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Benchling In Vivo API

Rate limiting

The Benchling In Vivo API enforces rate limits to ensure fair and reliable access for all users. Each tenant is allocated a fixed number of requests within a fixed time window; requests that exceed the limit are rejected until the window resets.

Default Limits

ScopeLimitWindow
Per API key300 requests30 seconds
Per tenant (all API keys combined)1,000 requests30 seconds
Token endpoint (/api/public/v1/oauth/token)60 requests30 seconds

Response Headers

Every API response includes headers that report your current rate-limit status:

HeaderDescription
X-RateLimit-LimitThe maximum number of requests allowed for your API key in the current window.
X-RateLimit-RemainingThe number of requests remaining for your API key in the current window.
X-RateLimit-ResetThe number of seconds until the current window resets.

These headers reflect the per-API-key limit. A 429 response may still occur if the overall tenant-level limit is reached, even when the per-key remaining count is above zero.

Exceeding the Limit

When you exceed a rate limit, the API responds with HTTP status 429 Too Many Requests:

{
  "error": "rate_limit_exceeded",
  "message": "Too many requests"
}

The X-RateLimit-Reset header on the response indicates how many seconds to wait before retrying.

Best Practices

  • Space your requests. Distribute API calls evenly rather than sending them in rapid bursts.
  • Monitor rate-limit headers. Use X-RateLimit-Remaining and X-RateLimit-Reset to adapt your request rate before hitting the limit.
  • Back off on 429. When you receive a 429 response, wait for the duration indicated by X-RateLimit-Reset before sending additional requests.