# Rate Limits

To ensure fair usage and maintain consistent performance for all users, our External API is governed by the following rate limits. These thresholds help protect our systems from excessive load while enabling reliable integration experiences for all clients.

**Rate Limits per API Key:**

| Limit Type         | Value                           | Description                                                       |
| ------------------ | ------------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Average Rate**   | 20 requests per second          | The sustained rate allowed for each API key over time.            |
| **Burst Capacity** | 100 requests (short burst)      | A short-term burst allowance for sudden spikes in traffic.        |
| **Daily Quota**    | 1000 requests per day (per key) | Maximum total requests allowed per API key over a 24-hour period. |

**Best Practices:**

* **Monitor usage:** Implement logging on your side to track request counts and avoid hitting limits.
* **Handle 429 responses:** If you receive an HTTP `429 Too Many Requests` response, retry failed requests after a delay if you hit a rate limit.
* **Distribute load:** Spread your API calls evenly over time to stay within average rate limits.
* **Contact support:** If your integration requires a higher rate limit, reach out to your account representative to discuss custom limits.


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