AI API Rate Limit Calculator

OpenAI limits by Requests Per Minute (RPM), Tokens Per Minute (TPM), and sometimes Requests Per Day (RPD). Limits vary by model and tier. GPT-4o on Tier 1: 500 RPM, 30K TPM. Tier 5: 10K RPM, 2M TPM. Check platform.openai.com/docs/guides/rate-limits for your current tier.

Implement exponential backoff with jitter: wait 1s, retry; if fails wait 2s, then 4s, etc. Use a token bucket or semaphore to cap concurrent requests. For batch workloads, use the Batch API (OpenAI) which has 50% higher limits at 50% lower cost.

OpenAI's Batch API processes requests within 24 hours at 50% discount. Use it for: offline processing (embeddings, classification), datasets, nightly reports. Batch API has separate, higher limits. Not suitable for real-time user-facing features.

Workers = (target_throughput_req/s × avg_latency_sec). If you need 10 req/s and each takes 3 seconds, you need ~30 concurrent workers. Add 20-30% headroom for variance. Ensure your RPM limit ≥ workers × 60 / avg_latency_sec.