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John Kellerman edited this page Apr 9, 2026 · 9 revisions

Rate Limits and Usage Tiers

To ensure the stability and performance of the Open VSX Registry, rate limiting is now in effect. API usage is organized into defined tiers. These limits are implemented to protect infrastructure from high-frequency automated traffic and to provide consistent service quality for all users.

Free Tier

The Free Tier is the standard access level for individual developers and typical daily usage.

  • Standard Limit: < 3 requests per second (RPS) / <10,800 Requests Per Hour
  • Open Source Software (OSS): We are committed to supporting the open-source ecosystem. If you are maintaining an OSS project that requires higher usage limits for build systems or CI/CD pipelines, you can apply for elevated access at Apply for OSS Access Here
  • Scope: This limit applies to standard community requests, including extension searches, metadata retrievals, and downloads via IDEs or CLI tools.
  • Behavior: When the limit for your current tier is reached, the API returns an HTTP 429 Too Many Requests response.

Enterprise, Enterprise XL, and Custom Tiers

For organizations, platforms, or users requiring higher throughput (such as high-frequency automated polling or large-scale internal deployments), Open VSX offers elevated usage tiers.

  • Free Tier: < 3 requests per second / <10,800 Requests Per Hour
  • Enterprise Tier: < 15 requests per second (RPS).
  • Enterprise XL Tier: <= 50 requests per second (RPS).
  • Platform (Custom) Tier: > 50 requests per second (RPS).
  • Provisioning: Access to these tiers is managed through authenticated tokens or specific network configurations.

Error Response Structure

The registry follows the RFC 9457 standard for error reporting. In the event of a rate limit being reached, the server will provide a JSON response with the following fields:

{
  "type": "https://open-vsx.org/probs/rate-limit-exceeded",
  "title": "Too Many Requests",
  "status": 429,
  "detail": "A request rate limit has been exceeded for your current usage tier. Open VSX enforces tier-based limits to ensure reliable service. If this is unexpected for your use case, please contact us.",
  "documentation": "https://github.com/EclipseFdn/open-vsx.org/wiki/rate-limiting",
  "contact": "infrastructure@eclipse-foundation.org"
}
  • type: A URI identifying the problem type.
  • title: A short, human-readable summary of the problem.
  • status: The HTTP status code generated by the origin server.
  • detail: A human-readable explanation specific to this occurrence.
  • documentation: A link to the relevant technical documentation.
  • contact: The official contact for infrastructure and tier-related inquiries.

Open Source Software (OSS) Access

We are committed to supporting the open-source ecosystem. If you are maintaining an Open Source Software (OSS) project that requires higher usage limits for its build systems or CI/CD pipelines, you can request elevated access.

Apply for OSS Access Here

Troubleshooting

If you encounter a 429 error:

  1. Examine Request Frequency: Check for unoptimized polling, recursive scripts, or high-frequency automated tasks in your environment.
  2. Shared Network Environments: In corporate environments, multiple users may share a single egress IP address. Collective traffic from one network may trigger the community limit.
  3. Inquiries: For questions regarding usage tiers or to report an error in enforcement, contact infrastructure@eclipse-foundation.org.

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