Workflow Automation

rate-limiter-flexible

Flexible rate limiter for Node.js to protect against brute-force and DDoS attacks.

Status
Generally available
Last checked
Aging · Sep 2, 2026
License
Open source
Pricing
Free tier · from $0
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What it is

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.

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.

When it fits — and when it doesn’t

A good fit 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.

Look elsewhere if

  • 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.

Known weaknesses

Each one links to the public issue, changelog or docs page it came from, where we have one.

  1. 01

    Limited third-party storage backend support beyond Redis and Memory

    Documentation highlights Redis and in-memory options, but lacks extensive support for other databases or cloud services

  2. 02

    Small community size leading to slower issue resolution

    GitHub repository has a low number of contributors and infrequent activity on issues and pull requests

What it does well

  • Highly customizable rate limiting rules

  • Supports various storage backends (Redis, Memory)

  • Flexible time windows for rate limits

  • Easy integration with Express.js and other Node.js frameworks

Pricing

Free tier
YesOpen source — free to use
Paid from
$0
Model
Flat rate
Enterprise plan
No

Pricing not independently confirmed — check the vendor’s page.

Performance benchmarks

How Fast Is It?

Set up rate-limiter-flexible

Setup steps, common gotchas and what to check after 30 days.

Open the setup guide →