What Is Rate Limiting?
A technique that controls the number of requests a client can make to a server within a specified time period. Rate limiting protects against brute-force attacks, denial of service, API abuse, and web scraping by rejecting requests that exceed the defined threshold.
In Laravel Applications
Laravel provides built-in rate limiting through the throttle middleware. Configure it in RouteServiceProvider or directly in routes: Route::middleware("throttle:60,1") for 60 requests per minute. For login endpoints, use stricter limits like throttle:5,1.
Example
Without rate limiting on /login, an attacker can attempt thousands of password combinations per minute. With throttle:5,1, they are limited to 5 attempts per minute, making brute-force impractical.
Related Terms
Brute-Force Attack
An attack method that tries every possible combination of credentials until the correct one is found. Brute-force attacks target login forms, API keys, encryption keys, and any authentication mechanism that does not limit the number of attempts.
DDoS (Distributed Denial of Service)
An attack that overwhelms a server or network with traffic from many sources simultaneously, making it unavailable to legitimate users. Unlike a simple DoS attack from one source, DDoS attacks use thousands of compromised devices (a botnet) to generate traffic that is difficult to filter.
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