This article was originally published on AI Study Room . For the full version with working code examples and related articles, visit the original post. API Design Patterns: Rate Limiting, Pagination, Idempotency, and More Every production API eventually needs the same set of patterns: rate limiting, pagination, idempotency, batching, and webhooks. Here's how to implement each one correctly — with the edge cases that bite you 6 months later. 1. Rate Limiting Rate limiting protects your API from abuse and ensures fair usage. The three common algorithms: Algorithm How It Works Best For Token Bucket Tokens refill at a fixed rate. Each request consumes a token. Allows bursts. Most APIs (best default) Sliding Window Count requests in the last N seconds. Smooth, no burst allowance. Precise rate enforcement Fixed Window Reset count every N seconds. Simple but allows 2x bursts at boundaries.…