Rate limit

In computing, especially in networking, rate limiting means controlling how many operations can be performed in a given amount of time, usually to avoid overloading the system and causing performance degredation. For example, a server might limit the number of requests it will accept from a single client in a given time period, which not only optimizes the server's overall performance but also mitigates attacks like DoS attack.

Rate limiting is typically synonymous with throttling, although debouncing is another viable strategy which provides better semantics and user experience in certain cases.