Hey everyone! I'm working on a web app where I've integrated OpenAI's API, specifically using GPT-5 and some other models. I set up my API key with some initial credits, and I'm currently on Tier 1 usage, which comes with specific limits—for example, 500 requests per minute (RPM) and 1,000,000 tokens per month (TPM). Since I'm expecting a lot of concurrent requests, I want to ensure I stay within these limits.
I'm curious if there's a reusable function that could help me manage these rate limits effectively. Also, if my app has multiple users, does the rate limit get shared among them? For instance, if I have 5 users, would that mean each one effectively has a limit of 100 RPM? How would I handle simultaneous requests from these users? Is there a way to set up individual API keys for each user, and if so, how would I generate those? I'm hoping for some code suggestions or general guidance on navigating these rate limits the right way, especially since this is my first time using the OpenAI API!
1 Answer
You’ll want to manage the token count per user on your server side. Since you’re using a single API key, the rate limits will indeed be shared among all your users. For example, if one user hits 500 RPM, any new request from another user will throw an error due to that limit being reached. You should set up some logic to keep track of the number of tokens each user consumes and throttle access accordingly. This way, you can avoid hitting the rate limit while still serving your users effectively. Also, handle the error messages returned from OpenAI properly to inform users when they need to wait a bit before trying again!
Exactly! Just listen for those error messages from OpenAI—when they hit that rate limit, you can display a message to users, like, 'Please try again in a minute.' It’s all about managing the user experience until you can scale up your plan.