In the context of MikroTik devices and their RouterOS operating system, rate limiting refers to the process of controlling the amount of network traffic sent or received on a network interface over a given period.

This is done to effectively manage bandwidth and ensure that network resources are distributed equally or according to specific policies.

The “rate limit” is, therefore, the specific limit imposed on traffic, generally measured in bits per second (bps) for data traffic, or in packets per second (pps) for control or network management traffic. .

Uses of Rate Limiting in MikroTik:

• Bandwidth Control: Rate limiting is commonly used to control the bandwidth allocated to users or devices on the network, ensuring that no user or service consumes more bandwidth than allocated and avoiding network saturation.
• Quality of Service (QoS): In QoS scenarios, rate limiting allows certain types of traffic to be prioritized over others, ensuring that critical services, such as voice over IP (VoIP) or video conferencing, have sufficient bandwidth and low latency.
• DDoS Attack Prevention: By limiting the allowed traffic rate to or from specific IP addresses or interfaces, MikroTik devices can help mitigate the effects of distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks.
• Network Traffic Management: Helps manage the flow of traffic on the network, especially on congested or limited links, distributing available bandwidth more efficiently.

How to Implement Rate Limiting in MikroTik:

Rate limiting in MikroTik RouterOS can be implemented in several ways, depending on the specific objective:

• Simple Queue: Allows you to create queues to control bandwidth on specific interfaces, IP addresses, or even individual traffic flows. You can specify the maximum bandwidth allowed (rate limit) for incoming and/or outgoing traffic.
• Queue Tree: Offers a more flexible and advanced way of organizing rate limiting using a hierarchical queue structure. This is useful for implementing complex QoS policies.
• Mangle Firewall: This feature is used to mark data packets for further processing by other rules or queues. It can be used in conjunction with Queue Tree to apply rate limiting to specific traffic flows based on criteria such as IP addresses, ports, or protocols.
• HTB (Hierarchical Token Bucket): HTB is an algorithm used by queues in RouterOS to manage bandwidth efficiently. Allows allocation of minimum bandwidth guarantees and excess bandwidth usage in a hierarchical structure.

Implementing rate limiting correctly can help optimize bandwidth utilization, improve user experience, and protect the network from unwanted or malicious traffic.

It is important to carefully plan your rate limiting strategy and adjust it according to the specific needs of your network and the capabilities of your MikroTik devices.