Understanding Twitter API Rate Limit: Explanation, Solutions, and Best Practices
In this article, I’ll explain what it is, why it exists, and what can be done about it, as I receive this query more frequently than ever before.
Twitter regulates the utilization of the API by third-party Twitter applications, such as TweetDeck, by limiting the number of API calls per hour.
Your Twitter account is limited to 100 API requests per hour, not per application.
Twitter.com does not leverage its API, so there are no restrictions.
Third-party applications include:
- Desktop and web-based Twitter clients.
- The widget on your blog displays your most recent tweets.
- The Facebook Twitter application posts your tweets to your Facebook status.
- Any software where you’ve entered your Twitter username and password.
Understanding API Calls and Twitter’s 100-Call Limit
API call? Every Twitter action is an API call, but we must ascertain which API calls count toward the 100-call limit. Each Twitter API request counts towards your total.
API call? Every Twitter action is an API call,
When TweetDeck updates the All Tweets, Replies, or Direct Messages columns, it counts as one call, as does perusing a Twitter user’s profile (which, in reality, requires two calls for the profile and the archive of their sent tweets).
“Limit Exemptions: Posting Data and API Origins on Twitter”
Posting data to Twitter, such as updates, direct messages, favoriting a tweet, unfollowing a user, or following a user, does not contribute towards the limit. Changes to the search, groups, twit-scoop, and 12-second columns do not register against the rate limit because the data does not originate from the Twitter API.
Also Read: Twitter Blue Tick Back with this Little Trick
“TweetDeck Rate Limit: Exceeding API Requests and Frozen Columns”
TweetDeck will display the “rate limit exceeded” message if you exceed 100 API requests per hour, and Twitter will not update until the hour is up. TweetDeck’s All Tweets, Replies, and DM columns will be frozen. Following one hour, the rate limit is reset, and updates resume. The upper right corner of TweetDeck displays your rate limit.
How can the “rate limit exceeded” message be avoided? Too little. To reduce risk, I suggest the following:
Even if you’re not using them, only run one Twitter app at a time. Avoid excessive use of the refresh icon, as each action costs three contacts (All Tweets, Replies, and Direct Messages).
Reduce the global percentage in the options window’s Twitter API pane to 60-70% to receive fewer updates while consuming less API.
Observe your reset time in the upper right corner of TweetDeck if you see the rate limit exceeded notification. You may continue to send messages, but you will receive responses later.
If you exceed the rate limit, you must exit Twitter and relaunch it at the reset time.
This should elucidate the API’s perplexing limit. This control is beneficial if it stabilizes Twitter but it could be more flawless.
Watch: Xiaomi’s Released 13 and 13 Pro smartphones | Heavily Influenced by Apple