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API & Tools

Rate Limits API usage limits and quotas

Understand rate limits for each plan and learn best practices for efficient API usage. Responses carry your per-minute burst (X-RateLimit-*) and, on metered calls, your monthly quota (X-Monthly-*).

No credit card required · Free API key

50

Free/Month

10K

Pro/Month

1M

Enterprise/Month

Capabilities

Key features. Everything you need to protect your infrastructure and users.

Per-Minute Limits

Burst limits to ensure fair usage and system stability.

Monthly Quotas

Total request allowance that resets monthly.

Rate Headers

Track the per-minute burst with X-RateLimit-* and the monthly quota with X-Monthly-* response headers.

Usage Dashboard

Monitor your usage in real-time from the dashboard.

429 Handling

Graceful error handling with retry-after guidance.

Custom Limits

Enterprise customers can request custom limits.

Applications

Use cases. How security teams use this tool.

Usage Monitoring

Track remaining quota to avoid unexpected limits.

Request Batching

Use bulk API to maximize efficiency.

Caching Strategy

Cache responses to reduce API calls.

Plan Selection

Choose the right plan for your volume.

Understanding API Rate Limits

Rate limits protect our infrastructure and ensure fair access for all users. We implement both per-minute burst limits and monthly quotas. Burst limits prevent any single user from overwhelming the system during peak usage, while monthly quotas align with subscription tiers. Understanding these limits helps you architect your integration for reliable operation under all conditions.

Monitoring Your API Usage

Every API response includes X-RateLimit headers for the per-minute burst: X-RateLimit-Limit is the burst allowance, X-RateLimit-Remaining what is left of it, and X-RateLimit-Reset when the window resets (in milliseconds since the Unix epoch). Responses that count against your monthly quota also carry X-Monthly-Usage, X-Monthly-Limit and X-Monthly-Percentage; that quota resets on the 1st at 00:00 UTC. Your dashboard provides historical usage graphs and alerts when approaching limits.

Handling Rate Limit Errors

When you exceed a limit, the API returns 429 Too Many Requests with a Retry-After header. A per-minute (burst) 429 clears within the minute: wait Retry-After seconds, then resume with backoff — the TypeScript SDK does this for you, up to its retries option. A monthly-quota 429 only clears on the 1st of next month at 00:00 UTC, so retrying before then spends nothing but time: stop, surface the error, and read the reset date and the upgrade options in the response body.

Tuning API Consumption

Reduce API calls by caching responses for frequently-queried entities, using bulk endpoints instead of multiple single lookups, and requesting only the data fields you need. Consider implementing local blocklists for known-malicious indicators to avoid redundant API calls. Enterprise customers can request custom rate limits tailored to their specific workload patterns.

Support

Frequently asked questions.

What are the rate limits per plan?

Free: 50/month, 60/minute. Pro: 10,000/month, 60/minute. Enterprise: 1,000,000/month, 5,000/minute.

How do I know my current usage?

Two sets of headers. X-RateLimit-Limit, X-RateLimit-Remaining and X-RateLimit-Reset describe the per-minute burst (Reset is in milliseconds since the Unix epoch). X-Monthly-Usage, X-Monthly-Limit and X-Monthly-Percentage describe the monthly quota, which resets on the 1st at 00:00 UTC. The dashboard shows the same monthly count.

What happens if I exceed the limit?

You'll receive a 429 Too Many Requests response. For a per-minute (burst) 429, wait the number of seconds in Retry-After, then resume with backoff. For a monthly-quota 429, do not retry: the quota resets on the 1st of next month at 00:00 UTC (Retry-After counts down to it), and X-Monthly-Usage / X-Monthly-Limit show where you stand.

Can I request a rate limit increase?

Enterprise customers can request custom rate limits. Contact contact@ismalicious.com to discuss your needs.
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