Web Traffic Control: A Detailed Guide to C# API Rate Limiting and Throttling
✨When developing a Web API, especially for high-traffic applications, the concepts of rate limiting and throttling are vital to ensure efficient operation and resource management. I’ve written a story about How to Implement API Client-Side Rate Limiting in C#. Reading that story first will help you understand this one, as the techniques used on the client side form the foundation for what we implement on the server side.
Why Rate Limiting and Throttling
Imagine driving down a busy highway where every car represents a request made to your API. If there are no speed limits (rate limiting) or ramp meters (throttling), it will lead to traffic congestion or even crashes. Similarly, without these controls, your Web API could become overwhelmed with requests, leading to degraded performance or server crashes.
Rate Limiting is akin to setting a speed limit. It’s a technique for controlling the number of requests that a client can make to the API within a certain timeframe. This prevents individual users or services from monopolizing your server’s resources, allowing fair distribution and ensuring your API remains responsive to all users. It sets a cap on how many requests are…
