Rate Limiting
How usage limits and metering work in the Voidnet.
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
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
A 429 response looks like:
{
"error": {
"code": "rate_limit_exceeded",
"message": "Rate limit exceeded: too many requests per minute",
"status": 429
}
}{
"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
| 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
- Implement exponential backoff — on a
429, wait before retrying. Start at 1 second, double each attempt. - Track usage in the Console — the Usage page shows remaining meter quota per app so you can anticipate limits.
- Distribute across keys — for high-volume applications, use multiple API keys to spread load.
- Upgrade your tier — if you consistently hit limits, a paid tier from the publisher gives a higher meter.