GPT-5.5 vs Claude Sonnet 4.6

An API rate limit is a rule that controls how often someone or something can ask an online service for information or actions within a certain time period.

Think of it like a speed limit or a “maximum number of requests per minute.” For example, a weather app might only be allowed to ask a weather service for updates 100 times per hour.

Online services use rate limits to:

• Prevent overload: Too many requests at once can slow down or crash a service.
• Keep things fair: One user or company should not use up all the system’s resources.
• Reduce abuse: Limits help stop spam, bots, or attacks.
• Control costs: Handling requests uses servers, electricity, and bandwidth, which cost money.
• Protect quality: Rate limits help ensure the service stays fast and reliable for everyone.

If someone goes over the limit, the service may temporarily reject extra requests and ask them to wait before trying again.

What Is an API Rate Limit?

Think of an API as a waiter at a restaurant. It carries requests between you and a service — like asking a weather app for today's forecast.

A rate limit is simply a rule that says: "You can only make so many requests in a given time period." For example, a service might allow 100 requests per minute. After that, you have to wait before asking again.

Why Do Services Use Them?

To prevent overload. If millions of requests flood in at once, servers can crash — affecting everyone. Rate limits keep traffic manageable.

To stop abuse. Without limits, someone could write a program to scrape an entire database in minutes, stealing data or hogging resources.

To be fair. Limits ensure one heavy user can't consume all available resources at the expense of everyone else.

To manage costs. Running servers costs money. Limits help services control how much they spend on providing access.

You've likely experienced a rate limit without knowing it — like when a website says "Too many attempts. Please try again later." That's essentially the same idea in action.