Is rate limiting enough to prevent every attack?

Definition:

Rate limiting restricts how much work a caller can request within a defined policy. It protects capacity and makes repeated abuse harder, but it cannot distinguish every attacker or stop all traffic before it reaches the system. Rules should fit the resource, user identity and infrastructure layer.

Key points:

• No. It reduces abuse but cannot guarantee protection from large DDoS attacks.

• Apply suitable account/IP/tenant limits and monitor unusual behavior.

• Avoid lockout rules that let an attacker easily block another user's account.

• A per-IP limit alone can unfairly affect many legitimate users behind one network and can be bypassed by distributed attackers.

Interview point:

• Describe the key, time window or token budget, response behavior and how limits work across multiple app instances.