API Rate Limit Planner
APIs often restrict how many requests you can send in a given window. This planner divides the allowed requests by your clients and window length to compute the minimum seconds to wait between calls for each worker. Enter the provider's limit, the window duration in seconds, and the number of parallel clients to see the recommended delay.
Planning aid only. Always follow the official rate limit guidance from your API provider.
Examples
- 90 requests / 60-second window / 3 clients ⇒ 2.00 seconds between requests
- 1,000 requests / 900-second window / 10 clients ⇒ 9.00 seconds between requests
- 500 requests / 60-second window / 5 clients ⇒ 0.60 seconds between requests
FAQ
What if I only have one client?
Set clients to 1 and the result becomes the raw delay needed between calls.
Does this handle burst limits?
No. It assumes a rolling window limit. Add extra buffer if the API enforces secondary burst caps.
How can I convert the delay to requests per minute?
Take 60 divided by the result to estimate calls per minute per client.
How should I incorporate retries or backoff?
Implement jitter or add a safety margin to the calculated delay so that retries do not accidentally exceed the rate limit.
Additional Information
- Delay per client = (window seconds × number of clients) ÷ allowed requests.
- Add a safety margin or jitter when implementing in production systems.
- Recalculate whenever the provider changes limits or when you scale to more workers.