# Rate Limiting (/docs/buyer-guide/rate-limiting)



The Voidnet enforces usage limits so that no single buyer or key can overload the system or a publisher's server, and so publishers can offer free and paid tiers with monthly quotas.

## Limits [#limits]

Your request volume is capped in two ways:

* **Rate limit** — a per-minute and per-day cap on how fast you can send requests. Exceeding it returns `429 rate_limit_exceeded`.
* **Meter limit** — a monthly quota on total requests per app. Defined by the publisher per tier. Exceeding it returns `429 meter_limit_exceeded`. Meters reset on a rolling 30-day window from your purchase date.

When a billing period ends, the gateway returns `429 meter_expired` until the meter resets.

## What happens when you hit a limit [#what-happens-when-you-hit-a-limit]

A `429` response looks like:

```json
{
  "error": {
    "code": "rate_limit_exceeded",
    "message": "Rate limit exceeded: too many requests per minute",
    "status": 429
  }
}
```

```json
{
  "error": {
    "code": "meter_limit_exceeded",
    "message": "Monthly meter limit exceeded",
    "status": 429
  }
}
```

There are no `X-RateLimit-*` response headers. Track your usage and remaining quota in the Console under **Usage**.

## Meter limits by tier [#meter-limits-by-tier]

| Tier | Typical monthly meter             | Purpose              |
| ---- | --------------------------------- | -------------------- |
| Free | 1,000 requests                    | Trial and evaluation |
| Paid | Set by publisher (often 100,000+) | Production usage     |

Publishers configure these limits when they set up an app's tiers. To see an app's limits, check its marketplace page.

## Best practices [#best-practices]

1. **Implement exponential backoff** — on a `429`, wait before retrying. Start at 1 second, double each attempt.
2. **Track usage in the Console** — the **Usage** page shows remaining meter quota per app so you can anticipate limits.
3. **Distribute across keys** — for high-volume applications, use multiple API keys to spread load.
4. **Upgrade your tier** — if you consistently hit limits, a paid tier from the publisher gives a higher meter.