---
id: ratelimiter
version: "1.2.0.post0"
license: Apache
license_treatment: permissive
maintenance: abandoned
---

# ratelimiter — Simple python rate limiting object

License: permissive · Maintenance: abandoned · Downloads: 556.1K/mo

## What it is and what it does

RateLimiter is a lightweight Python module that enforces rate limiting on function calls and operations. It lets you specify a maximum number of calls allowed within a given time period, then automatically throttles execution to stay within that limit—useful when integrating with third-party APIs that impose request quotas.

The package supports three usage patterns: as a decorator on functions, as a context manager for wrapping code blocks, and as an async context manager for asyncio code. It can also invoke a callback (either a regular function or coroutine) when rate limiting occurs. Since the package has no runtime dependencies, installation is frictionless, but it has been archived and unmaintained since 2017-12-12.

Use it for:

- Throttle API requests to respect rate limits imposed by external services (e.g., 10 requests per second).
- Wrap database queries or I/O operations to prevent overwhelming a resource-constrained backend.
- Decorate async functions in asyncio applications to enforce call frequency limits without blocking the event loop.
- Implement backoff callbacks that log or notify when rate limiting is triggered, for monitoring and debugging.

## Worth the install?

AI-flagged interpretation of the facts above — verify before relying.

Enforces rate limiting on function calls and operations, supporting decorator, context manager, and async patterns to throttle execution to a maximum number of calls within a specified time period.

Yes, if you need simple rate limiting and can accept an unmaintained package. The code is stable and has no known vulnerabilities, but you should verify compatibility with your Python version and test thoroughly before relying on it in production. Consider alternatives if you need ongoing maintenance or support.

## Install

pip install ratelimiter
uv add ratelimiter
poetry add ratelimiter

## Installing ratelimiter

Before you install: Installation is straightforward with no runtime dependencies. However, the package is archived and unmaintained since its latest release on 2017-12-12, with no updates since then—use only if you accept that bugs or compatibility issues will not be addressed.

License in practice: Licensed under Apache (permissive), allowing commercial and private use with minimal restrictions; you must include a copy of the license and state significant changes.

Quickstart:

from ratelimiter import RateLimiter

@RateLimiter(max_calls=10, period=1)
def do_something():
    pass

do_something()

Verify before relying:

- Whether the package works reliably with modern Python versions (requires_python is unspecified in metadata).
- Whether asyncio support remains functional on current Python releases given the age of the codebase.

## Package facts

- License: Apache (permissive)
- Python support: unspecified
- Install friction: low
- Maintenance: abandoned
- Downloads: 556.1K/month (top 15,000 on PyPI)
- Known vulnerabilities: none known

## Tags

rate limiting decorator, throttle function calls, api rate limiter, max calls per second, request throttling, async rate limiting, call frequency control, throttling, api-integration, async-support

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