name: Encord Rate Limits
description: >
  Encord's REST API and Python SDK do not publish specific numeric rate limits
  in their public documentation. The API uses SSH private key or service
  account authentication. Encord operates separate API endpoints for UK
  and US regions. Rate limit details for higher-volume or enterprise usage
  are negotiated as part of Enterprise agreements. The information below
  reflects what is publicly documented as of June 2026.
specificationVersion: "0.1"
url: https://docs.encord.com/

limits:
  - scope: REST API (UK region)
    endpoint: https://api.encord.com/public
    limitType: request
    description: >
      Default rate limits for the Encord REST API (UK endpoint). Specific
      numeric limits are not publicly disclosed. Enterprise customers may
      request higher throughput via their account agreement.
    limit: not-publicly-disclosed
    period: per-minute
    notes: Contact Encord support for confirmed rate limit figures.

  - scope: REST API (US region)
    endpoint: https://api.us.encord.com/public
    limitType: request
    description: >
      US-region API endpoint for customers who registered accounts on the
      US deployment. Requires explicit domain parameter in SDK authentication
      calls: domain="https://api.us.encord.com". Same rate limit policy as
      UK endpoint; specifics not publicly documented.
    limit: not-publicly-disclosed
    period: per-minute
    notes: >
      US customers must pass domain="https://api.us.encord.com" to
      EncordUserClient.create_with_ssh_private_key() and all authentication
      calls.

  - scope: Python SDK
    endpoint: https://pypi.org/project/encord/
    limitType: concurrency
    description: >
      The Python SDK (encord package) wraps the REST API and is subject to
      the same underlying rate limits. Bulk operations such as
      get_storage_items() and find_storage_items() include pagination
      parameters to manage large result sets without exceeding request limits.
    limit: not-publicly-disclosed
    period: per-minute

authentication:
  - method: SSH private key
    description: >
      Primary authentication method. Users generate an SSH key pair, register
      the public key on the Encord platform, and use the private key path
      with EncordUserClient.create_with_ssh_private_key(). Private keys
      must not be password-protected.
  - method: Service account credentials
    description: >
      Service account authentication is supported for automated and
      programmatic access scenarios. Credentials are managed via the
      Encord platform under Access Keys settings.