Design
Distributed Rate Limiter (Multi-Node)
Design a rate limiter that enforces a consistent request limit for a client across many API server instances.
This is a Low-Level Design (LLD) problem. New to LLD vs HLD? Start here.
01 - Why interviewers ask this
It's the distributed-systems escalation of the single-node rate limiter — interviewers check if you know a shared store (Redis) is required once you have more than one server.
02 - Where this system exists in the real world
You interact with this design every day.
API gateway rate limiting at scale (Cloudflare, Stripe)
Multi-region SaaS platform throttling
Anti-abuse systems across many app servers
03 - What you'll master
Solve this once. Know it forever.
Coordinate limits across many stateless servers
Implement atomic counters in a shared store
Design graceful degradation if the store is down
04 - What you'll design
5 functional · 3 non-functional requirements.
Enforce a limit like "100 requests per minute per API key" globally, not per-server
4 more requirements inside
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05 - Companies that ask this
You may face this exact question in your next interview.
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