Glossary
What is rate limit?
A rate limit is a cap on the number of requests a user or system may make within a certain period. It protects a service against overload and abuse.
Rate limit explained
A rate limit is usually expressed as a number of requests per unit of time, for example per minute, and applies per user, key, IP address or endpoint. Anyone who exceeds it typically receives status code 429 (Too Many Requests) from a web API, often with a Retry-After header saying when to try again.
Rate limits do not only protect against attackers. They also stop a buggy script or an automation stuck in a loop from bringing down a database or service for every other user. That is why they also apply to sign-in attempts, where they slow down password guessing.
As an API consumer, respect the limit: fetch data at a reasonable pace, use pagination for large results and wait after a 429 before retrying. A well-built integration builds that wait in automatically.
Example
A new dashboard script at Acme Groothandel accidentally calls the same API every second. Once the rate limit is reached, the script receives a 429 response, so the database is not overloaded and the finance team can carry on working.
Rate limit in ENABLE
ENABLE uses rate limits in several places: on sign-in, in the SQL Explorer (including 120 queries per minute) and on Data API endpoints. Anyone who makes too many requests receives a 429 response.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
What does error code 429 mean?
Error code 429 (Too Many Requests) means you have made more requests than the rate limit allows. Wait a moment and try again, ideally after the time given in the Retry-After header.
Why do APIs have a rate limit?
To protect the service against overload and abuse, and to share capacity fairly among all users. It also stops a bug in one script from slowing the service down for everyone.
What is the difference between a rate limit and a quota?
A rate limit caps the number of requests in a short period, such as per minute. A quota caps total usage over a longer period, such as per day or per month.
Further reading
- PlatformData API: expose your data warehouse via RESTPublish a query as a secure REST endpoint for other systems and apps.Read more
- PlatformSQL Explorer with AI: ask your database questionsAsk your data warehouse in plain language. The AI writes the SQL, you stay in control.Read more
- PlatformPower BI row-level security and dashboard accessAccess profiles, Power BI row-level security, two-factor authentication and an audit log.Read more
- ResourcesGlossary of data, AI and Power BI termsWhat is a service principal, row-level security, a semantic model, text-to-SQL or RAG? Short, clear definitions of terms around data, Power BI and AI.Read more
Use AI on your own data. Securely, and without the headache.
In an online demo we show how ENABLE makes your data securely available and how you build on it: describing an app in the AI Builder, plain-language questions, dashboards and APIs. And how we set it up and manage it for you.