Request Quota Explained: Why duration × RPS Matters
Loadcurl gates usage with request quota on the current workspace plan — not a separate credit pack. The number that surprises people most is the start hold:
Hold ≈ duration (seconds) × target RPS (minimum 1)
Understanding that formula prevents failed starts and “where did my quota go?” moments.
The four quota buckets
| Bucket | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Allotted | Requests granted for this billing period |
| Used | Consumed by settled tests |
| Held | Reserved for runs that started but have not settled |
| Available | What you can still reserve for a new test |
You see the same wallet on the header quota chip, Dashboard, and Usage (/wallet). Plan (/billing) is where you recharge or upgrade via Razorpay.
Why multiply duration × RPS?
A test configured for 200 RPS over 600 seconds can attempt up to about 120,000 requests. Loadcurl holds that amount up front so two teammates cannot over-commit the same monthly pool.
If available is too low, start is blocked and you get an insufficient quota error.
What happens after the run?
- When the report is ready, actual hits are consumed and unused hold is returned
- Stop on a live run (or a failed run without a usable report) releases the hold
- Hold states you may see on the run page: Reserved / Consumed / Returned (HELD, SETTLED, or RELEASED)
Worked examples
| Duration | RPS | Hold |
|---|---|---|
| 60s | 10 | 600 |
| 300s | 100 | 30,000 |
| 600s | 200 | 120,000 |
| 120s | 1,000 | 120,000 |
Smoke tests are cheap. Launch rehearsals are not — check Usage first.
What quota is not
- Not a substitute for max RPS and max duration plan caps on the composer
- Not carried over when the billing period ends — unused requests expire
- Not per-user in a company workspace — the team shares one pool
Personal quota stays in the personal workspace until you convert to a company.
Practical tips
- Estimate hold before Start:
duration × RPS - Prefer shorter smokes while debugging the request shape
- Stop early if the run is clearly invalid — release unused hold
- Recharge or upgrade on Plan when Available is tight
- Members can view Usage; Owner/Admin check out
Related reading
Related posts
Browse allMetrics & SLOs · RPS
How Many Requests Do I Need for a Meaningful Load Test?
Estimate how many total requests make a load test meaningful using duration × RPS, warmup, percentile stability, and Loadcurl quota holds.
Metrics & SLOs · RPS
How to Calculate RPS for API Load Testing
Learn how to estimate target requests per second for API load tests using traffic data, concurrency, and peak factors — with safe starting profiles.
Metrics & SLOs · p99
What Causes High p99 Latency in APIs?
Common causes of high API p99 latency under load — queues, pools, GC, locks, dependencies — and how to confirm them with load-test reports.