Skip to main content

Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions about the LimesIndex API and its usage.

General Questions​

What is LimesIndex?​

LimesIndex is an IP intelligence API that provides comprehensive information about IP addresses. Current MVP capabilities include:

  • ASN (Autonomous System Number) information
  • Country-level geolocation data
  • Datacenter and cloud provider detection
  • VPN, proxy, and Tor detection
  • AI crawler/bot identification
  • Threat scoring

Roadmap: Phone number intelligence is planned for a future release.

How accurate is the data?​

Our data is sourced from multiple authoritative sources and is updated regularly:

  • ASN data: 99.9%+ accuracy, sourced from RIRs (Regional Internet Registries)
  • Geolocation: Country-level accuracy of 99%+
  • Datacenter detection: 95%+ accuracy
  • VPN/Proxy detection: 90%+ accuracy
  • AI Crawler detection: 95%+ accuracy for known crawlers

How often is the data updated?​

  • ASN/RIR data: Daily updates
  • Datacenter ranges: Weekly updates
  • VPN/Proxy lists: Daily updates
  • AI Crawler data: Weekly updates
  • Threat intelligence: Real-time to hourly updates

What IP address formats are supported?​

We support both IPv4 and IPv6 addresses:

  • IPv4: 8.8.8.8, 192.168.1.1
  • IPv6: 2001:4860:4860::8888, ::1

IP addresses are normalized in responses (e.g., leading zeros removed).

API Usage​

How do I get an API key?​

  1. Create an account at dashboard.limesindex.com
  2. Verify your email address
  3. Navigate to Settings > API Keys
  4. Click Create New API Key

See Authentication for detailed instructions.

What are the rate limits?​

Rate limits depend on your subscription tier:

TierRequests/MinuteRequests/DayBatch Size
Free601,00010
Starter30010,000100
Pro1,000100,000500
Enterprise5,000Unlimited1,000

See Rate Limiting for more details.

Does the batch endpoint count as one request?​

Yes! A batch request to /v1/ip/batch counts as a single request against your rate limit, regardless of how many IPs are in the batch (up to the batch size limit).

How do I handle rate limiting?​

Monitor these response headers:

  • X-RateLimit-Remaining: Requests left in the current window
  • X-RateLimit-Reset: When the limit resets (Unix timestamp)
  • Retry-After: Seconds to wait when rate limited (on 429 responses)

See our code examples in Rate Limiting.

Is there a test/sandbox environment?​

All API keys access the same data and have rate limits based on your subscription tier. For development and testing, we recommend using a dedicated API key that you can revoke or rotate separately from your production key.

Detection Features​

How does datacenter detection work?​

We maintain a comprehensive database of IP ranges belonging to:

  • Major cloud providers (AWS, GCP, Azure, etc.)
  • Hosting companies
  • Colocation facilities
  • CDN providers

When an IP matches one of these ranges, is_datacenter is set to true.

What cloud providers do you detect?​

We detect major cloud providers including:

  • Amazon Web Services (AWS)
  • Google Cloud Platform (GCP)
  • Microsoft Azure
  • Cloudflare
  • DigitalOcean
  • Linode/Akamai
  • OVHcloud
  • Hetzner
  • Vultr
  • Oracle Cloud
  • IBM Cloud
  • Alibaba Cloud

And many more. The cloud_provider field contains the provider name when detected.

How does VPN detection work?​

We identify VPN endpoints through:

  • Known VPN provider IP ranges
  • Behavioral analysis
  • Community reports
  • Commercial VPN provider partnerships

Note: VPN detection is probabilistic. Some legitimate users may appear as VPN users.

How do you detect AI crawlers?​

We maintain a database of IP ranges used by AI companies for web crawling:

  • OpenAI (GPTBot, ChatGPT-User)
  • Anthropic (ClaudeBot)
  • Google (Google-Extended)
  • Meta (Meta-ExternalAgent)
  • Common Crawl (CCBot)
  • And others

When detected, is_ai_crawler is true and ai_company contains the company name.

What does the threat score mean?​

The threat score is a 0-100 value indicating risk level:

ScoreLevelMeaning
0-24LowNo significant risk
25-49MediumSome risk factors present
50-74HighSignificant risk factors
75-100CriticalKnown malicious activity

The explanation array provides reasons for the score.

Technical Questions​

What is the API response time?​

Typical response times:

  • Cached requests: 1-5ms
  • Uncached requests: 5-20ms
  • Batch requests: 10-50ms (depending on size)

Check the processing_time_ms field in the response meta.

Is there caching?​

Yes, we use multi-layer caching:

  • Edge caching via CDN
  • Application-level caching

The cache_status field indicates HIT (cached) or MISS (fresh lookup).

You can also implement client-side caching. IP intelligence data changes infrequently, so caching for 1-24 hours is usually appropriate.

What happens if an IP isn't in your database?​

For single IP lookups (/v1/ip/{ip}), you'll receive a 404 response with code NOT_FOUND.

For batch lookups, IPs not found are simply omitted from the results. Always check if your queried IP exists in the response.

How do I look up my own IP?​

To look up the client's IP, you'll need to determine it first (the API requires an explicit IP parameter). Common approaches:

  1. Use a separate "what is my IP" service
  2. Check the request's source IP on your server
  3. Use https://api.limesindex.com/v1/ip/me (if supported)

Do you support WebSocket or streaming?​

Currently, we only support REST API endpoints. For high-volume real-time use cases, consider:

  • Batch lookups for efficiency
  • Local caching of results
  • Contact us for Enterprise solutions

Account & Billing​

How do I upgrade my plan?​

  1. Log in to the Dashboard
  2. Go to Settings > Billing
  3. Select your desired plan
  4. Complete the payment process

Upgrades take effect immediately.

Can I downgrade my plan?​

Yes, you can downgrade at any time. The change takes effect at the start of your next billing cycle.

What payment methods do you accept?​

  • Credit/Debit cards (Visa, MasterCard, American Express)
  • PayPal
  • Wire transfer (Enterprise only)

Is there a free trial?​

Yes! The Free tier is available indefinitely with:

  • 1,000 requests per day
  • 60 requests per minute
  • Batch size of 10 IPs

Do unused requests roll over?​

No, rate limits reset at the end of each time window (minute/day). Unused requests do not accumulate.

Security​

How do I keep my API key secure?​

  • Never commit API keys to version control
  • Use environment variables
  • Rotate keys periodically
  • Use separate keys for development and production
  • Monitor usage in the dashboard

See Authentication for detailed guidance.

Is the API encrypted?​

Yes, all API traffic uses HTTPS (TLS 1.2+). HTTP requests are automatically redirected to HTTPS.

Do you store the IPs I look up?​

We log requests for:

  • Rate limiting
  • Usage analytics
  • Abuse prevention

Logs are retained for 30 days. Contact us for Enterprise data handling agreements.

Is LimesIndex GDPR compliant?​

Yes. We process data in accordance with GDPR requirements. See our Privacy Policy for details.

Integration Help​

I'm getting 401 Unauthorized errors​

Common causes:

  1. Missing X-API-Key header
  2. Typo in the API key
  3. Using the wrong header name (it's X-API-Key, not Authorization)
  4. API key has been revoked

I'm getting 429 Too Many Requests​

You've exceeded your rate limit. Solutions:

  1. Wait for the limit to reset (check X-RateLimit-Reset)
  2. Implement exponential backoff
  3. Use batch lookups instead of individual requests
  4. Upgrade your plan

I'm getting 404 Not Found​

The IP address isn't in our database. This can happen for:

  • Private/reserved IP ranges (10.x.x.x, 192.168.x.x, etc.)
  • Very recently allocated IP ranges
  • Some IPv6 addresses

The detection results seem wrong​

Detection is probabilistic and may not be 100% accurate. If you find consistent inaccuracies:

  1. Check the IP is correct
  2. Verify against other sources
  3. Report the issue via the Dashboard

How do I report an issue?​

  1. Log in to the Dashboard
  2. Go to Support
  3. Submit a ticket with:
    • Your request ID (meta.request_id)
    • The IP address(es) in question
    • Expected vs. actual results

Getting More Help​

Documentation​

Support Channels​

Enterprise Support​

Enterprise customers have access to:

  • Dedicated support channel
  • SLA guarantees
  • Custom integrations
  • Onboarding assistance

Contact sales@limesindex.com for Enterprise inquiries.