> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://help.mimeeq.com/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://help.mimeeq.com/api/rate-limits.md).

# Rate limits

Each API key has a request-rate limit and a monthly request allowance. Read the response headers to understand the key's current limits instead of hard-coding values.

#### Request rate and monthly allowance

* **Request rate** limits how quickly a key can send requests. A burst allowance permits a limited number of requests at once.
* **Monthly allowance** limits the number of requests a key can make during a calendar month. It resets at the start of the next month in **UTC**.

#### Response headers

When rate limiting is enabled, responses admitted by the limiter include:

| Header                | Meaning                                                                                       |
| --------------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| `RateLimit-Limit`     | The key's burst capacity: the maximum requests it can spend at once.                          |
| `RateLimit-Remaining` | The remaining burst capacity after this request. This is not the remaining monthly allowance. |
| `RateLimit-Reset`     | Seconds until the burst capacity is full again. This is a duration, not a timestamp.          |

#### When a request is rejected

| Response                         | Meaning                                                  | What to do                                                                        |
| -------------------------------- | -------------------------------------------------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| `429` with `rate_limit_exceeded` | The key has exhausted its current request-rate capacity. | Wait at least the number of seconds in `Retry-After`, then retry.                 |
| `429` with `quota_exceeded`      | The key has used its monthly allowance.                  | Respect `Retry-After`; repeated immediate retries will not restore the allowance. |
| `503` with `Retry-After`         | The service is temporarily unavailable.                  | Wait at least the stated number of seconds before retrying.                       |

A request-rate rejection includes `RateLimit-*` headers. A monthly-quota rejection does not: burst capacity does not tell you whether monthly allowance remains.

#### Firewall limits

The edge firewall can also return `429 rate_limit_exceeded` when one IP address sends too many requests across API keys. That response has no `requestId`. See [Errors](https://help.mimeeq.com/developers/errors) for reporting guidance.


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