Rate Limiter

---
name: rate-limiter
description: Generate rate limiting configurations using AI. Use when protecting APIs from abuse.
---

# Rate Limiter Generator

Describe your rate limiting needs. Get production-ready config for express-rate-limit, Redis-backed limiters, or custom implementations. Protect your API without reading documentation.

**One command. Zero config. Just works.**

## Quick Start

```bash
npx ai-rate-limit "100 requests per minute per user"
```

## What It Does

- Generates rate limiting middleware and configuration
- Supports in-memory, Redis, and database-backed stores
- Creates tiered limits for different user types
- Handles API key and IP-based limiting
- Includes proper rate limit headers in responses

## Usage Examples

```bash
# Simple IP-based limiting
npx ai-rate-limit "60 requests per minute per IP"

# User tier-based limits
npx ai-rate-limit "free users 100/hour, pro users 1000/hour"

# Redis-backed for distributed systems
npx ai-rate-limit "500 requests per minute" --store redis

# Endpoint-specific limits
npx ai-rate-limit "10 login attempts per 15 minutes"

# With sliding window
npx ai-rate-limit "1000/day sliding window" --algorithm sliding
```

## Best Practices

- **Start generous, tighten later** - Don't frustrate real users while blocking abuse
- **Different limits for different endpoints** - Login pages need stricter limits than read endpoints
- **Return proper headers** - X-RateLimit-Remaining helps clients behave
- **Use Redis in production** - In-memory limits don't work across multiple servers

## When to Use This

- Launching an API and need basic protection
- Getting hit by scrapers or brute force attempts
- Implementing tiered pricing with usage limits
- Adding rate limits to specific expensive operations

## Part of the LXGIC Dev Toolkit

This is one of 110+ free developer tools built by LXGIC Studios. No paywalls, no sign-ups, no API keys on free tiers. Just tools that work.

**Find more:**
- GitHub: https://github.com/LXGIC-Studios
- Twitter: https://x.com/lxgicstudios
- Substack: https://lxgicstudios.substack.com
- Website: https://lxgic.dev

## Requirements

No install needed. Just run with npx. Node.js 18+ recommended.

```bash
npx ai-rate-limit --help
```

## How It Works

The tool parses your rate limit description to extract limits, windows, and key strategies. It generates appropriate middleware configuration and optionally the backing store setup for your chosen storage method.

## License

MIT. Free forever. Use it however you want.