> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.oyapasteaza.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Rate Limits

> Understand request limits, retry behavior, and how to handle 429 responses.

Pasteaza applies rate limits to protect the API and keep performance stable for all merchants.

<Info>
  Standard merchants can make up to 100 requests per minute.
</Info>

## What happens when you exceed the limit

If you exceed your request limit, Pasteaza returns a `429 Too Many Requests` response.

The response may include a `Retry-After` header that tells you when to try again.

## Recommended behavior

<Steps>
  <Step title="Read the status code">
    Check for `429 Too Many Requests` before retrying the request.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Read the Retry-After header">
    Wait for the time indicated in the `Retry-After` header when it is present.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Retry with backoff">
    Use exponential backoff for repeated retries instead of sending requests in a tight loop.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Reduce request volume">
    Cache repeated lookups and avoid polling when webhooks can deliver updates.
  </Step>
</Steps>

## Example response

```json theme={null}
{
  "status": false,
  "message": "Too many requests. Please retry later.",
  "code": "rate_limit_exceeded"
}
```

## Best practices

* Cache responses that do not change often.
* Use webhooks instead of polling where possible.
* Back off progressively after each retry.
* Log rate-limit errors so you can monitor traffic patterns.
* Handle `Retry-After` headers in your HTTP client.

## Why this matters

Rate limits help protect your integration from abuse and keep your API usage predictable.

They also reduce accidental overload if your application retries too aggressively.