Overview
Rate limiting restricts the number of API calls a user can make to a service within a specific timeframe. This protects against attacks and prevents any user or group from monopolizing bandwidth. EasyPost implements rate limiting not only to safeguard its system but also to protect carrier partners from an overload of requests.
For example, EasyPost enforces a rate limit of five requests per second across Index endpoints; exceeding this limit triggers a 429 HTTP Error, signaling “Too Many Requests.”
This article provides a high-level overview of how rate limiting works. For implementation details and retry logic examples, refer to the Rate Limiting and Backoff Guide.
Rate Limiting Behavior
429 Too Many Requests
A 429 response indicates that request volume has exceeded the allowed threshold.
Applications interacting with the EasyPost API should implement retry logic and backoff to handle temporary rate limits appropriately.
Detailed retry guidance is available in the Rate Limiting and Backoff Guide.
Carrier Account Limit for Rating
To maintain reliable performance during rating operations, EasyPost enforces a limit of 60 carrier accounts per rating request.
If more than 60 carrier accounts are provided or enabled:
- The request does NOT fail
- Rating is performed using up to the first 60 carrier accounts.
Full technical details are documented in the Rate Limiting and Backoff Guide.