Phase 20 · System Design
TopicsDesigning a Rate Limiter
Part of the Backend Developer Roadmap.
Summary
Another classic system design question — designing a rate limiter that works correctly and efficiently across multiple distributed server instances, not just a single process.
How to Learn This
- 1Design how a rate limiter's counters would be shared across multiple server instances using Redis.
- 2Decide which algorithm (token bucket, sliding window) fits the requirements given and why.
- 3Consider what happens to your rate limiter if Redis itself becomes unavailable.
More topics in System Design
Stuck on this topic? Ask an Insider
Get 1:1 guidance from people who've walked this exact path — free on the InsideEdge app.