Limits

To ensure a consistent developer experience for all API users, the SeaTable-API is rate limited and denies further API requests as soon as the rate limit is reached. Furthermore, the amount of data dealing with one request is limited, too.

Rate limits

All SeaTable API endpoints, except /ping and /server-info have a rate limit. The concrete limits can be found in the following tables. The accesses are counted either per base, or if not available, per IP address.

Meaning that if you reach the rate limit for one base, you still could make requests for other bases. If you hit the rate limit, the request will return the HTTP response status 429 without any further output.

The access counter is not reset at a specific time, but the relevant period is always checked at the time of access.

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Rate limits may change

Currently, the same limits apply to all SeaTable Cloud customers. In the future, SeaTable might adjust the rate limits to balance for demand and reliability. SeaTable may also introduce distinct rate limits for teams with different pricing plans.

Retrieve current rate limit usage

The new /api-gateway endpoints return the current API rate limit usage through x-ratelimit headers. These headers provide the daily limit, the current usage, and the next reset time as a Unix timestamp in seconds. Below is an example of the returned headers:

x-ratelimit-limit: 5000
x-ratelimit-remaining: 4936
x-ratelimit-reset: 1720710405

General rate limits

Authentication rate limits

Base operations: special limits for data retrieval

Retrieving records from a base is by far the most resource-intensive process, which is why it is subject to stricter limits.

How to avoid the rate limits

To find out if you are rate-limited, look for the response status code HTTP 429 Too Many Requests. This response status code indicates that you sent too many requests in a given amount of time and need to make adjustments.

If this is the case, you should start thinking about how to reduce the number of calls. Here are some common approaches to prevent the status code 429.

• Check your code for unnecessary requests.
• Slow down the speed or the frequency of your cronjob.
• Use caching technics or use a queue for pending requests.
• Only request new data, if something changed.
• Use SeaTable Webhooks to be informed about changes in your base instead of asking continuously for changes via the API.

Customization of limits

SeaTable Dedicated customers and operators of their own SeaTable Server (Enterprise or Developer Edition) can adjust SeaTable's default limits according to their needs. These are the corresponding configuration files in the SeaTable Admin Manual:

• dtable_server_config.json
• dtable_web_settings.py
• dtable-db.conf

Size limits

Besides the rate limits, there are size limits for how many rows you can manipulate with a single call. Of course, it is possible to execute multiple calls in a row as long as you stay below the rate limits.