Rate Limits

Rate limits are per client_id. Exceeding a limit returns HTTP 429 Too Many Requests.

• Play stream requests: 15,000 per 24-hour window
• Applies to: /tracks/:id/stream
• Global aggregate limit: not currently enforced
• Client Credentials tokens: 50 per 12 hours per app, 30 per hour per IP (see Authentication in the API Guide)

All rate limits on the SoundCloud API are calculated against a client application's client ID.

Global Rate Limit

No limit is currently enforced on the total number of calls a client application makes in aggregate.

Rate Limit on Play Requests

Requests that result in access to a playable stream are limited to 15,000 per 24-hour window. This applies to all requests made to /tracks/:id/stream.

A new time window starts from the first request after the previous window expires.

Most SoundCloud API rate limits use 24-hour time windows.

Reaching Rate Limits

Exceeding an API rate limit returns an HTTP 429 Too Many Requests response. The response body is a JSON object containing details about the rate limit reached and when it resets.

Example error response for the play-request rate limit:

{
  "errors": [
    {
      "meta": {
        "rate_limit": {
          "group": "plays",
          "max_nr_of_requests": 15000,
          "time_window": "PT24H"
         },
         "remaining_requests": 0,
         "reset_time": "2015/06/01 09:49:40 +0000"
      }
    }
  ]
}

When multiple rate limits have been exceeded, the JSON API error response includes the following fields: