How to request a Draft API rate limit increase
A rate limit is a mechanism to prevent the overuse or abuse of a network resource. If the volume of incoming requests exceeds a certain number in a given amount of time, an error returns for any new requests. Rate limits in Arc XP are designed to protect the systems your organization depends on to serve end users and prevent editorial staff from becoming overwhelmed. When the rate limit is reached, the API response is an HTTP 429 status code.
The Draft API rate limit is managed by a ”leaky bucket” algorithm. The number of allowed API requests is limited by a Max Request Rate for the API. Making requests faster than the Max Request Rate causes an HTTP 429 status code response. New API calls are accepted only after the current request rate falls below the Max Request Rate. The default rate limit and details can be found on the Draft API page.
Draft API rate limits are affected most heavily when migration-related activity is occurring. Examples include when an organization is using a script to create content in a new website on Arc XP, using a script to publish content that has already been migrated to Arc XP but was left in a draft state, or when scripting document level redirects, rather than the regex redirects that are managed by the Redirects UI.
Organizational Draft API Rate Limit
The Draft API rate limit for your organization is set based on discussions with Arc XP and is related to anticipated needs-based factors, such as the date of your site launch, publishing volume, and number of editorial users. When onboarding as a new organization to Arc XP, added to the calculation are the number of Draft API requests necessary to create, circulate, and publish a story, multiplied by the number of stories and story redirects you are creating in Arc XP.
In your scripts that use the Draft API, it is important to gracefully handle rate limit responses. The following sections describe several strategies to consider if you encounter rate limiting.
Back off and Retry - Implement the back off and retry mechanism when you receive a 429 response. This involves waiting a short period of time and then retrying the same request. If you receive another 429 response, increase the waiting time with each retry.
Prioritize Critical Requests - Identify critical or high-priority requests and ensure they are given priority. You may want to reserve a portion of requests for critical operations.
Throttling or Queueing - Throttle requests to ensure they stay within the allowed rate limits. You can also queue requests to ensure you adhere to the API’s rate limit.
Caching - When dealing with Content API rate limits as opposed to Draft API rate limits, you can consider implementing caching mechanisms to reduce the need for frequent requests to Content API. As Draft API is a content creation and manipulation API, caching strategies do not come into play as an appropriate management strategy.
Increasing Draft API Rate Limit
Draft API rate limit increases can be granted for a limited duration if there is demonstrable need. Rate limit increase requests are encouraged for any known migration or other developer activity that results in the use of the Draft API within the next month.
To submit a request for a rate limit review, contact Arc XP Customer Support. If your organization has an active Customer Engagement support or retainer agreement, you can open the ticket through the Customer Engagement Support Portal.
Ensure you include each of the following items in the service request.
Arc XP Organization Name - The Arc XP Organization ID. You can find your org ID in the Arc Admin tile on your Okta dashboard. Click the button with the organization's name, then check the Arc XP org name that appears on the top left part of the page.
Environment - Production or Sandbox
Desired rate limit - In most cases, rate limits can be doubled for a two-week period. In rare circumstances, a four-times rate limit increase can be granted for a one-month duration. Larger increases and longer windows carry a greater risk of instability and are not desirable.
Total document count - How many documents need to be migrated? The Draft API rate limit does not affect photos, galleries, or videos. The limit does affect stories and document-level redirects.
Content profile - What document type(s) are migrating? In which Arc XP websites are the documents contained? How many references are in an average document? For example, an average story may have 6-10 references to images, video, and galleries included within its body, in the featured media, and in the related content.
Method - What Draft API operations are being performed on the content? Generally, creating a story uses at least three calls to the Draft API, but creating a story with a document-level redirect adds another call, and a story that uses the Draft API to pre-generate the Arc ID adds yet another. If the process also deletes documents, that is yet another call to the Draft API.
Goal - The purpose or goal of the migration. For example, an initial import of content into Arc XP or to fix broken links.
Desired start and end dates - When the migration is ready to begin and projected to end. Other scheduled increases must be taken into account to keep rate limit increases within a safe level. We will release the new rate limit a week before the start date of the migration to account for testing.
Site launch dates - If the migration is to onboard the initial content to Arc XP prior to site launch, include the dates when the site launch is scheduled to occur.
Request duration of increased rate limit window - How long do you need access to the temporary rate limit increase?
Sample - A demonstrated full day of continuous migration activity under the current rate limit.