API Rate Limits and Pagination
Learn why APIs limit your requests, how to handle rate limiting gracefully, and how to work with paginated data.
You've learned how to make API requests, authenticate them, and work with JSON data. Now we need to talk about two realities that every API consumer faces: you can't make unlimited requests, and APIs don't send unlimited data.
Rate limits control how fast you can call an API. Pagination controls how much data comes back at once. Both exist for good reasons, and knowing how to work with them separates beginners from people who build reliable software.
Why Rate Limits Exist
Imagine you own a restaurant. A customer walks in and orders 10,000 meals per minute. Even if they're paying for every one, your kitchen would collapse. Other customers would get nothing.
That's what happens when an API has no rate limits. One misbehaving client (or one infinite loop in your code) can overwhelm th
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