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: QuestDB
providerId: questdb
created: '2026-05-08'
# Provenance stamped 2026-08-11: this artifact was written by the API Evangelist
# bulk sweep dated 2026-05-08, not harvested from the provider. See roadmap#35.
method: generated
modified: '2026-05-08'
reconciled: false
tags:
- Database
- Time-Series
- SQL
- Open Source
- Performance
- Rate Limiting
- Quotas
- Throttling
description: >-
  QuestDB does not enforce a managed-service-style request quota. As a
  self-hosted database, the relevant limits are operational: max concurrent
  HTTP/PG connections, ILP TCP buffer/queue depth, query timeouts, and
  per-server CPU/IO budgets. Limits are configurable via server.conf.
notes: >-
  Numeric limits are deployment-specific. Reasonable defaults are listed; tune
  via http.* / pg.* / line.tcp.* / cairo.* settings in server.conf.
sources:
- https://questdb.com/docs/operations/capacity-planning/
- https://questdb.com/docs/operations/multiple-databases/
- https://questdb.com/docs/concept/storage-model/
responseCodes:
  busy: 503
limits:
- name: HTTP REST default workers
  scope: server
  metric: workers
  limit: see http.worker.count in server.conf
  notes: Default tuned to host CPU; controls request concurrency on port 9000.
- name: Postgres wire connections
  scope: server
  metric: connections
  limit: see pg.net.connection.limit in server.conf
  notes: Default 64 connections on port 8812.
- name: ILP TCP connections
  scope: server
  metric: connections
  limit: see line.tcp.net.connection.limit in server.conf
  notes: Default 256 ILP TCP connections on port 9009.
- name: Query timeout
  scope: server
  metric: ms
  limit: see query.timeout.sec in server.conf
  notes: Long-running queries are terminated server-side.
policies:
- name: Backoff Strategy
  description: ILP HTTP clients should retry on 5xx with exponential backoff; ILP TCP clients should buffer and reconnect on disconnect.
- name: Capacity Planning
  description: Size workers, RAM and disks per QuestDB capacity-planning guide; no managed throttling.
maintainers:
- FN: Kin Lane
  email: kin@apievangelist.com