Rate Limits
The SE Ranking API enforces rate limits on the number of requests you can make within a given time frame. These limits vary depending on which part of the API you are accessing.
Data API
The Data API is used for accessing raw data, such as keyword rankings, backlinks, domain analysis, website audit and AI Search.
| Limit Scope | Value | In Practice |
| Maximum calls per API key | 10 requests per second | This limit is evaluated in a rolling one-second window across all Data API endpoints. You must ensure the cumulative traffic from every thread, worker, or server associated with your API key stays below this threshold. |
Handling Data API Limits
If you exceed the 10 requests per second threshold, the API will respond with an HTTP 429 Too Many Requests status code. The response body will contain a message indicating that the call-rate limit has been reached.
Because the time window is rolling, waiting 100–200 milliseconds before retrying a failed request is often sufficient. For a more robust implementation, we highly recommend using an exponential backoff strategy with jitter. This approach helps prevent “retry storms” where multiple clients attempt to reconnect simultaneously.
Note on Asynchronous Endpoints: For asynchronous operations like /backlinks/export, only the initial task creation request counts against your rate limit. Subsequent polling of the /export/status endpoint to check for completion is also subject to the same 10 rps ceiling.
Project API
The Project API is used for managing projects, such as adding or deleting websites and keywords.
| Limit Scope | Value | In Practice |
| Maximum calls per API key | 5 requests per second | This limit is evaluated in a rolling one-second window across all Project API endpoints. The total number of requests from all sources tied to your API key must remain below this limit. |
Handling Project API Limits
Exceeding the 5 requests per second limit will result in an HTTP 429 Too Many Requests error.
To handle this, we recommend implementing a retry mechanism with an exponential backoff and jitter strategy. This prevents your application from sending rapid, synchronized retries that could prolong the limiting period.
Custom Rate Limits
If your application requires a higher throughput for either the Data API or the Project API, the standard rate limits can be increased. We offer custom plans tailored to fit your specific needs.
To discuss a custom plan, please get in touch with our team.
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