What Rate Limiting Is
Rate Limiting controls how many requests a client can make within a period of time. It protects your applications against abuse, brute-force attacks, excessive scraping, and ensures fair availability for every user.
Imagine an all-you-can-eat buffet with a rule: a maximum of 3 trips to the counter per hour. Anyone who tries 10 times gets stopped. Rate Limiting works the same way: it defines a request limit per period, and whoever exceeds it gets blocked or challenged.