Migrate high-traffic rate limiting blog post into product docs #920
Description
Background
The Rate Limiting in NGINX blog post was published in 2017 and no longer has a clear owner. Despite its age, the blog post continues to attract substantial traffic: over 2,200 clicks, a 5.78% click-through rate, and more than 50 percent engagement in a single day. It also ranks highly for common task-focused search queries like “nginx rate limit” and “nginx rate limiting,” both of which have click-through rates above 30 percent. This indicates that users are looking for practical implementation help, not just reading a blog post. It reinforces the need to move this content into the product documentation, where it can be maintained as part of the task-based docs set.
The related product documentation currently lives here:
https://docs.nginx.com/nginx/admin-guide/security-controls/controlling-access-proxied-http/
While the product doc includes directive references and basic configuration guidance (limit_req, limit_req_zone, etc.), the blog post contains more practical, task-based examples and real-world use cases (such as combining burst and delay, or two-stage limiting). These examples reflect real-world use cases that users commonly search for and need help implementing.
To ensure long-term accuracy and ownership, this content should be migrated into the official product documentation.
User stories
- As an NGINX user, I want rate limiting instructions that are current, accurate, and easy to find within the official product documentation.
- As a platform or infra engineer, I want complete examples of how to set up rate limiting for common use cases so I can apply it correctly and securely.
- As a support or success team member, I want to point customers to a single, authoritative resource that’s actively maintained.
Acceptance Criteria
- Merge the content of the blog post into the existing product documentation:
https://docs.nginx.com/nginx/admin-guide/security-controls/controlling-access-proxied-http/ - Update the documentation structure to follow a task-based format:
- Add clear H2 sections for common use cases (e.g., “Set Up Burst and Delay Limits”, “Apply Multiple Rate Limits”)
- Integrate and update examples from the blog post - Ensure all examples reflect current syntax and best practices
- Cross-link related directive reference pages (
limit_req,limit_req_zone,limit_conn) - Add or revise metadata (title, description) to reflect common user queries such as “nginx rate limit”
- Set up a 301 redirect from the blog URL to the updated documentation page
- Coordinate the redirect with the SEO/web team and monitor performance post-migration
Proposed updated doc title
Set Up Rate Limiting in NGINX