Rate Limiter Designer Skill

Overview

This skill designs and implements rate limiting strategies including token bucket, sliding window, and quota systems to protect APIs while providing fair access.

Capabilities

Implement token bucket and leaky bucket algorithms
Configure per-key and per-user limits
Design quota and usage systems
Generate rate limit HTTP headers
Implement distributed rate limiting
Configure burst allowances
Design rate limit tiers
Handle rate limit exceeded responses

Target Processes

Platform API Gateway Design
Authentication and Authorization Patterns
Developer Portal Implementation

Integration Points

Redis for distributed state
Rate limiting middleware
API gateway plugins
CDN rate limiting
Database-backed quotas

Input Requirements

Rate limit requirements
Tier definitions
Burst allowances
Distribution strategy
Header conventions

Output Artifacts

Rate limiting implementation
Quota management system
Rate limit headers
Tier configuration
Admin management API
Usage tracking

Usage Example

skill:
  name: rate-limiter-designer
  context:
    algorithm: sliding-window
    storage: redis
    tiers:
      - name: free
        requests: 100
        window: 1h
        burst: 10
      - name: pro
        requests: 10000
        window: 1h
        burst: 100
    headers:
      limit: X-RateLimit-Limit
      remaining: X-RateLimit-Remaining
      reset: X-RateLimit-Reset
    responses:
      exceeded:
        status: 429
        retryAfter: true

Best Practices

Use sliding window for accuracy
Include burst allowances
Return standard rate limit headers
Provide clear Retry-After values
Implement distributed limiting
Design fair quota systems