As the Google Docs API is a shared service, we apply quotas and limitations to make sure it's used fairly by all users and to protect the overall health of the Google Workspace system.
If you exceed a quota, you'll generally receive a
429: Too many requests
HTTP status code response. If this happens, you should use an
exponential backoff algorithm and try again
later.
The following table details the request limits:
| Quotas | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Read requests |
|
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| Write requests |
|
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Resolve time-based quota errors
For all time-based errors (maximum of N requests per X minutes), we recommend your code catches the exception and uses a truncated exponential backoff to make sure your devices don't generate excessive load.
Exponential backoff is a standard error handling strategy for network applications. An exponential backoff algorithm retries requests using exponentially increasing wait times between requests, up to a maximum backoff time. If requests are still unsuccessful, it's important that the delays between requests increase over time until the request is successful.
Example algorithm
An exponential backoff algorithm retries requests exponentially, increasing the wait time between retries up to a maximum backoff time. For example:
- Make a request to Google Docs API.
- If the request fails, wait 1 +
random_number_millisecondsand retry the request. - If the request fails, wait 2 +
random_number_millisecondsand retry the request. - If the request fails, wait 4 +
random_number_millisecondsand retry the request. - And so on, up to a
maximum_backofftime. - Continue waiting and retrying up to some maximum number of retries, but don't increase the wait period between retries.
where:
- The wait time is
min(((2^n)+random_number_milliseconds), maximum_backoff), withnincremented by 1 for each iteration (request). random_number_millisecondsis a random number of milliseconds less than or equal to 1,000. This helps to avoid cases in which many clients are synchronized by some situation and all retry at once, sending requests in synchronized waves. The value ofrandom_number_millisecondsis recalculated after each retry request.maximum_backoffis typically 32 or 64 seconds. The appropriate value depends on the use case.
The client can continue retrying after it has reached the maximum_backoff time.
Retries after this point don't need to continue increasing backoff time. For
example, if a client uses a maximum_backoff time of 64 seconds, then after reaching
this value, the client can retry every 64 seconds. At some point,
clients should be prevented from retrying indefinitely.
The wait time between retries and the number of retries depend on your use case and network conditions.
Pricing
All use of the Google Docs API is available at no additional cost. Exceeding the quota request limits doesn't incur extra charges and your account is not billed.
Request a quota increase
Depending on your project's resource usage, you might want to request a quota increase. API calls by a service account are considered to be using a single account. Applying for an increased quota doesn't guarantee approval. Large quota increases can take longer to be approved.
Not all projects have the same quotas. As you increasingly use Google Cloud over time, your quotas might need to increase. If you expect a notable upcoming increase in usage, you can proactively request quota adjustments from the Quotas page in the Google Cloud console.
To learn more, see the following resources: