interact with a specific HTTP verb, such as ‘GET’ or you could create another limit for a POST to a specific service. Endpoint limits also provide yet another powerful way to restrict at a granular level within your DreamFactory instance.
Limits Hierarchy
Limits can be created to cover an entire instance or provide coverage down to a specific endpoint. When limits are combined, a type of limits hierarchy is created where the broader limits can sometimes override the more granular ones. Take for example a limit created for the entire instance with 500 hits per minute. If a limit is created for a specific service for 1,000 hits per minute, the instance limit would issue a 429 HTTP (over limit) error at 500 hits within a minute, so the service limit would never ever reach 1,000. Make sure to keep the big picture in mind when creating multiple limits and planning your limits strategy. Set the more broad-based limit types at an appropriate level to the more granular ones.
Limit Types
Each API limit is based on a specific period of time when the limit expires and resets. Options here are configurable and include minute, hour, day, 7-day (week), and 30-day (month). The variety of limit types in combination with limit periods allows for a wide range of control over your instance. The following table provides an overview of the different types of limits available.
| Limit Type | Description |
|---|---|
| Instance | Controls rate limiting over the entire instance to include all services, roles, and users. Limit counter here is cumulative, regardless of user, service, etc. |
| User | Provides rate limit control to a specified user. In the case where both a User limit and an Each User limit is set, the user-specific limit will override Each User in terms of rate. However, both counters will still increment. |
| Each User | Sets a rate limit for each user. The main difference between this and the entire instance is that every user gets a separate counter. |
