The SquadAssist API enforces a rate limit on all authenticated endpoints to ensure fair usage and service stability. Understanding how the limit works helps you design integrations that stay within quota and recover gracefully when they do not.
Limit
| Dimension | Value |
|---|
| Requests allowed | 60 |
| Window | 60 seconds (rolling) |
| Scope | Per API key |
| Exempt endpoint | GET /health |
GET /health is exempt from rate limiting and does not count toward your quota. You can use it freely for monitoring and liveness checks.
429 response
When you exceed the rate limit, the API returns HTTP 429 Too Many Requests with a JSON body that tells you exactly how long to wait.
{
"error": "Rate limit exceeded",
"limit": 60,
"window_seconds": 60,
"retry_after_seconds": 14
}
| Field | Type | Description |
|---|
error | string | Always "Rate limit exceeded" |
limit | integer | The maximum requests allowed per window (60) |
window_seconds | integer | The length of the rolling window in seconds (60) |
retry_after_seconds | integer | Seconds until your oldest in-window request expires and capacity is freed |
retry_after_seconds before retrying. The value is calculated precisely — retrying any sooner will return another 429.
Handling 429s in your code
import time
import requests
def call_with_retry(url, headers, max_retries=3):
for attempt in range(max_retries):
response = requests.get(url, headers=headers)
if response.status_code == 429:
wait = response.json().get("retry_after_seconds", 10)
time.sleep(wait)
continue
return response
raise Exception("Rate limit retries exhausted")
Tips for staying within the limit
Batch lookups with POST /query_player. If you need to resolve a list of player IDs, process them sequentially with a short sleep between requests rather than firing them all at once.
Cache player reference data. Responses from GET /player_positions, GET /role_description, and GET /player_info reflect data that changes infrequently. Cache these responses for several hours or until your data changes to avoid redundant requests.
Distribute requests over time. If you run batch analysis jobs (ROI, future transfer value, sportive impact), spread them across the minute window rather than sending all requests in a burst.
