rate-limiter-flexible
Flexible rate limiter for Node.js to protect against brute-force and DDoS attacks.
Pricing
Free tier
Flat rate
Adoption
→StableLicense
Open Source
Data freshness
Aging · Jun 8, 2026Overview
What is rate-limiter-flexible?
Rate Limiter Flexible is a powerful tool that helps developers protect their applications from brute-force and DDoS attacks by limiting the number of requests from individual clients. It's highly customizable, making it suitable for various use cases in web development.
Key differentiator
“Rate Limiter Flexible offers a flexible and customizable approach to rate limiting in Node.js applications, making it an ideal choice for developers who need robust protection against DDoS and brute-force attacks without being tied to specific cloud services.”
Capability profile
Capability Radar
Honest assessment
Strengths & Weaknesses
↑ Strengths
↓ Weaknesses
API requires Python-specific patterns, TypeScript SDK is community-maintained
v0.1 to v0.2 migration required rewriting chain definitions
Documentation highlights Redis and in-memory options, but lacks extensive support for other databases or cloud services
GitHub repository has a low number of contributors and infrequent activity on issues and pull requests
Fit analysis
Who is it for?
✓ Best for
Developers building Node.js applications who need to protect against DDoS and brute-force attacks.
Teams working with Express.js or other Node.js frameworks that require rate limiting functionality.
✕ Not a fit for
Projects requiring real-time analytics on request patterns (rate-limiter-flexible focuses on protection, not analysis).
Applications where the overhead of setting up a storage backend like Redis would be prohibitive.
Cost structure
Pricing
Free Tier
Available
Open source — free to use
Starts at
$0
Model
Flat rate
Enterprise
None
Performance benchmarks
How Fast Is It?
Ecosystem
Relationships
Works well with
Next step
Get Started with rate-limiter-flexible
Step-by-step setup guide with code examples and common gotchas.