New API Rate Limiter

Summary

Zoom announced an updated V2 REST API Rate Limiter launching in March 2020 to replace its previous one-size-fits-all throttling system. Rather than applying uniform constraints across all subscription tiers, the new framework cross-references customer Account Types against API Request Groups categorized by infrastructure importance and load intensity. While most API rate limits are increasing, resource-intensive Dashboard APIs are reduced from 1 request per second to 6 or 12 requests per minute depending on account level. Throttled HTTP 429 responses will return X-RateLimit-Reset timestamps for per-minute limits and ISO8601 Retry-After timestamps for per-day limits. Additionally, the system introduces lock-key restrictions on specific user identifier path variables to restrict concurrency and enforce daily meeting creation caps.

Takeaways

1. 1

   The new rate limits cross-reference two logical Zoom plan Account Types with API Request Groups structured by load intensity and infrastructure impact.

2. 2

   Throttled responses supply X-RateLimit-Reset epoch seconds for per-minute quotas and ISO8601 Retry-After timestamps for per-day quotas when X-RateLimit-Remaining reaches zero.

3. 3

   Lock-key rules enforce specific route restrictions, such as capping daily meeting creations or updates at 100 per user and blocking concurrent mutations on user endpoints.