Rate Limit Exceeded (RATE_LIMIT_EXCEEDED)

The request was rejected because the client exceeded the configured rate limit.

Response format

The 429 response uses the Problem Details format:

Code
{
  "type": "https://httpproblems.com/http-status/429",
  "title": "Too Many Requests",
  "status": 429,
  "detail": "Rate limit exceeded",
  "instance": "/your-route",
  "trace": {
    "requestId": "4d54e4ee-c003-4d75-aba9-e09a6d707b08",
    "timestamp": "2026-04-14T12:00:00.000Z",
    "buildId": "ec44e831-3a02-467e-a26c-7e401e4473bf"
  }
}

If headerMode is set to "retry-after" (the default), the response includes a Retry-After header with the number of seconds to wait before retrying.

Common Causes

• Too many requests — The client sent more requests than the rate limit policy allows within the configured time window.
• Shared rate limit — Multiple clients or API keys share a rate limit pool that has been exhausted.
• Burst traffic — A sudden spike in requests exceeded the allowed burst capacity.

How to Fix

• Check the Retry-After header — The response typically includes a Retry-After header indicating how long to wait before sending another request.
• Implement backoff — Add exponential backoff and retry logic to the client.
• Request a higher limit — If the current rate limit is too restrictive, contact the API provider about upgrading the plan or adjusting limits.

For API Operators

• Review the rate limiting policy configuration in the route settings. Check the requestsAllowed and timeWindowMinutes values and verify that the rateLimitBy identifier is resolving correctly.
• Consider using dynamic rate limiting to set different limits per customer tier.
• Use your logging integration to filter for 429 responses and identify which consumers are being throttled. Break down by user or IP to spot noisy neighbors.