> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.fincept.in/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Rate Limits

> Understanding and working with API rate limits

# Rate Limits

Rate limits prevent abuse and ensure fair usage for all users. This guide explains limits, headers, and best practices.

## Rate Limit Tiers

| Account Type   | Requests/Hour | Requests/Day |
| -------------- | ------------- | ------------ |
| **Guest**      | 60            | 50           |
| **Free**       | 500           | Unlimited    |
| **Basic**      | 1,000         | Unlimited    |
| **Standard**   | 2,000         | Unlimited    |
| **Pro**        | 5,000         | Unlimited    |
| **Enterprise** | Custom        | Custom       |

## Response Headers

Every response includes rate limit information:

```http theme={null}
X-RateLimit-Limit: 500
X-RateLimit-Remaining: 498
X-RateLimit-Reset: 1640998800
```

| Header                  | Description                      |
| ----------------------- | -------------------------------- |
| `X-RateLimit-Limit`     | Max requests allowed per hour    |
| `X-RateLimit-Remaining` | Requests left in current window  |
| `X-RateLimit-Reset`     | Unix timestamp when limit resets |

## Rate Limit Exceeded

```json theme={null}
{
  "success": false,
  "message": "Rate limit exceeded",
  "detail": "Too many requests. Please try again later."
}
```

**HTTP Status:** 429 Too Many Requests
**Header:** `Retry-After: 3600` (seconds)

## Best Practices

### 1. Check Headers

```python theme={null}
response = requests.get(url, headers=headers)

remaining = int(response.headers.get("X-RateLimit-Remaining"))
if remaining < 10:
    print("Warning: Approaching rate limit!")
```

### 2. Implement Backoff

```python theme={null}
def make_request_with_backoff(url, data):
    response = requests.post(url, json=data, headers=headers)

    if response.status_code == 429:
        retry_after = int(response.headers.get("Retry-After", 60))
        time.sleep(retry_after)
        return make_request_with_backoff(url, data)

    return response
```

### 3. Distribute Requests

Spread requests over time instead of bursting:

```python theme={null}
import time

for item in items:
    result = api_call(item)
    time.sleep(0.1) # 10 requests/second = 360/hour (within 500 limit)
```

[See examples →](/advanced-workflows)