Simple Functions
GLOSSARY/INFRASTRUCTURE

Rate Limiting

Rate limiting restricts how many API requests you can make in a given time window. Kalshi allows about 10 requests per second; SimpleFunctions handles rate limit management automatically.

CLI:sf rate-limits

Why Rate Limits Exist

API rate limits protect servers from being overwhelmed and ensure fair access for all users. Every prediction market API has them:

  • Kalshi: ~10 requests/second for authenticated endpoints
  • Polymarket: Varies by endpoint, generally 60 requests/minute
  • SimpleFunctions: Tiered by plan (free: 100/min, pro: 1000/min)

What Happens When You Hit a Limit

When you exceed the rate limit, the API returns a 429 (Too Many Requests) response with a Retry-After header telling you how long to wait.

How SimpleFunctions Handles Rate Limits

The CLI and API client handle rate limiting automatically:

  1. Request queuing: If you fire 20 requests, the client queues them and sends at the maximum allowed rate
  2. Backoff: On a 429 response, the client waits the specified duration before retrying
  3. Batching: Multiple small requests are combined into batch requests to reduce total request count
  4. Caching: Recent responses are cached to avoid redundant requests

Rate Limits and the Heartbeat

The heartbeat engine is designed to operate well within rate limits. A 30-minute heartbeat cycle uses approximately 5-10 API calls per thesis, well within any rate limit tier.

Monitoring Your Usage

sf rate-limits

Shows your current rate limit usage, remaining quota, and reset time for each API.

Example

sf rate-limits

API             Limit       Used    Remaining   Resets
SimpleFunctions 1000/min    42      958         in 18s
Kalshi          10/sec      3       7           in 0.3s
Polymarket      60/min      12      48          in 45s

Heartbeat usage (last cycle):
  SimpleFunctions: 8 requests
  Kalshi: 4 requests
  Polymarket: 2 requests
  Total: 14 requests per 30-minute cycle

At this rate, you can run ~70 theses simultaneously
before approaching rate limits.

Related Terms

Heartbeat

The heartbeat is the automated monitoring engine that periodically scans for new information, runs evaluation cycles, and triggers strategy actions. It keeps your thesis alive and responsive 24/7.

API Key

An API key is a secret token that authenticates your requests to SimpleFunctions and to prediction market venues (Kalshi, Polymarket). Each key has permissions and rate limits.

Delta API

The Delta API is a lightweight polling endpoint that returns only data that has changed since your last request. It minimizes bandwidth and processing by sending incremental updates rather than full snapshots.

Batch API

A batch API endpoint accepts multiple requests in a single HTTP call, reducing overhead and latency. SimpleFunctions supports batch market queries, batch edge calculations, and batch price checks.

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