Master Nginx Rate Limiting: Configure limit_req_zone and limit_req in Minutes

1. Nginx Rate Limiting Configuration

limit_req_zone is used to limit the number of requests per unit time (rate limiting) using the leaky bucket algorithm.

Parameters of limit_req_zone

Syntax: limit_req zone=name [burst=number] [nodelay]; Default: —

Context: http, server, location

(1) Definition

limit_req_zone $binary_remote_addr zone=one:10m rate=10r/s;

The first parameter $binary_remote_addr uses the client IP address as the key; the “binary_” prefix reduces memory usage.

The second parameter zone=one:10m creates a 10 MB shared memory zone named one to store request counters.

The third parameter rate=10r/s allows up to 10 requests per second for each key (e.g., 30r/m is also possible).

(2) Usage

limit_req zone=one burst=30 nodelay;

The first argument selects the zone defined above. burst=30 creates a buffer of size 30 for bursts that exceed the rate limit. nodelay makes excess requests that fill the buffer return a 503 error immediately; without it, requests are queued.

(3) Example

http {
    limit_req_zone $binary_remote_addr zone=one:10m rate=10r/s;

    server {
        location /search/ {
            limit_req zone=one burst=30 nodelay;
        }
    }
}