HTTP 429 in broker APIs: what it means, broker by broker
7 decoded error codes from 7 brokers and platforms return this status, and one general record gives the standard's meaning: 8 records on this page. The count is of records whose recorded HTTP status is 429. A search for the number 429 also finds records that only mention it in their code or meaning, so the error lookup can show more.
Risk warning: CFDs and spread bets are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage. You can lose money on these products, and each provider publishes its own loss figure under FCA rules. You should consider whether you understand how they work and whether you can afford to take the high risk of losing your money. Automated and API trading can amplify losses through bugs, connectivity failures and runaway orders.
What the status means in general
HTTP 429 is Too Many Requests. The user has sent too many requests in a given amount of time. The standard calls this rate limiting, says the reply should explain the condition, and says it may carry a Retry-After header giving how long to wait.
Each trading API sets its own limits: per key, per account, per session or per address, and often tighter for order requests than for reads. Polling prices in a loop is a common way to reach them. Not every API uses 429 for this: some report an exceeded allowance under another status with a code of their own.
Stop, wait, and send again more slowly. Honour Retry-After when it is present, otherwise wait longer after each refusal. Then lower the steady rate: keep a copy of what does not change, and use a streaming feed for prices where the API offers one.
The first paragraph is the standard's meaning in this site's words, with its source. The rest is this site's own explanation and describes no particular broker. HTTP 429 Too Many Requests on its own page.
The status alone is only the category. The code or message in the body of the reply is what tells you the cause, and that differs from one API to the next.
The decoded errors that return it
In order of broker name, then code. Each row links to the full meaning and the fix.
Capital.com
| Code | Meaning, first sentence | Source |
|---|---|---|
| error.too-many.requests | Request limit exceeded: 10 requests per second per user, 1 per second for POST /session per API key, and 1 per 0.1 s for position and order calls. | open-api.capital.comchecked |
DXtrade APIs
| Code | Meaning, first sentence | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 429 Too Many Requests | DXtrade REST API: The user sent too many requests in a given amount of time. | demo.dx.tradechecked |
eToro
| Code | Meaning, first sentence | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Rate limit exceeded | The rate limits page lists 60 requests a minute for reads and 20 for writes, per user key on a rolling minute. | api-portal.etoro.comchecked |
Interactive Brokers
| Code | Meaning, first sentence | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 429 Too Many Requests | On the Client Portal Web API, Interactive Brokers says that where a pacing limit is exceeded, the API returns a "429 Too Many Requests" exception (the vendor's wording). | interactivebrokers.github.iochecked |
OANDA
| Code | Meaning, first sentence | Source |
|---|---|---|
| HTTP 429 | OANDA returned HTTP 429 because requests arrived faster than it would accept them. | developer.oanda.comchecked |
Saxo OpenAPI
| Code | Meaning, first sentence | Source |
|---|---|---|
| HTTP 429 | Rate limit exceeded: 120 requests per minute per session per service group, 1 order per second per session, or 10,000,000 per day per app. | developer.saxochecked |
Trading 212
| Code | Meaning, first sentence | Source |
|---|---|---|
| HTTP 429 | Too many requests for this endpoint in the current period. | docs.trading212.comchecked |
Brokers and platforms not listed here have no decoded error recorded with this status. That describes this dataset, not their APIs.