rate-limiter-middleware

A simple and flexible rate-limiting middleware for Node.js that supports both Redis and in-memory storage. This package can be used to limit the number of requests made by users within a certain time frame, preventing abuse and protecting your application from being overwhelmed by traffic.

Features

• Redis-based rate limiting (for distributed systems)
• In-memory rate limiting (for local environments)
• Customizable limit and window duration
• Middleware integration with Express.js
• Easy setup and usage

Installation

Install the package via npm:

npm install @wah33d/rate-limiter-middleware

Usage

You can use the middleware in two modes: Redis and In-memory.

Example File Structure

.
├── src
│   ├── middleware
│   │   └── rateLimiter.ts
│   └── server.ts
└── example
    └── exampleServer.ts

1. In-memory rate limiting

// src/middleware/rateLimiter.ts
import rateLimiter from "@wah33d/rate-limiter-middleware";

const limiter = rateLimiter({
  limit: 100, // Limit of requests
  window: 60 * 1000, // Time window in milliseconds (1 minute)
});

export default limiter;

// src/server.ts
import express from "express";
import limiter from "./middleware/rateLimiter";

const app = express();

app.use(limiter); // Apply rate limiting middleware to all routes

app.get("/", (req, res) => {
  res.send("Welcome! You are within rate limits.");
});

app.listen(3000, () => {
  console.log("Server is running on port 3000");
});

2. Redis-based rate limiting

For Redis-based rate limiting, make sure you have Redis installed and running. You will also need the redis package.

npm install redis

// src/middleware/rateLimiter.ts
import rateLimiter from "@wah33d/rate-limiter-middleware";
import Redis from "redis";

// Initialize Redis client
const redisClient = Redis.createClient({
  url: "redis://localhost:6379",
});

const limiter = rateLimiter({
  limit: 100, // Limit of requests
  window: 60 * 1000, // Time window in milliseconds (1 minute)
  redisClient, // Redis client for distributed rate limiting
});

export default limiter;

3. Example Application

// example/exampleServer.ts
import express from "express";
import limiter from "../src/middleware/rateLimiter";

const app = express();

// Apply rate limiter middleware
app.use(limiter);

app.get("/", (req, res) => {
  res.send("Rate limit applied. Welcome!");
});

app.listen(3000, () => {
  console.log("Example server running on port 3000");
});

Configuration

The rateLimiter function accepts the following options:

| Option | Type | Default | Description | | ------------- | ------------- | ---------------------------------------------- | --------------------------------------------------------- | | limit | number | 60 | Maximum number of requests allowed within the time window | | window | number | 60000 | Time window in milliseconds (default is 60 seconds) | | redisClient | RedisClient | null | An optional Redis client for distributed rate limiting | | message | string | "Too many requests, please try again later." | Custom message for when the limit is exceeded |

In-Memory Example:

const limiter = rateLimiter({
  limit: 50, // 50 requests
  window: 30000, // 30 seconds
});

Redis Example:

const limiter = rateLimiter({
  limit: 100, // 100 requests
  window: 60 * 1000, // 1 minute
  redisClient, // Redis client for distributed storage
});

Custom Error Message

You can specify a custom error message when the request limit is exceeded:

const limiter = rateLimiter({
  limit: 100,
  window: 60000,
  message: "Too many requests from this IP, please try again after 1 minute.",
});

Redis Configuration

If you use Redis for distributed rate limiting, ensure your Redis server is running and configured properly. You can pass the redisClient as part of the options.

import Redis from "redis";

const redisClient = Redis.createClient({
  url: "redis://localhost:6379",
});

const limiter = rateLimiter({
  limit: 100,
  window: 60000,
  redisClient, // Pass the Redis client
});

Example Application

To run the example server:

1. Clone the repository
2. Install dependencies:

npm install

3. Navigate to the example folder:

cd example

4. Run the example server:

node exampleServer.js

License

This project is licensed under the MIT License.

This `README.md` provides details on installation, configuration, and examples for using your `rate-limiter-middleware` package. You can further adjust it to match your specific use cases!