API Gateway throttling in AWS - Cheat Sheet & Quick Revision

Recall & Review

beginner

What is API Gateway throttling?

API Gateway throttling is a way to limit the number of requests a client can make to an API in a given time. It helps protect the backend from too much traffic and keeps the system stable.

beginner

What are the two main throttling limits in AWS API Gateway?

The two main limits are the rate limit (requests per second) and the burst limit (maximum number of requests allowed in a short time).

intermediate

How does burst capacity help in API Gateway throttling?

Burst capacity allows short spikes of traffic above the steady rate limit. It acts like a temporary buffer to handle sudden bursts without rejecting requests immediately.

beginner

What happens when a client exceeds the throttling limits in API Gateway?

The API Gateway returns a 429 Too Many Requests error to the client, indicating the request was rejected due to throttling.

intermediate

How can you customize throttling settings per API key in AWS API Gateway?

You can create usage plans that specify throttling limits and associate them with API keys. This allows different clients to have different rate and burst limits.

What does the burst limit in API Gateway throttling control?

A Number of concurrent connections

B Total requests per day

C Maximum requests allowed in a short time

D Size of the request payload

The burst limit controls how many requests can be handled in a short burst above the steady rate limit.

What HTTP status code does API Gateway return when throttling limits are exceeded?

A 429 Too Many Requests

B 500 Internal Server Error

C 403 Forbidden

D 404 Not Found

API Gateway returns 429 to indicate the client sent too many requests in a given time.

Which AWS feature allows setting different throttling limits for different clients?

A IAM Roles

B Usage Plans with API Keys

C Lambda Functions

D CloudWatch Alarms

Usage plans let you define throttling and quota limits and associate them with API keys for different clients.

Why is throttling important in API Gateway?

A To encrypt API requests

B To increase API response size

C To speed up database queries

D To protect backend from overload

Throttling protects backend services by limiting request rates and preventing overload.

If your API experiences sudden traffic spikes, which throttling setting helps handle them temporarily?

A Burst limit

B Timeout setting

C Rate limit

D Cache size

Burst limit allows short bursts of traffic above the steady rate limit to handle spikes.

Explain how API Gateway throttling works and why it is important for system stability.

Think about how limiting requests helps keep the system healthy.

Describe how you can customize throttling for different clients using AWS API Gateway features.

Consider how different users might have different access needs.