Managing Function Call Frequency with the Throttle Decorator

The throttle decorator in Python is used to limit how frequently a function can be called. This is particularly useful for rate limiting to prevent a function from being called too often, which can be important for functions interacting with APIs or performing resource-intensive tasks.

NOTE: Django Rest Framework offers this feature internally

Implementation

Here's how you can implement a throttle decorator:

import time from functools import wraps

def throttle(seconds): def decorator(func): last_called = [0] @wraps(func) def wrapper(*args, **kwargs): elapsed = time.time() - last_called[0] if elapsed >= seconds: last_called[0] = time.time() return func(*args, **kwargs) else: print("Function call throttled") return wrapper return decorator

@throttle(5) def my_function(): print("Function called")

my_function() # Output: Function called time.sleep(2) my_function() # Output: Function call throttled time.sleep(5) my_function() # Output: Function called

Explanation

@throttle(seconds): This decorator limits function calls to once every specified number of seconds.
last_called: Tracks the last time the function was called to enforce the throttle.

Benefits

Rate Limiting: Prevents functions from being called too frequently, protecting resources.
Control: Ensures that resource-intensive functions do not overload the system.

Use Cases

API Requests: Limit the rate of requests to comply with API rate limits.
Resource Management: Control access to functions that perform heavy computations or database operations.

Conclusion

The throttle decorator is a valuable tool for managing the frequency of function calls, ensuring your application remains efficient and compliant with rate limits.

You can find more Python decorators here: