Secure Your NestJS API Using Rate Limiting with Throttler

In this guide, we’ll secure your NestJS app with the Throttler module so you can block abusive traffic, protect login endpoints, and keep performance steady. You’ll see a practical nestjs throttler example and simple steps you can ship today. You will implement NestJS rate limiting with minimal setup, learn how to tune limits per route, and apply real-life patterns that harden NestJS security without slowing honest users.

Why Rate Limiting in NestJS Matters

Attackers love login and password reset endpoints. A few bots can slam your server with brute-force attempts or credential stuffing. Rate limits slow the bad actors, reduce lockouts, and protect user accounts while keeping your API stable.

Spikes in traffic come from good users and integrations, too. Perhaps your mobile app polls too frequently or a partner mis-configures a script. Rate limits are like a speed governor, preventing noisy clients from overwhelming resources and giving everyone fair access.

The official @nestjs/throttler package makes NestJS API rate limiting straightforward. It caps requests per time window and returns 429 Too Many Requests when a client exceeds the limit. Install it with your favorite package manager:

npm i @nestjs/throttler
yarn add @nestjs/throttler
pnpm add @nestjs/throttler

Basic configuration NestJS throttler

Let’s start with setting a global limit that applies to all routes. For many apps, a safe starting point is 100 requests per minute per IP. You can adjust based on your traffic patterns and practices. Modify app module like below:

import { Module } from '@nestjs/common';
import { APP_GUARD } from '@nestjs/core';
import { ThrottlerGuard, ThrottlerModule } from '@nestjs/throttler';

@Module({
  imports: [
    ThrottlerModule.forRoot({
      ttl: 60,
      limit: 100,
    }),
  ],
  providers: [
    {
      provide: APP_GUARD,
      useClass: ThrottlerGuard,
    },
  ],
})
export class AppModule {}

After this, any client that sends over 100 requests in 60 seconds to your API will receive 429. That’s a clean, effective way to implement rate limiting nestjs-wide with one guard.

Advanced configuration and customization

Let’s take our example furthers with adding some custom configurations. Think of a login route that should be strict, a webhook that must stay open, or a premium user who deserves higher limits. Throttler lets you tailor behavior to match real usage.

import { Controller, Post } from '@nestjs/common';
import { Throttle, SkipThrottle } from '@nestjs/throttler';

@Controller('auth')
export class AuthController {
  @Throttle(5, 60)
  @Post('login')
  login() {
    return { ok: true };
  }

  @SkipThrottle()
  @Post('webhook')
  webhook() {
    return { received: true };
  }
}

Here, it sets tighter limit for sensitive endpoints and skip limits for trusted ones.

If your users authenticate, you can rate-limit by user ID or API key. This keeps shared networks fair and avoids penalizing multiple users behind the same IP.

import { Injectable } from '@nestjs/common';
import { ThrottlerGuard } from '@nestjs/throttler';

@Injectable()
export class UserThrottlerGuard extends ThrottlerGuard {
  protected getTracker(req: any): string {
    return req.user?.id ?? req.ip;
  }
}

This approach is idle for services with limiting each endpoints for specific limits. For example, you are providing image compression service via API. Here you can configure something like premium user gets more request per minute.

Conclusion

You can Secure Your NestJS API Using Rate Limiting with Throttler in minutes. It starts with a global guard, then fine-tunes limits per route, user, or environment. It’s these controls that, as traffic grows, will keep abuse out, protect uptime, and strengthen NestJS security without hurting honest users. Add Rate Limiting to NestJS API today and give your platform a simple, reliable shield against spikes and bots.