What is Rate limiter? Advantages of using Rate Limiter? Limitations of Rate limiting?

 A rate limiter is a mechanism used to control the rate at which requests are sent to a server or an API (Application Programming Interface). It is used to prevent abuse, misuse, or excessive use of a system's resources, and to ensure that a system is able to provide consistent and reliable service to its users.

 The main advantages of using rate limiting include: 

Preventing abuse: Rate limiting can help prevent malicious attacks or excessive use of a system's resources, such as a Denial of Service (DoS) attack or brute force login attempts.

Ensuring service availability: By limiting the rate of incoming requests, rate limiting can help ensure that a system is able to provide consistent and reliable service to its users, even during periods of high traffic. 

Managing costs: Rate limiting can help manage costs by limiting the use of expensive resources, such as processing power, network bandwidth, or database queries. 

However, there are also some limitations to rate limiting: 

Complexity: Implementing rate limiting can be complex, especially for systems with multiple APIs or complex business logic. 

Overhead: Rate limiting can add overhead to a system, requiring additional processing power or network resources to manage incoming requests. 

False positives: Rate limiting can sometimes incorrectly block legitimate requests, resulting in a poor user experience or lost business.

In summary, rate limiting is a powerful tool for preventing abuse, managing costs, and ensuring service availability. However, it requires careful implementation and management to ensure that it is effective and does not negatively impact the user experience.