To ensure the stability and reliability of the API for all users, Overflow implements rate limiting. The API allows a maximum of 120 requests per minute per client.
Every API response includes standard HTTP headers detailing your current rate limit status. You can use these headers to monitor your usage and programmatically pace your application to avoid being blocked.
| Header | Example | Purpose |
|---|
x-ratelimit-limit | 120 | The maximum number of requests permitted within the time window. |
x-ratelimit-remaining | 119 | The number of requests remaining in the current time window. |
x-ratelimit-reset | 59 | The time remaining (in seconds) until the current window expires and your limit is reset. |
Exceeding the Limit: If you exceed the permitted number of requests, the API will reject subsequent requests and return an HTTP 429 Too Many Requests status code until the window resets.
How the Reset Works
The API utilizes a fixed-window algorithm. Here is what that means for your application’s request lifecycle:
- Initialization: A 60-second time window begins the moment you make your first API request.
- Decrementing: During these 60 seconds, your
x-ratelimit-remaining count will decrement with each subsequent request.
- Replenishment: Once the
x-ratelimit-reset countdown reaches zero, the current window expires. Your very next request will start a brand-new 60-second window, and your x-ratelimit-remaining quota will reset back to your maximum limit of 120.
Best Practice: To avoid hitting the rate limit, we recommend inspecting the x-ratelimit-remaining and x-ratelimit-reset headers in your HTTP client and implementing a back-off strategy or briefly pausing requests if your remaining quota approaches zero. 