13/10/2026
Rate limiting serves as the first line of defense for backend reliability and resource management. Common algorithms used to control ingress traffic:
Token Bucket: Accommodates brief traffic bursts while keeping baseline throughput predictable.
Fixed Window: Sets strict request quotas within precise time intervals.
Sliding Log: Eliminates traffic boundary spikes by calculating request density across rolling windows.
Always pair rate limiting with descriptive HTTP 429 (Too Many Requests) responses and explicit Retry-After headers so automated consumers back off gracefully.