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Rate Limits

To ensure fair usage and maintain service quality, ExplainThis implements rate limiting on API requests. Limits vary based on your subscription plan.

Free

  • Requests per minute:10
  • Requests per day:100
  • Code size limit:10KB
  • Batch requests:No

Pro

  • Requests per minute:60
  • Requests per day:1,000
  • Code size limit:100KB
  • Batch requests:Yes (up to 10)

Enterprise

  • Requests per minute:Custom
  • Requests per day:Custom
  • Code size limit:Custom
  • Batch requests:Yes (custom)

Rate Limit Headers

Monitor your rate limits using response headers:

  • X-RateLimit-Limit: Total requests allowed
  • X-RateLimit-Remaining: Requests remaining
  • X-RateLimit-Reset: Time until limit resets

Rate Limit Best Practices

Implement Retries

When rate limited, implement exponential backoff with retries. Start with a 1-second delay and double it for each retry.

Cache Responses

Cache API responses when possible to reduce the number of requests. Consider implementing local caching for frequently accessed explanations.

Rate Limit Response

When you exceed the rate limit, the API returns a 429 status code with details about when you can retry:

{
  "error": {
    "code": "rate_limit_exceeded",
    "message": "Rate limit exceeded. Please try again in 60 seconds.",
    "reset_at": "2024-03-15T10:00:00Z"
  }
}

Increasing Rate Limits

If you need higher rate limits:

  • Upgrade to a higher tier plan
  • Contact us for custom enterprise limits
  • Consider implementing request batching
  • Optimize your code analysis patterns