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Override default rate limits for specific identifiers directly from the dashboard. No code changes or deploys needed — changes roll out globally in seconds.

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When to use this

VIP customers

Enterprise customers need higher limits than your default tier.

Partners & integrations

Integration partners building on your API need room to grow.

Throttle abusers

Reduce limits for suspicious users without blocking entirely.

Testing & debugging

Temporarily increase limits for specific test accounts.

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How it works

  1. You define default limits in your code
  2. Create overrides in the dashboard for specific identifiers
  3. When that identifier is rate limited, Unkey uses the override instead of the default
Override priority: Exact matches > Wildcard matches > Default limits

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Create an override

1

Go to your namespace

Click Ratelimit in the sidebar → select your namespace → Overrides tab.If you don’t have a namespace yet, create one first.
2

Add the override

New override form
Enter:
  • Identifier: The exact identifier or wildcard pattern
  • Limit: Custom request limit
  • Duration: Time window for the limit
3

Save

Click Override Identifier. Changes propagate globally within ~60 seconds (usually much faster).

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Example: Enterprise customer

Your default limit is 100 requests/minute. Acme Corp needs 10,000/minute.
IdentifierLimitDuration
acme-corp1000060s
Now when acme-corp hits your API, they get 10,000/min instead of 100/min.

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Wildcard patterns

Use * to match multiple identifiers at once.

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Examples

PatternMatches
*@acme.comalice@acme.com, bob@acme.com, api@acme.com
enterprise:*enterprise:123, enterprise:acme, enterprise:test
user_*_produser_123_prod, user_abc_prod

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Priority

Exact matches always win over wildcards:
OverrideLimit
*@acme.com500/min
ceo@acme.com10000/min
Result:
  • ceo@acme.com → 10,000/min (exact match)
  • anyone-else@acme.com → 500/min (wildcard match)
  • user@other.com → default limit
Wildcard override example

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Managing overrides via API

Create overrides programmatically: 
curl -X POST https://api.unkey.com/v2/ratelimits.setOverride \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $UNKEY_ROOT_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "namespaceId": "rl_...",
    "identifier": "enterprise:acme",
    "limit": 10000,
    "duration": 60000
  }'
This enables workflows like:
  • Automatically increasing limits when users upgrade
  • Syncing limits from your billing system
  • Temporary increases during promotions

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Common patterns

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Tier-based limits

free:*        → 100/min
pro:*         → 1000/min  
enterprise:*  → 10000/min
Use prefixed identifiers in your code: ${plan}:${userId}

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Domain-based limits

*@bigcustomer.com  → 5000/min
*@partner.io       → 2000/min

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Temporary boost

Need to give someone extra capacity for a demo or migration? Add an override, then remove it when done. No code changes needed.

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Removing overrides

Delete an override from the dashboard or API. The identifier immediately falls back to default limits (or the next matching wildcard).

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Next steps

How it works

Understand rate limiting architecture

Multi-ratelimits

Configure multiple limits per key
Last modified on February 6, 2026