# Handle rate limits (https://developer.godaddy.com/en/docs/api-users/rate-limits)



## Overview

The Domains API enforces a per-credential, windowed rate limit. The `RateLimit-Remaining` header on every response shows how many requests remain in the current window. When it reaches 0, the next request returns `HTTP 429` with no response body. The limit applies per [credential](https://developer.godaddy.com/docs/api-users/auth) regardless of which endpoint you call.

<Callout variant="warning">
  Specific limit values are subject to change without notice. Your integration should read `RateLimit-Remaining` from response headers rather than assume a fixed number.
</Callout>

## Rate limit response headers

The following headers are included on **every** response to a rate-limited route — not just 429s — so your client can track current usage without waiting for a rejection.

| Header                | Description                                   |
| --------------------- | --------------------------------------------- |
| `RateLimit-Limit`     | The limit that applies to the current request |
| `RateLimit-Remaining` | Requests remaining in the current window      |
| `RateLimit-Reset`     | Seconds until the current window resets       |

Example 429 response:

```
HTTP/2 429
ratelimit-limit: 600
ratelimit-remaining: 0
ratelimit-reset: 1399
```

## Handling 429 in code

Read `RateLimit-Reset` to know how long to wait before retrying. For long-running clients, add exponential backoff with jitter on top of the server-suggested wait. The following is an example of how to do this in JavaScript:

```js
async function callWithRetry(url, headers, attempts = 5) {
  for (let attempt = 0; attempt < attempts; attempt++) {
    const res = await fetch(url, { headers });
    if (res.status !== 429) return res;

    const resetSec = parseInt(res.headers.get("ratelimit-reset") ?? "30", 10);
    const jitter = Math.floor(Math.random() * 1000);
    await new Promise((r) => setTimeout(r, resetSec * 1000 + jitter));
  }
  throw new Error("Rate limit retries exhausted");
}
```

## Strategies to stay under the limit

To avoid hitting the limit, apply one or more of the following strategies:

* **Use bulk operations where they exist.** For single-domain availability checks, use `GET /v3/domains/check-availability` (preferred). For bulk availability, `POST /v1/domains/available` accepts an array of names — one request can replace dozens of single-domain calls.
* **Cache availability results when appropriate (v1 only).** The `definitive` field on `DomainAvailableResponse` indicates whether the answer came from a live registry call or a cached one. Cache `definitive: false` results briefly client-side for repeat lookups.
* **Use cursor pagination, not parallel page-walks.** Go to [Pagination](https://developer.godaddy.com/docs/api-users/pagination) for more information.
* **Spread bursts across credentials only when each credential maps to a distinct logical caller.** Sharing one credential across many hosts and counting on the limit being per-credential is fragile — limits can be tightened to per-account at any time.

## Higher limits

If you have a use case that legitimately needs higher limits than those currently enforced, contact the developer support channel. Document the use case, expected sustained rate, and bursts.

## Additional information

Go to [Retry semantics](https://developer.godaddy.com/docs/api-users/errors#retry-semantics) for full retry guidance.