API Access Rate Limiting and Data Query Workflow
This workflow is designed to effectively control API access frequency and ensure data security during queries. By setting request limits per minute and per hour, it prevents excessive calls to the API interface, ensuring service stability. It integrates Webhook to receive requests, uses Redis for access counting, and extracts and formats data from Airtable to enhance interface response quality and user experience. This workflow is suitable for developers and data service providers who need strict control over API access, ensuring the security of backend resources.
Workflow Name
API Access Rate Limiting and Data Query Workflow
Key Features and Highlights
This workflow implements API key-based access rate limiting to ensure that the number of requests from a user does not exceed preset thresholds within one minute and one hour (10 requests per minute and 60 requests per hour, respectively). When access limits are respected, it automatically retrieves data from the “Pokemon” table in Airtable and formats the returned data via a custom function, enhancing both API security and data service quality.
Core Problems Addressed
Prevents excessive API calls that could lead to resource exhaustion or service instability due to frequent requests. By leveraging Redis caching, it tracks access counts at minute and hourly granularity. Combined with Webhook-based request reception and identity verification, it achieves precise rate control and secure authentication.
Application Scenarios
- Services exposing APIs with strict access frequency limits
- Data query services for developers or third-party systems
- Protection of backend database resources against malicious or overload access
- Data interface access management for scenarios such as game data and product information
Main Workflow Steps
- Webhook Request Reception: Accept external API requests via a Webhook node with header-based authentication.
- Generate Time-Stamped API Key: Create a unique access identifier by combining the incoming x-api-key with the current time (hour and minute).
- Increment Redis Counters: Use two Redis nodes to separately count accesses per minute and per hour.
- Access Rate Evaluation:
- Limit to no more than 10 requests per minute;
- Limit to no more than 60 requests per hour.
- Rate Limit Enforcement: If limits are exceeded, return a message stating “You have exceeded the call limit.”
- Data Query and Formatting: Query the “Pokemon” table in Airtable, then use a function node to format the output with name and URL information along with current rate limit usage details.
- Response Delivery: Return either the query results or the rate limit warning as the final API response.
Involved Systems and Services
- Airtable: Data source for storing and querying Pokemon data.
- Redis: Cache and count access requests to enforce rate limiting.
- Webhook: Receives external requests and performs authentication.
- Custom Functions: Format returned data to improve API response friendliness.
Target Users and Value
- API developers and administrators requiring rate limiting protection for their interfaces.
- Data service providers aiming to ensure API security and stability.
- Operations engineers who need to monitor and control API access frequency.
- Product managers and technical teams seeking to improve interface management efficiency and user experience through automation.
This workflow enables efficient API access rate control and secure authentication while ensuring stable and reliable data services, making it an ideal solution for building robust API offerings.