Beginner

Rate Limiter

A shared infrastructure component that protects every other service you build — and a great way to learn about distributed counters. Build a middleware component that limits how many requests a client can make in a given time window, shared safely across multiple application server instances.

~5h

0 / 7 steps

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Intro

What you're building

A middleware component that limits how many requests a client can make in a given time window, shared safely across multiple application server instances.

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Step 1 — Compare limiting algorithms

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Step 2 — Make the check-and-decrement atomic

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Step 3 — Decide your limiting granularity

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Step 4 — Return useful headers, not just a 429

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Secret Mission

Secret Mission: the distributed clock trap

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Wrap Up

What you learned

Pro

Test what you just learned

Self-testing is one of the best ways to retain new skills. Unlock project quizzes to check your understanding.

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