In-Memory Rate Limiter Design
Design and implement a basic in-memory rate limiter, suitable for single-instance applications, using common programming patterns.
Intro to In-Memory Limiting
Welcome to designing an in-memory rate limiter! This is the simplest type of rate limiter, perfect for understanding the core concepts.
An in-memory rate limiter stores all its tracking data (like how many requests a user has made) directly in the application's RAM, not in a separate database or service.
This makes it fast and easy to set up, but it comes with specific limitations we'll explore.
Why Use In-Memory?
In-memory rate limiters are ideal for:
- Single-instance applications: Where your application runs on just one server.
- Quick prototypes: To test rate limiting concepts without complex infrastructure.
- Non-critical APIs: Where occasional dropped requests due to server restarts are acceptable.
They are simple to implement because they don't need to communicate with external data stores.
All lessons in this course
- In-Memory Rate Limiter Design
- Distributed Rate Limiting with Redis
- Handling Rate Limit Exceedance
- Testing and Monitoring Your Rate Limiter