The new throttle does not differentiate between programmatic API requests and requests made by a browser while viewing a Stack Exchange site.


This is a *very* serious issue.

The implication is that every app written against the API must warn the user not to view any Stack Exchange site while using (or 5 seconds before or after starting) the app or complete app and browsing failure could result.

Given the 'if you violate the throttle you, the response is undefined as are the consequences which could include being banned for an indeterminant period of time' (paraphrased, correct me if I am wrong) specification, this is best avoided.

Some have gone to extraordinary lengths to comply with the published throttle guidance, which I am not sure is yet accurate, and to lump the end-user's browsing activity in with the throttle quota is an impossible criteria to manage.

This behaviour was introduced with the new throttle and I can only assume that this is an oversight and hope that it will be resolved.


The obvious solution is to separate http://api.xxxx and http://xxxx requests from each IP into distinct quota buckets.