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Networking Advanced

What is Token Bucket Algorithm?

A rate limiting algorithm that allows burst traffic by accumulating tokens at a fixed rate and consuming them per request.

The token bucket fills with tokens at a constant rate (e.g., 10 tokens/second) up to a maximum capacity. Each request consumes one token. If the bucket is empty, requests are rejected or queued. When traffic is low, tokens accumulate, allowing controlled bursts.

This is more flexible than fixed-rate limiting because it handles bursty traffic naturally. It is used in network traffic shaping, API rate limiting, and cloud services. Variations include the leaky bucket algorithm which enforces a strict constant rate.

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