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: Aptos
providerId: aptos
created: '2026-06-13'
modified: '2026-06-13'
reconciled: true
tags:
  - Blockchain
  - Web3
  - Move
  - Layer 1
  - Rate Limiting
description: >-
  Aptos Labs provides limited anonymous access to the Fullnode REST, Indexer GraphQL, and
  Transaction Stream APIs on a per-IP basis without an API key. Authenticated access via a
  Geomi API key grants significantly higher limits, metered in compute units (CU). A deprecated
  per-5-minute CU system limit has been replaced with granular HTTP-level request limits that
  vary by subscription status (no payment method vs. payment method attached). Throttled
  requests receive HTTP 429 responses.
sources:
  - https://aptos.dev/en/build/apis
  - https://geomi.dev/docs/admin/billing
  - https://geomi.dev/pricing
responseCodes:
  throttled: 429
limits:
  - name: Anonymous per-IP access
    scope: ip_address
    metric: requests_per_period
    limit: -1
    notes: >-
      Aptos Labs provides limited free access without an API key, throttled per source IP.
      Exact per-minute or per-second caps are not published; meaningfully lower than
      authenticated access.
  - name: Geomi free tier (no payment method) — compute units
    scope: api_key
    metric: compute_units_per_month
    limit: -1
    notes: >-
      Organizations without a payment method receive $10/month in free CU credits. Service
      pauses when the monthly credit is exhausted. Exact CU-per-request values vary by
      endpoint type.
  - name: Geomi paid tier (payment method attached) — compute units
    scope: api_key
    metric: compute_units_per_month
    limit: -1
    notes: >-
      Organizations with a payment method receive $100/month in free CU credits and then pay
      overages at $0.0012059575 per 1,000 CU. No hard cap; scaled to budget.
  - name: System HTTP rate limit (no payment method)
    scope: api_key
    metric: requests_per_period
    limit: -1
    notes: >-
      HTTP request rate limits exist per 5-minute window for organizations without a payment
      method. Specific numbers are tier-specific and set by Geomi admins; not publicly
      documented.
  - name: System HTTP rate limit (payment method attached)
    scope: api_key
    metric: requests_per_period
    limit: -1
    notes: >-
      Higher default HTTP rate limits apply when a payment method is attached. Organizations
      may receive custom limit bumps from Geomi admins.
policies:
  - name: API Key Authentication
    description: >-
      Obtain an API key from geomi.dev to authenticate requests with significantly higher
      limits than anonymous per-IP access. Pass key in request headers as documented.
  - name: Exponential Backoff on 429
    description: >-
      On HTTP 429 responses, apply exponential backoff with jitter before retrying. Respect
      any Retry-After header value returned by the server.
  - name: Compute Unit Budgeting
    description: >-
      Monitor CU consumption via the Geomi real-time dashboard. Set budget alerts to avoid
      unexpected service interruption at free-tier limits or unexpected overage charges.
  - name: Self-Hosting Option
    description: >-
      For workloads requiring very high throughput, operators can self-host the Aptos fullnode
      and indexer to avoid shared rate limits entirely.
  - name: SDK Rate Limit Handling
    description: >-
      The official Aptos TypeScript SDK automatically handles rate limits when accessing the
      Indexer API. Prefer SDK usage over raw HTTP for built-in retry logic.
maintainers:
  - FN: Kin Lane
    email: kin@apievangelist.com