rate limiting
compound.compound. a way to control how often someone can use a service or website in a certain amount of time. It stops people or computers from making too many requests at once.
compound. the process of controlling the rate of traffic sent or received by a network interface or service. Often implemented as a security measure to prevent resource exhaustion or abuse by limiting the number of requests a user can make within a specific timeframe.
The website uses rate limiting to prevent hackers from guessing passwords.
After I refreshed the page too many times, the server's rate limiting blocked my access for ten minutes.
Effective rate limiting is essential for maintaining API stability, as it ensures that no single client can monopolize system resources or inadvertently trigger a denial-of-service event through excessive automated calls.
A compound formed from the noun rate, derived from the Middle French rata, and the present participle of the verb limit, originating from the Latin limes, meaning a boundary or path.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Commonly used in technical and computing contexts; often functions as a compound noun or a gerund phrase.
Last updated July 22, 2026