How to Implement Rate Limiting in Node.js Applications?

Rate limiting is a crucial technique for preventing abuse of your API endpoints. In Node.js, you can implement rate limiting using middleware such as express-rate-limit. Below are the steps to set it up:

• Install the Middleware: First, install the package using npm:

  npm install express-rate-limit

• Set Up Rate Limiting: Import the middleware and configure it in your application:

const rateLimit = require('express-rate-limit');

const limiter = rateLimit({
  windowMs: 15 * 60 * 1000, // 15 minutes
  max: 100 // limit each IP to 100 requests per windowMs
});

• Apply the Limiter: You can apply the limiter to specific routes or globally:

app.use('/api/', limiter); // Apply to all API routes

By implementing rate limiting, you can safeguard your application from excessive requests and enhance overall performance.