What Is API rate limit?

A constraint on integration usage

An API provider can limit requests by application, account, token, endpoint or another scope. Limits may apply over a short interval, a daily period or several overlapping windows. They can also concern concurrent work rather than simply a count of HTTP requests. Read the rule for the exact API being used; a number copied from another endpoint or plan can produce an unreliable integration.

HTTP 429 indicates too many requests under the responding service's policy. A response may include retry guidance, but the details are not universal. A workflow should also distinguish rate limiting from authentication failure, insufficient paid credits, exhausted row capacity and an asynchronous job that is still running. Those conditions need different responses and often different accountable owners.

Coordinate shared capacity

Imagine several enrichment workflows using the same provider account. Each can look safe in isolation while their combined traffic exceeds the shared allowance. Keep concurrency bounded and apply the provider's documented retry behavior across the relevant scope. Repeatedly launching more workers in response to slower results can increase the pressure and lengthen recovery rather than increasing useful throughput.

Measure completed work

Record the endpoint, response, observed limits, attempted requests and actual completed results. Preserve failed items for controlled retry without silently dropping them or recreating successful downstream work. If the provider exposes quota information, compare it with the workflow's own counters. A dashboard saying requests sent is not evidence that every requested enrichment produced a valid contact field.

Respecting rate limits is part of reliable orchestration, not an obstacle to bypass through extra accounts or credentials. Use approved capacity, batching and scheduling where supported. Test a small representative flow first, then size the workflow from observed behavior and current documentation. Treat capacity upgrades and paid provider usage as separate commercial decisions from retrying an already authorized operation.