Most often, we receive the AWS ThrottlingException error when we use the AWS Systems Manager Parameter Store.

Here, at Bobcares, we assist our customers with several AWS queries as part of our AWS Support Services.

Today, let us see how we can fix this error.

AWS ThrottlingException

The “ThrottlingException” error message indicates “Rate exceeded” and can be similar to one of the following:

An error occurred (ThrottlingException) when calling the GetParameters operation (reached max retries: 4): Rate exceeded

An error occurred (ThrottlingException) when calling the GetParameter operation (reached max retries: 4): Rate exceeded

An error occurred (ThrottlingException) when calling the GetParametersByPath operation (reached max retries: 4): Rate exceeded

An error occurred (ThrottlingException) when calling the DescribeParameters operation (reached max retries: 2): Rate exceeded

If the parameter Store API calls exceed the maximum allowed API request rate per account and per Region, it leads to the error.

Moving ahead, let us discuss the steps our Support Techs employ to troubleshoot the error.

• Troubleshooting Methods

To prevent or mitigate the errors, we try the following:

1. Reduce the frequency of API calls.
2. Use APIs such as GetParameters that return more than one value.
3. Stagger the intervals of the API calls not to run at the same time.
4. Implement error retries and exponential backoff while making API calls.
5. Increase Parameter Store throughput.

However, make note that increasing throughput incurs charges. We can increase it using the AWS Systems Manager console, the AWS CLI, or AWS Tools for Windows PowerShell.

To avoid errors, we make sure to use the most recent version of the AWS CLI.

• Request a service quota increase

Nevertheless, if the above steps fail, we can request a service quota increase.

Prior to submitting a request, we need to identify the API call and call rate.

To request a service quota increase for Parameter Store, our Support Techs recommend these steps:

1. Initially, we open the AWS Support Center, and select, Create case.
2. Then we select, Service limit increase.
3. For Limit Type, we select EC2 Systems Manager.
4. For Region, we select the AWS Region.
5. Then for Resource Type, we select Parameter Store.
6. Now we can select the Limit that we want to increase and enter the new value.
7. In the Use case description text box, we provide the time frame and the reason for the quota increase request.
8. Finally, we can select preferred contact options, and then click, Submit.

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Conclusion

In short, we saw how our Support Techs troubleshoot these errors for our customers.