Rate Limiting vs Throttling vs Debouncing
Rate limiting, throttling, and debouncing are backend techniques to control how often requests are processed, protecting APIs and services from overload.
When to Use
- Rate limiting: Cap total requests per time window (e.g., 100/min).
- Throttling: Allow steady flow (e.g., one request every 200 ms).
- Debouncing: Process only after a quiet period, avoiding duplicate triggers.
Example
A login API may rate limit users to 5 attempts/min, a payment API may throttle calls to once every 500 ms, while a logging system may debounce bursts into a single write.
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Why Is It Important
These methods prevent downtime, reduce costs, and ensure fairness for all API consumers.
Interview Tips
Be clear on differences, provide a backend scenario, and highlight how these patterns improve system reliability. Comparing them directly is often an interview plus.
Trade-offs
- Rate limiting: Guarantees protection but may reject valid requests.
- Throttling: Smooths load but slows responsiveness.
- Debouncing: Reduces noise but risks skipping events.
Pitfalls
Common mistakes: setting thresholds too tight, confusing debouncing with throttling, or not handling rejected requests gracefully.
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