> ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://qovery-docs-agent-console-2026-09-29.mintlify.site/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # How to Setup Rate Limit on Services > Configure rate limiting for services using NGINX This guide covers implementing rate limits on Qovery services through NGINX customization. Rate limiting helps protect services from abuse. While third-party solutions like Cloudflare are recommended for filtering traffic before it reaches workloads, this tutorial demonstrates cluster-level implementation. Changing NGINX snippets configuration is an advanced feature and can lead to misconfiguration. Please be careful when changing these settings as it might break the whole NGINX configuration. ## Prerequisites * Application running on a Qovery managed cluster * Basic understanding of NGINX rate limiting ## Understanding NGINX Rate Limiting NGINX rate limiting protects your services by controlling the rate of requests. For detailed information, see [NGINX's official documentation on rate limiting](https://www.nginx.com/blog/rate-limiting-nginx/). *** ## Initial Setup ### Configure Test Service We'll use `jmalloc/echo-server` Docker image for testing: * Image: `jmalloc/echo-server` * Port: 80 Service initial setup

### Configure NGINX Replicas Rate limits apply per NGINX instance. For demonstration, set replicas to 1 (not recommended for production): 1. Go to **Cluster Settings** → **Advanced Settings** 2. Find `nginx.controller.replicas` 3. Set value to `1` Set NGINX replicas

Without rate limits: 100 req/sec × 500 requests = 100% success rate (all HTTP 200 responses) *** ## Global Rate Limit Implementation ### Declare at Cluster Level Configure `nginx.controller.http_snippet`: ```nginx theme={null} limit_req_zone "$server_name" zone=global:10m rate=10r/s; ``` **Components:** * `$server_name`: Rate limit key (can use `$http_x_forwarded_for` for IP-based limits) * `zone=global:10m`: Zone name with 10MB memory allocation * `rate=10r/s`: 10 requests per second threshold Set global rate in http snippet

### Apply Rate Limit Configure `nginx.controller.server_snippet`: ```nginx theme={null} location / { limit_req zone=global; } ``` Apply global rate in server snippet

### Deploy Changes Deploy cluster changes

### Enhancement with Burst Adding `burst=20 nodelay;` permits 20-request bursts without delays: ```nginx theme={null} location / { limit_req zone=global burst=20 nodelay; } ``` ### Test Results Load test: 100 req/sec for 500 total requests **Result:** * 452 HTTP 503 rejections * 48 HTTP 200 acceptances (\~9.6 req/sec) Global rate limit logs

*** ## Service-Level Rate Limit Configure rate limiting at the service level using advanced settings: **Configuration Settings:** * `network.ingress.nginx_limit_rps`: Rate in requests/second * `network.ingress.nginx_limit_rpm`: Rate in requests/minute * `network.ingress.nginx_limit_burst_multiplier`: Burst multiplier (default: 5) ### Example: 10 Requests/Minute with 2× Burst Service-level rate limit

When both RPM and RPS are set, both rate limits will be enforced simultaneously. Traffic will be restricted based on whichever limit is hit first. ### Deploy Service Deploy service with rate limit

### Test Results * 479 HTTP 503 rejections * 21 HTTP 200 acceptances Service rate limit logs

*** ## Custom Header-Based Rate Limiting Implement rate limiting based on custom HTTP headers. ### Cluster Configuration Configure `nginx.controller.http_snippet`: ```nginx theme={null} map $http_x_qovery_api_key $limit_key { default $http_x_qovery_api_key; "" "anonymous"; } limit_req_zone $limit_key zone=qovery_api_limit:10m rate=5r/s; ``` Custom header rate limit declaration

**Details:** Maps HTTP header values to rate limit keys; missing headers default to "anonymous" designation. ### Service Configuration Configure `network.ingress.nginx_controller_configuration_snippet`: ```nginx theme={null} limit_req zone=qovery_api_limit burst=2 nodelay; ``` Apply custom header rate limit

**Burst Parameter Explanation:** * `burst=2`: Permits 2 extra requests beyond rate limit during short bursts * `nodelay`: Disables request queuing; excess requests rejected immediately ### Deploy and Test Deploy with custom header rate limit

**Test Command:** ```bash theme={null} oha -q 100 -n 500 -H "X-QOVERY-API-KEY: benjamin" ``` **Result:** * 473 HTTP 503 rejections * 27 HTTP 200 acceptances (\~5.4 req/sec with burst) Service logs with custom header

*** ## Additional Configuration ### Custom HTTP Status Code Configure `nginx.controller.limit_request_status_code`: * Default: HTTP 503 * Alternative: HTTP 429 (commonly used for rate limiting)

Test results show HTTP 429 responses: HTTP 429 response logs

### Connection Limits Configure `network.ingress.nginx_limit_connections` at service level to limit concurrent connections from single IP addresses. *** ## Summary Applied at cluster level, affects all services. Best for protecting the entire cluster from abuse. Applied per service using `nginx_limit_rps` or `nginx_limit_rpm`. Best for protecting individual services. Applied based on custom HTTP headers. Best for API key-based rate limiting and multi-tenant applications. Limits concurrent connections per IP. Best for preventing connection exhaustion attacks. *** ## Related Documentation Configure service advanced settings Learn about NGINX ingress Configure cluster settings Implement security measures