files/en-us/glossary/rate_limit/index.md
In computing, especially in networking, rate limiting means controlling how many operations can be performed in a given amount of time, usually to avoid overloading the system and causing performance degradation. For example, a server might limit the number of requests it will accept from a single client in a given time period, which not only optimizes the server's overall performance but also mitigates attacks like {{Glossary("Denial of Service", "DoS attack")}}.
Rate limiting is typically synonymous with {{glossary("throttle", "throttling")}}, although {{glossary("debounce", "debouncing")}} is another viable strategy which provides better semantics and user experience in certain cases.