specification: API Commons Rate Limits
specificationVersion: '0.1'
schema: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/api-evangelist/interface-research/main/schema/api-commons.yml#/$defs/RateLimits
provider: 46elks
providerId: 46elks
created: '2026-07-01'
modified: '2026-07-01'
reconciled: false
tags:
- CPaaS
- SMS
- MMS
- Voice
- Rate Limiting
- Quotas
- Throttling
description: >-
  46elks does not publish fixed public request-per-second quotas for its HTTP API.
  In practice throughput is governed by carrier and operator constraints on SMS and
  voice delivery, by your prepaid account balance, and by anti-abuse controls. High
  volume senders are onboarded and rate-shaped with 46elks support. Specific numeric
  limits are not reconciled in this artifact.
notes: >-
  Confirm concurrency and send-rate expectations directly with 46elks support when
  planning bulk SMS or high call concurrency; limits are account- and destination-
  specific rather than a single documented number.
sources:
- https://46elks.com/docs
- https://46elks.com/kb
responseCodes:
  throttled: 429
limits:
- name: SMS Send Rate
  scope: account
  metric: messages
  limit: see provider support
  notes: Effective throughput is shaped by operator/carrier limits and account standing.
- name: Voice Call Concurrency
  scope: account
  metric: concurrent_calls
  limit: see provider support
  notes: Governed by allocated call channels; extra channels can be rented per month.
- name: API Requests
  scope: account
  metric: requests
  limit: see provider support
  notes: No fixed public RPS documented; abusive traffic is throttled.
- name: Account Balance
  scope: account
  metric: balance
  limit: prepaid
  notes: Sending stops when the prepaid balance is exhausted.
policies:
- name: Prepaid Gating
  description: Usage is gated by the prepaid account balance rather than a hard rate cap.
- name: Backoff Strategy
  description: Clients should implement retries with exponential backoff and honor Retry-After on 429.
- name: Volume Onboarding
  description: High-volume messaging and calling is arranged with 46elks support for capacity and deliverability.
maintainers:
- FN: Kin Lane
  email: kin@apievangelist.com