# Fair-usage policy helodata is built on shared infrastructure — gateways, IP pools, support staff. Fair-usage protects everyone on the platform from outliers, and protects you from accidentally over-running resources. ## The short version * Run a normal business workload — you're fine. * Run a workload that disproportionately strains any shared resource — we'll reach out. * Run a workload that demonstrably damages the service for others — we'll throttle or suspend, and you'll get notified first. We've never silently suspended a customer for fair-usage. Communication first, action second. ## Specific guardrails ### Per-IP request rate (gateway products) We track requests per second per **exit IP** behind the scenes. A single sub-user firing 500 RPS through one sticky session is using one exit IP much harder than designed. We: * Surface this in your dashboard's **Statistics → Concurrency** panel * Email you when one IP exceeds 100 RPS sustained for >10 minutes * Throttle that IP at 200 RPS to prevent ISP-level retaliation against our pool Spread your traffic across more sessions to avoid this. ### Restricted target categories Detailed in [Restricted targets](/products/overview/restricted-targets.md). Trial accounts have an extra strict list; paid accounts can request exceptions for legitimate use cases. ### ISP IP replacement Free replacement up to 14 days from purchase, then 10% of batch per period. Replacing every IP every week defeats the "static" in ISP and forces us to over-provision the pool. Stay within the allowance or upgrade the batch quantity. ### Webhook delivery If we send a webhook to your endpoint and it fails: * 3 retries over 24 hours * If still failing, the webhook is disabled and we email you * Repeated re-enable + fail loops indicate your endpoint isn't really there — we'll pause until you confirm ### API polling Polling our API is fine, but polling **the same endpoint every second** when you could subscribe to a webhook or use `If-None-Match` is wasteful. We rate-limit and may further throttle endpoints with cheaper alternatives. ### Bulk operations Don't: * Create 10,000 sub-users in a loop (use one or a handful, with proper labels) * Place 100 separate ISP orders for 50 IPs each (place one for 5,000 IPs) * Replace IPs in a tight loop hoping for better ones (cool-off and ask support) Do: * Open a ticket if you have a legitimate need for unusual scale — we can usually accommodate with prior notice ## Service SLA (Pro+ plans) Our service SLA, where applicable: * **API**: 99.9% monthly uptime * **Gateway**: 99.9% monthly uptime * **Status page**: real-time at [status.helodata.com](https://status.helodata.com) SLA breaches result in service credits applied to the next invoice — see your plan's terms. ## What triggers a fair-usage review A combination of: * Per-IP RPS sustained > 100 for >10 minutes * Error rate from your traffic > 30% for >30 minutes (could indicate target rejection or abuse) * Abuse reports from target sites referencing your sub-user * ISP IP replacement requests > 20% of a batch in one week When triggered: 1. Email to the account owner with details 2. 3 business days to respond 3. Joint review: is this a legitimate workload pattern we can accommodate? 4. Outcome: adjustment to limits, plan upgrade recommendation, restriction, or all-clear ## What's not fair-usage Things that **aren't** governed by fair-usage: * High overall traffic, if it's within your plan and within per-IP norms * Many sub-users, if each is for a real purpose * Aggressive (but legal) scraping of allowed targets * Geographic diversity across many countries We don't punish scale — we punish patterns that damage the platform. ## How to stay clear * Read the [Choose a product](/getting-started/choose-a-product.md) guide and match the product to your pattern * Spread traffic across **multiple sessions** rather than hammering one IP * Use the [Statistics](/dashboard/statistics.md) dashboards to spot your own outliers before we do * Open a ticket when in doubt — we're happy to consult ## Contact Questions about fair-usage? **** (for abuse reports) or **** (for everything else). --- # Agent Instructions: Querying This Documentation If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation dynamically by asking a question. Perform an HTTP GET request on the current page URL with the `ask` query parameter: ``` GET https://docs.helodata.com/resources/fair-usage.md?ask= ``` The question should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language. The response will contain a direct answer to the question and relevant excerpts and sources from the documentation. Use this mechanism when the answer is not explicitly present in the current page, you need clarification or additional context, or you want to retrieve related documentation sections.