Rate Limiting

Rate limiting in the context of web applications is a technique used to control the amount of incoming requests a user can make to a server within a given timeframe. This is a crucial feature for both maintaining the performance of the web server and enhancing its security, particularly against [[Brute Force Attack|brute force attacks]].

Web applications set a limit on how many requests a user (or [[IP address]]) can make in a certain period. If the number of requests exceeds this limit, additional requests are either delayed or blocked. The rate limits can be configured based on various criteria, such as per-user limits, per-IP address limits, or overall limits for the server.

One common application of rate limiting is to prevent brute force login attacks. By limiting the number of login attempts that can be made in a short period, the web application can significantly reduce the effectiveness of an attacker trying to guess passwords.

When a user hits the rate limit, the server might respond with a 429 Too Many Requests HTTP status code, require additional authentication (like [[CAPTCHA]]), or temporarily block access from the user's IP address.

Rate limiting helps in managing server resources by preventing any single user or a group of users from overloading the server with too many requests. It's also used to prevent abuse of [[APIs]] and web services, ensuring fair usage and availability for all users.