ratelimit
API rate limit decorator
Decision gist · record as of 2026-08-14
Yes, with caution. The package is simple, stable, and solves a real problem for API-heavy applications. However, the lack of updates since 2018-12-17 is a significant concern—verify compatibility with your Python version before relying on it in production. For straightforward rate-limiting needs, this remains functional.AI-flagged interpretation of the facts on this page — verify before relying
Before you install
- No runtime dependencies, but requires an external HTTP library (e.g.
- requests) for the decorated function to work.
- High install friction; the package has not been updated since 2018-12-17, over 2797 days ago.
License · maintenance · safety
MIT (permissive) — MIT license is permissive; you can use, modify, and distribute this package freely with minimal restrictions, though you must include the license notice.
last release 2018-12-17 (2797 days) · last repo commit 2026-04-13 · 831 stars
0 known vulnerabilities (OSV.dev, 2026-08-14) · 12,749,177 downloads/mo, #1,307 on PyPI
Alternatives
Verify before relying
pip install ratelimit
from ratelimit import limits
FIFTEEN_MINUTES = 900
@limits(calls=15, period=FIFTEEN_MINUTES)
def call_api(url):
response = requests.get(url)
return response- Compatibility with current Python versions (requires_python is unspecified)
- Whether the package works correctly with modern async frameworks
- Active community support or response time for bug reports given the 2018 release date
What it is and what it does
ratelimit is a simple decorator-based rate limiter for Python functions that make API calls. It enforces a maximum number of function invocations within a specified time period (defaulting to 15 minutes), raising a RateLimitException when the quota is exceeded. This helps prevent applications from violating API provider rate limits and getting banned.
The package provides two strategies for handling rate-limit violations: raising an exception (which you can catch and retry), or using the sleep_and_retry decorator to automatically pause the current thread until the time window resets before retrying. It has no runtime dependencies and works by wrapping any function with a simple @limits(calls=N, period=seconds) decorator.
Use it for
- Wrap API client functions to enforce a 15 minute rate limit or any custom quota without manual tracking
- Combine with retry logic to implement automatic retry when rate limits are hit
- Ensure background jobs or data-sync tasks respect API provider rate limits without explicit delay management
- Protect against accidental API abuse by adding a decorator to functions that call rate-limited endpoints
Worth the install?
AI-flagged interpretation of the facts on this page. Verify before relying on it.
Yes, with caution.
The package is simple, stable, and solves a real problem for API-heavy applications. However, the lack of updates since 2018-12-17 is a significant concern—verify compatibility with your Python version before relying on it in production. For straightforward rate-limiting needs, this remains functional.
Install
ratelimit on PyPI
Before you install
High install friction; the package has not been updated since 2018-12-17, over 2797 days ago. While the repository remains active and marked stable, the age of the latest release may indicate limited responsiveness to compatibility issues.
No runtime dependencies, but requires an external HTTP library (e.g. requests) for the decorated function to work.
License in practice
MIT license is permissive; you can use, modify, and distribute this package freely with minimal restrictions, though you must include the license notice.
Quickstart
pip install ratelimit
from ratelimit import limits
FIFTEEN_MINUTES = 900
@limits(calls=15, period=FIFTEEN_MINUTES)
def call_api(url):
response = requests.get(url)
return responseVerify before relying
- Compatibility with current Python versions (requires_python is unspecified)
- Whether the package works correctly with modern async frameworks
- Active community support or response time for bug reports given the 2018 release date
Package facts
| License | MIT permissive |
| Python support | Not specified |
| Install friction | High. Source build required |
| Runtime dependencies | None |
| Maintenance | Actively maintained 2,797 days since the last release |
| Last repo commit | |
| First released | |
| Downloads | 12,749,177 / month, #1,307 on PyPI 30-day window, as of 2026-08-14 |
| Known vulnerabilities | None known OSV.dev, checked 2026-08-14 |
| Classifiers | Development Status :: 5 - Production/StableIntended Audience :: DevelopersLicense :: OSI Approved :: MIT LicenseNatural Language :: EnglishProgramming Language :: PythonTopic :: Software Development |
Evidence: ratelimit-2.2.1.tar.gz
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See also django-ratelimit · ratelim · python-redis-rate-limit · ratelimiter · throttled-py · slowapi · upstash-ratelimit · throttler · asynciolimiter · Flask-Limiter