Take charge of your API usage with Smarty’s key management features
Ever wondered, “Where did all my lookups go?!” Without proper API management, you may burn through your lookups quicker, experience runaway code, and encounter unexpected usage.
That’s why Smarty created usage by key (included in all annual plans), limit by key, and rate limit by key (included in some plans; you can add them by contacting sales) for its APIs.
Why key management matters
Common API usage challenges (problems to solve):
- Unexpected spikes in lookups
- Difficulty tracking specific key usage
- Which keys are calling which Smarty license
- Need for better control over API consumption
- Difficulty allocating Smarty lookups across an organization
With Smarty's key management features, you gain more control by having better visibility of your usage, eliminating the element of surprise (you know, the bad kind, like when you’re suddenly out of lookups).
Usage by key (API usage reporting)
Usage by key is a report that allows you to track lookup usage per key, providing insights into individual key activity and Smarty license access. It helps you monitor and manage API consumption per key, optimize costs, detect anomalies (like runaway code), and allocate resources effectively. In other words, you can see exactly which key is doing what and when.
Usage by key is included in every Smarty annual subscription for every API product.
To access usage reports by key
- Log in to your Smarty account and navigate to the API Key section.
- Locate the “Usage by Key” button, select a single key or all keys, a date range, and export the report.
You can run a usage report showing every key to see which lookups are used and when.
The report includes the key, label, license, day (per hour), and look-ups (count per hour). It lets you see how you’re using/consuming Smarty APIs for reporting and investigating.
Limit by key (usage caps)
Lookup limits control the total number of lookups a key can perform (quantity), while rate limits control how quickly requests can be sent (throughput).
By setting a limit on a key, you can enhance your security. Instead of creating multiple accounts to manage lookup limits, you can set a limit on the number of lookups per key and manage them all from one place.
The account owner can modify, remove, or reset the limit at any time, so you’re always in control.
Limit by key may already be included in your plan(s) (if it is, you’ll see the button and can then run the report). If you want to add the limit by key capability, contact your Customer Success Manager or Account Executive.
With limit by key, you can also set lookup caps to prevent overuse. That means:
- No more runaway code eating up your number of address lookups
- No more partners or team members going overboard
- No more surprise usage spikes—or awkward conversations with the finance team
Rate limits by key (request speed control)
Rate limit by key allows you to control how many API requests a specific key can send per second. This helps prevent a single application, integration, or partner from overwhelming your system or consuming excessive API capacity.
With rate limits, you can:
- Prevent traffic spikes from runaway code
- Control request speed for different applications
- Allocate API capacity across teams or integrations
- Protect your APIs from excessive traffic
For example, if you set a rate limit of 500 requests per second, requests above that rate may receive a 429 Too Many Requests response until the request volume drops below the configured limit.
It’s like traffic control for your APIs, keeping everything running smoothly, even when usage increases.
Like lookup limits, rate limits can be configured in your Smarty account under the API Key Management section in the dashboard.
Smarty’s API management features give you more control and better visibility into your usage—so there are no more mysteries, no more surprises, and far fewer “Where did all our lookups go?” moments.
