Rate Limits

Understand API rate limits and how to handle them gracefully.

Overview

The YourSend API enforces rate limits to ensure fair usage and system stability. Limits are applied per API key and vary by plan.

Rate Limits by Plan

PlanRequests/secondRequests/day
Starter10/s10,000
Growth50/s100,000
Scale200/s1,000,000

Response Headers

Every API response includes rate limit headers:

HeaderDescription
X-RateLimit-LimitMaximum requests per window
X-RateLimit-RemainingRemaining requests in current window
X-RateLimit-ResetUnix timestamp when the window resets
Retry-AfterSeconds to wait (only on 429 responses)

Handling Rate Limits

When you exceed the rate limit, the API returns a 429 Too Many Requests response. Best practices:

  • Implement exponential backoff — Wait progressively longer between retries.
  • Check the Retry-After header — It tells you exactly how long to wait.
  • Queue messages — For blast campaigns, use the dashboard which handles batching automatically.
  • Upgrade your plan — If you consistently hit limits, consider upgrading for higher throughput.