Skip to content

Rate limits#

The BSR enforces rate limits to prevent abuse and ensure availability for all users.

Where rate limits apply#

Public BSR (buf.build)#

All users accessing the public BSR are subject to rate limits. Rate limits apply to all traffic against the public BSR (buf.build), including Community, Teams, Pro, and Enterprise plan users.

Pro and Enterprise instances#

Pro and Enterprise customers have access to dedicated instances without rate limits. We encourage these users to use their dedicated instances for production workloads.

Limits#

Note: Burst capacity allows you to make multiple requests quickly, then wait for your rate limit to replenish.

General API requests#

All Connect services have a default rate limit:

  • Limit: 30 requests per second
  • Burst: 60 requests

Code generation#

Unauthenticated requests#

  • Limit: 10 requests per hour
  • Burst: 10 requests

Authenticated requests#

  • Limit: 960 requests per hour
  • Burst: 120 requests

Buf CLI usage#

Each buf generate command that uses remote plugins counts as one request, with a maximum of 20 plugins per request.

Examples:

  • buf.gen.yaml with 15 remote plugins = 1 request
  • buf.gen.yaml with 22 remote plugins = Request rejected

FileDescriptorSetService#

  • Limit: 1 request per second
  • Burst: 2 requests
  • Authentication: Required (unauthenticated requests rejected)

Monitoring your rate limit#

Check these response headers to monitor your current rate limit status:

Header Description
X-RateLimit-Limit Total requests allowed in the current time window
X-RateLimit-Remaining Remaining requests in the current time window
X-RateLimit-Reset Seconds until the rate limit window resets
Retry-After When rate limited, seconds to wait before retrying

Exceeding the rate limit#

Requests that exceed a rate limit return HTTP status code 429 with X-RateLimit-Remaining set to 0. Wait for the number of seconds specified in the Retry-After header before retrying.

Increasing your rate limit#

  1. Authenticate your requests - Increases rate limits for certain services.
  2. Upgrade to Pro or Enterprise - Access dedicated instances without rate limits.
  3. Contact us if you believe you're hitting limits inappropriately.

For questions about rate limits or to discuss your specific needs, contact us.