Root Cause

• API rate limit exceeded: Too many requests were sent to the gateway API in a short time, surpassing the allowed threshold. Each gateway would have a limit on number of API requests allowed per second, minute, hour. On breaching these limits, this error is thrown.

• Spikes in Traffic: Unforeseen increases in traffic can temporarily overwhelm a service and cause it to trigger rate limits.

• Inefficient retry mechanisms: Automated retry logic caused repeated number of API requests, contributing to the rate limit breach.

Troubleshooting and Solutions

• Review API integration to ensure proper handling of rate limits.

• Use request queuing to manage traffic spikes and ensure a steady flow of requests.

• If higher limits are consistently required for valid usecases, contact the payment gateway to request an increase in the rate limit.