Rate Limiting Algorithm

Noun · Development

Definitions

  1. Algorithms for controlling request rates: Token Bucket (tokens accumulate at fixed rate, each request costs a token — allows bursts), Leaky Bucket (requests processed at fixed rate, excess queued — smooth output), Sliding Window (count requests in recent time window), and Fixed Window (count per time interval — vulnerable to boundary bursts).

    In plain English: Different mathematical approaches for controlling how many requests per second are allowed through.

    Example: "Use token bucket for the API rate limiter — it allows short bursts of 50 requests while maintaining a 10/second average rate."

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