Throttling for rate limiting in Django

Introduction

Throttling helps control how many times a user can make requests to your Django app. It stops too many requests in a short time to keep your app safe and fast.

To stop users from sending too many requests and slowing down your site.

To protect your app from accidental or bad behavior like spamming.

To limit API usage so one user doesn't use all resources.

To keep your server stable during high traffic times.

To improve user experience by preventing overload.

Syntax

Django

from rest_framework.throttling import UserRateThrottle

class MyThrottle(UserRateThrottle):
    rate = '5/minute'

# Then add MyThrottle to your view's throttle_classes

The rate is how many requests are allowed per time unit.

You use throttle_classes in your Django REST Framework views to apply throttling.

Examples

This class limits each user to 5 requests per minute.

Django

from rest_framework.throttling import UserRateThrottle

class FivePerMinuteThrottle(UserRateThrottle):
    rate = '5/minute'

This limits anonymous users to 10 requests per hour.

Django

from rest_framework.throttling import AnonRateThrottle

class AnonTenPerHourThrottle(AnonRateThrottle):
    rate = '10/hour'

This view uses the default user throttle settings.

Django

from rest_framework.views import APIView
from rest_framework.response import Response
from rest_framework.throttling import UserRateThrottle

class MyView(APIView):
    throttle_classes = [UserRateThrottle()]

    def get(self, request):
        return Response({'message': 'Hello!'})

Sample Program

This example creates a throttle that allows 5 requests per minute per user. The HelloView uses this throttle to limit how often users can call the GET method.

Django

from rest_framework.views import APIView
from rest_framework.response import Response
from rest_framework.throttling import UserRateThrottle

class FivePerMinuteThrottle(UserRateThrottle):
    rate = '5/minute'

class HelloView(APIView):
    throttle_classes = [FivePerMinuteThrottle()]

    def get(self, request):
        return Response({'message': 'Hello, world!'})

Important Notes

Throttling works best with Django REST Framework views.

You can customize throttle rates per user or anonymous users.

Remember to test throttling by making multiple requests quickly.

Summary

Throttling limits how many requests a user can make in a time period.

Use custom throttle classes with a rate like '5/minute'.

Apply throttling by adding throttle classes to your views.