API Product Plan vs Rate Limit Control List (RLCL): when to use which

API Product Plans frame the commercial model. RLCL handles technical traffic control. Two complementary tools — and how to combine them in one strategy.

Aug 10, 2024 · 4 min read · Apinizer Team, Platform · Platform

Tags: #api-management · #rate-limiting · #product-strategy · #technical-controls · #apinizer

Two important concepts in API management — API (Product) Plan and Rate Limit Control List (RLCL) — serve different purposes but complement each other. Here's how they differ and when each is more appropriate.

What is an API (Product) Plan?

An API Product Plan is a strategic business model that lets you package, price, and market your API services. It allows businesses to position their APIs as a product and offer structured service levels suited to different user segments.

An API Product Plan typically includes:

Usage quotas (daily / monthly total request count)
List of accessible endpoints / resources
Pricing structure (free, basic, premium, etc.)
Support levels
SLA guarantees
Scaling features

What is a Rate Limit Control List (RLCL)?

RLCL is a technical mechanism developed by Apinizer to control the flow of API requests. It's essentially a set of rules that define how many requests a given user or client can make in a given time window. RLCL combines the classic Access Control List (ACL) concept with rate limiting.

RLCL particularly includes:

Per-user / per-client request limits (per second / minute / hour)
Targeted limit definitions (by IP, API key, user ID, etc.)
Time window types (fixed or sliding)
Flexible targeting with regex support
Response behavior when limits are exceeded

Key differences between API Plan and RLCL

API Plan is about commercial structure and tiered packaging; RLCL is about precise, technical traffic control. One shapes how you sell; the other shapes how you defend.

When to use which?

Use API (Product) Plan when:

You want to market your API as a product
You want to define different service levels for different user segments
You want to structure your revenue model
You want to do customer segmentation
For long-term usage planning

Use RLCL when:

You want to ensure system security and stability
You want to control sudden traffic spikes
You want to prevent abuse
You want to define highly customized limits for specific users or IPs
You need more precise and flexible technical controls

How to use both together

API Product Plan and RLCL are not competitors but complements.

Layered protection. With API Plan you set overall quotas; with RLCL you control instantaneous load.

Flexible business model.

API Plan: "Premium users can make 1 million requests per month"
RLCL: "But no user can exceed 100 requests per second"

Security and business integration.

API Plan defines the main framework for the business model
RLCL ensures security and system stability within that framework

Flexibility for special cases.

API Plan: "Under normal conditions, the same plan for all users"
RLCL: "Customized limits by geography, IP, or behavior patterns"

Example scenario: e-commerce API

API Product Plan structure:

Free Tier: 1,000 requests per day, product info read-only
Basic Tier: 10,000 requests per day, product info + stock queries
Premium Tier: 100,000 requests per day, access to all endpoints
Enterprise: Unlimited requests, dedicated support

RLCL structure:

All users: maximum 20 requests per second
Suspicious IP blocks (regex: ^123.45.): maximum 5 requests per second
Premium customers: maximum 50 requests per second, but 30 outside business hours
Special partners (API-XYZ-*): maximum 100 requests per second

API Plan defines the business model and general access rules; RLCL provides technical stability and security.

Using both with Apinizer

Apinizer API Portal with API Product Plan:

Apinizer's Portal product lets you structure APIs as a product
Create customized plans for different consumer segments
Define usage quotas, pricing models, and access rights
Self-service subscription and API key management
Documentation and marketing via the Developer Portal

Apinizer Gateway with RLCL:

The Gateway delivers the RLCL solution in an integrated way
A powerful mechanism for targeted, flexible rate limiting
Improves API security and system stability
Provides real-time traffic control to prevent abuse

The platform integrates the two approaches seamlessly so you can manage both the commercial and technical sides of API strategy under one roof.

Conclusion

API Product Plan and RLCL address different but complementary aspects of API management. API Plan shapes the commercial and strategic dimension; RLCL provides technical operational control and security. In an ideal strategy, both should be used so each plays to its strengths.

Apinizer offers strong API Product Plan capabilities through API Portal and provides RLCL through Gateway, delivering a complete API management experience. Both business and technical teams can meet their needs on the same platform.

Apinizer's RLCL solution goes beyond the traditional API plan to offer a more targeted, flexible, and powerful control mechanism. It's designed not to replace API plans but to complement and strengthen them.

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