Too Many Requests

4xx Client Error

Last updated: August 3, 2026

The client has sent too many requests in a given amount of time (rate limited).

Description

The response SHOULD include a Retry-After header indicating how long to wait. Many APIs also include X-RateLimit-* headers with quota info.

When to use

Return 429 when clients exceed your rate limits. Include Retry-After so well-behaved clients can back off.

Also searched as

Developers commonly search for 429 using phrases like 429 too many requests · 429 error · http 429 · rate limited · rate limit exceeded · 429 status code. All refer to the same HTTP 429 Too Many Requests response.

Specification

RFC 6585

Examples

HTTP response

HTTP/1.1 429 Too Many Requests
Content-Type: application/json

{"error":"Too Many Requests"}

Node.js (Express)

res.status(429).json({ error: "Too Many Requests" });

Go (net/http)

w.WriteHeader(http.StatusTooManyRequests)

Python (Flask)

return jsonify({"error": "Too Many Requests"}), 429

Debug 429 with these tools

Timestamp Converter →Decode a Retry-After header carrying an HTTP-date or Unix time.Cron Parser →Spread scheduled jobs to avoid retry storms.

Related status codes

503

Service Unavailable

The server is currently unable to handle the request due to temporary overloading or maintenance.