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Rate Limits

Rate limits ensure fair usage and optimal performance for all users. Understanding and managing your rate limits is crucial for building reliable applications.

Rate Limits by Plan​

FeaturesStarterDeveloperGrowthScale
Price$5 once$49/mo$299/mo$999/mo
Overages✗$5/million$3/million$2/million
Responses per second201005002,000
Responses per second (burst)✗5002,50010,000

Token Bucket Algorithm​

Dwellir uses the token bucket algorithm for rate limiting, providing flexible and fair request handling with burst protection.

How It Works​

The token bucket algorithm works like a bucket that:

  1. Holds tokens - Each token represents permission to make one request
  2. Has a maximum capacity - The bucket can hold up to your burst limit
  3. Refills at a constant rate - Tokens are added at your plan's responses/second rate
  4. Consumes tokens per request - Each API call removes one token
┌─────────────────────────┐
│     Token Bucket        │
│                         │
│  Capacity: 500 tokens   │  ← Burst capacity
│  Current: 350 tokens    │
│  Refill: 100 tokens/s   │  ← Your plan's rate
│                         │
└─────────────────────────┘
         ↓
    API Response
    (consumes 1 token)

Benefits of Token Bucket​

  1. Burst Handling - Handle traffic spikes gracefully
  2. Smooth Rate Limiting - No hard cutoffs at exact intervals
  3. Fair Usage - Unused capacity accumulates for later use
  4. Predictable Behavior - Easy to understand and plan for

Example Scenarios​

Scenario 1: Steady Traffic​

  • Plan: Developer (100 responses/s)
  • Usage: 80 responses/s consistently
  • Result: ✅ All requests succeed, 20 tokens/s accumulate up to burst limit

Scenario 2: Traffic Burst​

  • Plan: Developer (100 responses/s, 500 burst capacity)
  • Usage: 300 responses/s for 1 second
  • Result: ✅ All requests succeed using burst tokens
  • Recovery: Need to stay under 100 responses/s to refill

Scenario 3: Sustained Overuse​

  • Plan: Developer (100 responses/s)
  • Usage: 150 responses/s sustained
  • Result: ⚠️ After burst depletes, 50 responses/s are rate limited

Request Counting​

What Counts as a Response?​

Each of the following counts as 1 API response:

  • Standard JSON-RPC calls (eth_getBalance, eth_call, etc.)
  • Batch requests count as the number of calls in the batch
  • WebSocket messages (both sent and received)
  • Even trace and debug methods (no compute unit multipliers!)

Handling Rate Limit Errors​

When you exceed your rate limit, you'll receive a 429 HTTP status code with the following response:

{
  "jsonrpc": "2.0",
  "error": {
    "code": -32005,
    "message": "Rate limit exceeded"
  },
  "id": 1
}

Setting Usage Limits​

Protect yourself from unexpected charges by setting limits per API key:

  1. Go to dashboard.dwellir.com/api-keys
  2. Click the edit icon (✏️) next to your API key
  3. Set daily or monthly quotas
  4. Click "Update API Key" to save

When a quota is reached, the API will return a 429 error until the quota resets.

Monitoring Your Usage​

Dashboard Analytics​

Track your usage in real-time at dashboard.dwellir.com/usage:

  • Current responses/second
  • Daily and monthly usage
  • Per-method breakdown
  • Geographic distribution

API Access​

For programmatic access to usage data, please contact our team.

Need Higher Limits?​

If you need higher rate limits:

  1. Upgrade Your Plan - Check if a higher tier meets your needs
  2. Contact Support - Request custom limits within your current plan
  3. Enterprise Solutions - Get custom infrastructure and limits

When requesting increases, provide:

  • Current usage patterns
  • Expected growth timeline
  • Peak traffic requirements
  • Use case description

Contact our team for custom rate limits.