114 lines
3.4 KiB
Markdown
114 lines
3.4 KiB
Markdown
---
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title: Rate Limiting
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description: Prevent abuse by limiting requests per user or IP address
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---
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# Rate Limiting
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Prevent abuse by limiting how many requests a user or IP address can make. Stop brute-force attacks, API abuse, and resource exhaustion with simple, configurable limits.
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## Overview
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Rate limiting controls how frequently clients can make requests to your proxied services. When a client exceeds the configured limit, additional requests receive a `429 Too Many Requests` response until the limit resets.
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Key concepts:
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- **Requests per Second (RPS)** — Sustained request rate allowed
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- **Burst Limit** — Short-term spike allowance above RPS
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- **Time Window** — Period over which limits are calculated
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- **Per-IP Tracking** — Each client IP has independent limits
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## Why Use This
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- **Brute-Force Prevention** — Stop password guessing attacks
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- **API Protection** — Prevent excessive API consumption
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- **Resource Management** — Protect backend services from overload
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- **Fair Usage** — Ensure equitable access across all users
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- **Cost Control** — Limit expensive operations
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## Configuration
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### Enabling Rate Limiting
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1. Navigate to **Proxy Hosts**
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2. Edit or create a proxy host
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3. Go to the **Advanced** tab
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4. Toggle **Rate Limiting** to enabled
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5. Configure your limits
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### Parameters
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| Parameter | Description | Example |
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|-----------|-------------|---------|
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| **Requests/Second** | Sustained rate limit | `10` = 10 requests per second |
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| **Burst Limit** | Temporary spike allowance | `50` = allow 50 rapid requests |
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| **Time Window** | Reset period in seconds | `60` = limits reset every minute |
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### Understanding Burst vs Sustained Rate
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```text
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Sustained Rate: 10 req/sec
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Burst Limit: 50
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Behavior:
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- Client can send 50 requests instantly (burst)
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- Then limited to 10 req/sec until burst refills
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- Burst tokens refill at the sustained rate
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```
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This allows legitimate traffic spikes (page loads with many assets) while preventing sustained abuse.
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### Recommended Configurations
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| Use Case | RPS | Burst | Window |
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|----------|-----|-------|--------|
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| Public website | 20 | 100 | 60s |
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| Login endpoint | 5 | 10 | 60s |
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| API endpoint | 30 | 60 | 60s |
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| Static assets | 100 | 500 | 60s |
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## Dashboard Integration
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### Status Badge
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When rate limiting is enabled, the proxy host displays a **Rate Limited** badge on:
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- Proxy host list view
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- Host detail page
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### Active Summary Card
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The dashboard shows an **Active Rate Limiting** summary card displaying:
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- Number of hosts with rate limiting enabled
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- Current configuration summary
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- Link to manage settings
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## Response Headers
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Rate-limited responses include helpful headers:
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```http
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HTTP/1.1 429 Too Many Requests
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Retry-After: 5
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X-RateLimit-Limit: 10
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X-RateLimit-Remaining: 0
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X-RateLimit-Reset: 1642000000
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```
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Clients can use these headers to implement backoff strategies.
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## Best Practices
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- **Start Generous** — Begin with higher limits and tighten based on observed traffic
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- **Monitor Logs** — Watch for legitimate users hitting limits
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- **Separate Endpoints** — Use different limits for different proxy hosts
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- **Combine with WAF** — Rate limiting + WAF provides layered protection
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## Related
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- [Access Control](./access-control.md) — IP-based access restrictions
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- [CrowdSec Integration](./crowdsec.md) — Automatic attacker blocking
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- [Proxy Hosts](./proxy-hosts.md) — Configure rate limits per host
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- [Back to Features](../features.md)
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