Geocod.io, a geocoding service, is modifying its free tier to combat abuse and ensure its long-term sustainability. Due to a significant increase in usage, including malicious activity like automated queries and denial-of-service attacks, they are implementing stricter rate limits. The new free tier will be limited to 2,500 queries per day, and exceeding this limit will result in a 402 error requiring users to upgrade to a paid plan. They are also strengthening their bot detection measures and emphasizing their commitment to providing a reliable and accessible service for legitimate free tier users while protecting their resources from exploitation.
Geocod.io, a provider of geocoding services, has released a detailed explanation of recent changes to their free tier, driven by the necessity to combat escalating abuse and ensure the sustainability of this complimentary offering. The company elucidates the increasing strain placed upon their infrastructure due to a surge in automated queries, often exceeding reasonable usage patterns and indicative of exploitative practices. This abuse not only negatively impacts the performance and availability of the service for legitimate free tier users but also infringes upon the fair usage principles upon which the free tier was founded.
The post meticulously outlines the specific measures implemented to mitigate this abuse, primarily focusing on stricter rate limiting. Previously, the free tier operated on a less stringent rate limit, allowing for a higher volume of queries per unit of time. However, the rampant misuse necessitated a reduction in this limit to curb excessive and automated access. Geocod.io emphasizes that this adjustment is not intended to penalize legitimate users but rather to protect the free tier's viability against automated exploitation and ensure its continued availability for those adhering to the intended usage parameters.
Furthermore, the company underscores its commitment to transparency and communication, detailing their efforts to inform users about these changes. They explain that they proactively reached out to users identified as potentially exceeding the revised rate limits, providing guidance and support to transition to a paid plan if their usage requirements necessitate a higher volume of requests. Geocod.io also highlights their dedication to maintaining a robust and accessible free tier for genuine users, recognizing its value for educational purposes, small projects, and initial experimentation with their services. They articulate a desire to foster a sustainable ecosystem where the free tier remains a valuable resource without being compromised by abusive practices. Finally, they reaffirm their commitment to ongoing evaluation and refinement of their policies to ensure the free tier's long-term viability and accessibility for legitimate users while effectively deterring abuse.
Summary of Comments ( 10 )
https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43125875
Hacker News users generally supported the author's efforts to combat abuse of their free tier geocoding service. Several commenters shared their own experiences with similar issues, highlighting the prevalence of abuse and the difficulty in balancing free access with sustainable operation. Some suggested alternative mitigation strategies, including stricter rate limiting, requiring API keys even for free users, and offering a low-cost paid tier with more generous limits. One commenter pointed out the potential legal ramifications of storing user IP addresses, urging the author to ensure compliance with GDPR and other privacy regulations. Another noted the apparent contradiction in blocking VPNs while using Cloudflare, a service often used to bypass such blocks. Overall, the discussion focused on the challenges faced by developers offering free services and the need for effective abuse prevention measures.
The Hacker News post "Keeping our free tier sustainable by preventing abuse" discussing the linked Geocod.io blog post has several comments exploring the challenges of offering a free tier and strategies for mitigating abuse.
One commenter points out the inherent difficulty in balancing free access with preventing exploitation, noting that genuinely free services are often magnets for abuse. They suggest that a freemium model, while potentially impacting legitimate free users, might be a more sustainable approach in the long run. This commenter also raises the idea of using a CAPTCHA system, acknowledging its inconvenience but highlighting its effectiveness as a deterrent.
Another commenter discusses the abuse vector of users signing up for multiple free accounts. They propose tying accounts to credit cards, even without charging them, as a way to increase the friction of creating numerous accounts. This, they argue, would make it less appealing for those looking to circumvent usage limits.
The issue of bulk downloads and automated scraping is addressed by another comment, suggesting the implementation of rate limiting, especially for unauthenticated users. This would throttle excessive requests and prevent automated systems from overwhelming the service.
One user questions the effectiveness of a pure CAPTCHA system, suggesting that determined abusers could bypass them using services designed to solve CAPTCHAs. They propose incorporating additional measures like analyzing usage patterns to identify and flag suspicious activity.
There's a discussion about the impact on open-source projects, with one user expressing concern about the challenges faced by maintainers of free and open-source software (FOSS) who rely on donated infrastructure and resources. They suggest exploring alternative funding models like community-supported infrastructure.
Finally, some commenters share their experiences with similar abuse issues on their own platforms and offer suggestions like requiring email verification and utilizing publicly available blocklists of known abusive IP addresses.
Overall, the comments section reflects a general understanding and sympathy for the challenges Geocod.io faces. The discussion provides a range of practical suggestions for mitigating abuse while attempting to maintain accessibility for legitimate free tier users.