API Rate Limiting

API Rate Limiting in Laravel controls how many requests a user or client can make to an API within a specified timeframe. This prevents abuse, ensures fair usage, and protects server resources.

Origin

API Rate Limiting is built into Laravel's middleware system, with features introduced to secure APIs and enhance user experience by throttling requests.

Why is it important?

1. Prevents Abuse: Mitigates the risk of excessive or malicious requests.
2. Optimizes Server Performance: Protects resources from being overwhelmed by high traffic.
3. Improves User Experience: Ensures fair access to resources for all users.

Best Practices

1. Define Limits by Route: Apply different limits for various endpoints based on their use cases.
2. Log Throttling Events: Monitor and analyze rate-limited requests for better system insights.
3. Use Custom Rate Limiters: Tailor rate limits to user roles or API tokens.

Example in Action

Apply rate limiting to an API route:

Route::middleware('throttle:60,1')->group(function () {
    Route::get('/api/data', [ApiController::class, 'index']);
});

Customize rate limiting in RouteServiceProvider:

use Illuminate\Http\Request;
use Illuminate\Support\Facades\RateLimiter;

RateLimiter::for('global', function (Request $request) {
    return Limit::perMinute(100)->by($request->ip());
});

This ensures your API is protected while maintaining optimal performance and fairness.