How do API rate limits work?

[JeremiahFitbit]

You can make 150 API requests per hour for each user that has authorized your application to access their data. The counter resets at the top of the hour. Because the rate limit is a per user limit, the total number of users does not affect your application's overall ability to use the API.

More information about the rate limit (headers, client-only request limit, response code) can be found in the Fitbit API rate limit documentation.

[ejain]

Is the rate limit per user, or per user and app? I just got a 429 when trying to access a user's data for the first time in weeks.

[SunsetRunner]

It depends on if you are using client only credentials or client+viewer credentials.

(If you only send oauth consumer key, then its client only. If you send both oauth consumer key and token, its client+viewer).

The client and client+viewer are separate rate limits. Rate limits are per app and per user (if client+viewer).

[JeremiahFitbit]

---

@ejain wrote:
Is the rate limit per user, or per user and app? I just got a 429 when trying to access a user's data for the first time in weeks.

---

There is both a client rate limit and a client+viewer rate limit (requests signed with your client credentials and user access token). See the documentation for full details.

[ejain]

Should add that I'm able to do requests on behalf of one user, but get 429 for another user. The only explanation I could think of is that there is not just a per app and user (or per app) rate limit, but also a per user rate limit that could affect users who have authorized several apps... The resource I'm requesting is https://api.fitbit.com/1/user/-/devices.json.

[SunsetRunner]

The rate limit is not shared by different apps. It is certainly possible for you to be able to make requests for one user of your app and get 429 (rate limit exceeded) for another user of your app.

If you private message me your application consumer key, I can take a look for you.

[ejain]

Thanks for the clarifications; looks like I was doing more requests than I thought I was, so the rate limiting is working as advertised.

[kshama]

Hi Dan,

I am facing the same issue of rate access limit. If you can share your private mail-id then I can explain the use case properly. 

Regards,

Kshama

[SunsetRunner]

You can private message me here by clicking on my name to the left of this post and then the "send this user a private message" link on the following page.

[anpham]

Hi Dan,

I can not send you private message as you tell.

Now I meet same above problem - limit 150 API requests per hour for each user.

Please help me to solve this problem

Thanks