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httphttp-status-codes

Is a 429 appropriate for email flood control?


Our site includes the ability for users to email a link to any email address they want. We're implementing flood control to stop malicious users from sending more than a few emails a day.

I'm trying to determine the best status code to return when flood control is tripped. The closest thing I could find is 429, "Too Many Requests." Would that be appropriate for this situation, or is there something better?

Thanks!


Solution

  • The status code 429 is the most appropriate for rate limiting.

    429 Too Many Requests (RFC 6585)
    The user has sent too many requests in a given amount of time. Intended for use with rate-limiting schemes.