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Rate Limiting with Istio

Local and global rate limiting using Envoy filters and Redis-backed rate limit service to protect services from overload.

🎯Key Takeaways
Local rate limiting: per-Envoy, approximate across replicas
Global rate limiting: uses Redis rate limit service (accurate)
Configure via EnvoyFilter or Istio RateLimitPolicy

Rate Limiting with Istio

Local and global rate limiting using Envoy filters and Redis-backed rate limit service to protect services from overload.

~1 min read
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What you'll learn
  • Local rate limiting: per-Envoy, approximate across replicas
  • Global rate limiting: uses Redis rate limit service (accurate)
  • Configure via EnvoyFilter or Istio RateLimitPolicy

Istio Rate Limiting Patterns

Istio supports two rate limiting approaches: local (per-proxy, fast, no external dependency — approximate across replicas) and global (shared state via Redis rate limit service — accurate, requires Redis). Use local for protection; global for billing/quota enforcement.

Key takeaways

  • Local rate limiting: per-Envoy, approximate across replicas
  • Global rate limiting: uses Redis rate limit service (accurate)
  • Configure via EnvoyFilter or Istio RateLimitPolicy

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