Comparison Between API Plan and Rate Limit Control List (RLCL)
API Product Plan and Rate Limit Control List (RLCL) are two different yet complementary concepts in API management. This article examines the fundamental differences between these two structures and discusses when each might be more appropriate to use.
What is an API (Product) Plan?
An API Product Plan is a strategic business model that allows you to package, price, and market your API services. It enables businesses to position their APIs as products and offer structured service levels suitable for different user segments.
An API Product Plan typically includes:
- Usage quotas (daily/monthly total request count)
- List of accessible endpoints/resources
- Price structure (free, basic, premium, etc.)
- Support levels
- SLA (Service Level Agreement) guarantees
- Scaling features
What is a Rate Limit Control List (RLCL)?
RLCL is a technical mechanism developed by Apinizer to control the flow of API requests. It essentially consists of rules determining how many requests a specific user or client can make within a particular time frame. RLCL offers an innovative approach combining the classic access control list (ACL) concept with rate limiting.
RLCL specifically includes:
- Request limits per user/client (on a second/minute/hour basis)
- Targeted limit definitions (based on IP, API key, user ID, etc.)
- Time window types (fixed or sliding)
- Flexible targeting with regex support
- Response behavior in case of limit breach
Key Differences Between API Plan and RLCL
| Feature | API (Product) Plan | Rate Limit Control List (RLCL) |
|---|---|---|
| Primary Purpose | Business model and packaging strategy | Technical traffic control and security measure |
| Focus Point | Commercial service level definitions | System protection and resource management |
| Scale Unit | Usually total requests on day/month basis | Request rate on second/minute/hour basis |
| Application Level | Strategic and marketing-focused | Operational and technically-focused |
| Targeting Mechanism | Plan subscription/user group based | Precise targeting via IP, API key, regex, etc. |
| Flexibility | Usually pre-defined packages | Highly flexible, can be adjusted dynamically at runtime |
| Metric Measurement | Long-term usage (e.g., monthly quota) | Short-term intensity (e.g., requests per second) |
| In Case of Violation | Usually additional fees or plan upgrade | Usually 429 error (Too Many Requests) |
| Usage Purpose | Revenue model creation, business strategy | DDoS protection, fair usage, system stability |
| Configuration Ease | Can be managed by marketing and business teams | Usually managed by technical teams |
When to Use Which?
Use API (Product) Plan When:
- You want to market your API as a product
- You want to define different service levels for different user segments
- You want to structure your revenue model
- You want to perform customer segmentation
- For long-term usage planning
Use RLCL When:
- You want to ensure system security and stability
- You want to control sudden traffic spikes
- You want to prevent misuse
- You want to define highly customized limits for specific users or IPs
- When more technically precise and flexible controls are needed
How to Use Both Together?
API Product Plan and RLCL are not competitors but complementary to each other. Below are the benefits and examples of using both together:
- Layered Protection: Set general quotas with API Plan while controlling instant traffic intensity with RLCL.
- Flexible Business Model:
- API Plan: "Premium users can make 1 million requests per month"
- RLCL: "However, no user can exceed 100 requests per second"
- Security and Business Integration:
- API Plan establishes the main framework for the business model
- RLCL ensures security and system stability within this framework
- Flexibility for Special Cases:
- API Plan: "Same plan for all users under normal circumstances"
- RLCL: "Customized limits based on specific geographic regions, IPs, or behavior patterns"
Example Scenario: E-commerce API
Consider an e-commerce platform:
API Product Plan Structure:
- Free Tier: 1,000 requests per day, product information reading only
- Basic Tier: 10,000 requests per day, product information + stock queries
- Premium Tier: 100,000 requests per day, access to all endpoints
- Enterprise: Unlimited requests, specialized support
RLCL Structure:
- For all users: Maximum 20 requests per second
- Suspicious IP blocks (regex: ^123.45.): Maximum 5 requests per second
- Premium customers: Maximum 50 requests per second but 30 outside business hours
- Special partners (API-XYZ-*): Maximum 100 requests per second
In this configuration, the API Plan determines the business model and general access rules, while RLCL technically ensures system stability and security.
Using Both Solutions with Apinizer
Apinizer, as a powerful platform covering both commercial and technical dimensions of API management, offers both solutions:
Apinizer API Portal for API Product Plan:
- The API Portal product of Apinizer allows you to configure your APIs as products
- You can create customized plans for different consumer segments
- You can define usage quotas, pricing models, and access rights
- You can offer self-service subscription and API key management
- You can document and market your APIs with Developer Portal
Apinizer Gateway for RLCL:
- Apinizer Gateway offers the RLCL solution in an integrated manner
- Provides a powerful mechanism for targeted and flexible rate limiting
- Enhances API security and system stability
- Provides real-time traffic control to prevent misuse
The Apinizer platform seamlessly integrates these two approaches, allowing you to manage both commercial and technical aspects of your API strategy under a single roof.
Conclusion
API Product Plan and Rate Limit Control List (RLCL) address different but complementary aspects of API management. While API Plan shapes the commercial and strategic dimension of the business, RLCL ensures technical operational control and security. In an ideal API management strategy, both approaches should be used together, complementing each other with their respective strengths.
The Apinizer platform offers a comprehensive API management experience by providing robust API Product Plan capabilities with its API Portal product while also offering the RLCL solution with its Gateway product. This allows both business teams and technical teams to meet their needs on the same platform.
The RLCL solution offered by Apinizer goes beyond the traditional API plan approach, providing a more targeted, flexible, and powerful control mechanism. However, this is designed not to replace API plans but to complement and strengthen them.
Evaluating both solutions from Apinizer in your modern API strategy will yield the most optimal results to meet both business and technical requirements.