What Is Throttling? Balancing Performance and Resources

What Is Throttling

As much as I’d love to discuss the throttle mechanism in cars, we’re here to discuss a far more interesting concept: throttling in computer systems.

While a throttle body controls airflow into an automobile’s engine, resulting in increased power output and acceleration, throttling in the IT world has a limiting effect. It purposely slows down a system or service’s performance or speed.

You may wonder why and how throttling is useful, as IT innovation focuses on increasing performance and speed rather than limiting it. Throttling is one way to ensure impartial resource distribution. While it doesn’t sound glamorous, it’s effective.

For more context about throttling and its impact on IT, read on.

The Basics of Throttling

Throttling was developed in the early 2000s and evokes mixed emotions. While your internet service provider (ISP) may agree that throttling promotes the sharing of resources, it’s more synonymous with terms like “strangling” and “bottlenecking.”

It’s an often frustrating practice deemed necessary by service providers. For example, ISPs use bandwidth throttling to manage network traffic and alleviate congestion. In reality, though, many ISPs throttle bandwidth because they can’t meet the internet speed-related promises given to customers.

a diagram of throttled internet connection
Bandwidth throttling can cause slower internet speeds.

But not all is gloomy in the world of throttling. To give you a teaser, web hosts may implement bandwidth throttling in a shared server to ensure no one website can slow down the speed of others — this is despite many web hosts offering unlimited bandwidth with shared hosting plans.

Types of Throttling

So far, we’ve only explored bandwidth throttling, also known as network throttling. CPU throttling, API throttling, and data throttling are just as relevant.

Network Throttling

You already have a fair idea of what network throttling is. ISPs and network administrators use it to:

  • Manage network congestion during peak hours and ensure even resource distribution
  • Enforce a data cap on network users
  • Discourage illegal downloads
  • Reduce infrastructure costs (more bandwidth = more hardware resources)

They may also use it to encourage third-party service affiliations and incentivize broadband plan upgrades. For example, your ISP may prioritize traffic to any streaming services it has deals with.

CPU Throttling

CPU throttling, also known as dynamic frequency scaling, is common practice in modern processors and comes as an embedded mechanism.

CPU throttling is a power management technique that automatically decreases a processor’s clock speed based on actual needs. It helps conserve power and reduce heat dissipated by the CPU. While it reduces performance in practice, it’s vital to extending battery life.

You can easily adjust CPU throttling settings through the system’s control panel. However, don’t tweak settings without adequate knowledge.

Data Throttling

Data throttling is similar to network throttling but can be considered a separate term. It refers to an ISP deliberately slowing down your internet speed, mostly due to:

  • Network congestion
  • Data caps
  • Peer-to-peer (P2P) traffic
  • Economic reasons

For example, if you purchase a monthly 10-gigabyte mobile data plan and exhaust it before the end of the month, your mobile network operator will drastically decrease your internet speed until the next billing cycle.

API Throttling

API throttling prevents flooding the server or network on which an API is hosted with API requests. The technique is used to slow down, delay, or block API requests made by a user or client that exceed the permitted request rate.

For example, a public API such as the Google Maps API is used globally and needs to be up and running at all times. By implementing API rate limiting, the API keeps your traffic in check and promotes system resiliency.

How Throttling Works

There are multiple types of throttling, each using different mechanisms to control the flow of resources or requests. Here’s all you should know about how throttling works.

Mechanisms and Techniques

Let’s start with API throttling. It uses a rate limiter to track incoming requests per API key and delays or rejects requests if they exceed the predefined rate limit.

The rate limit is reset after a specified time. APIs often use API rate limiting to thwart brute force attacks on login pages.

Another popular throttling type, network throttling, uses protocol-based, application-specific, user-based, and time-based mechanisms to reduce available bandwidth.

Here is how the various network throttling mechanisms work:

  • Protocol-based throttling: Protocol-based throttling involves selecting, identifying, and throttling network protocols (such as HTTP and FTP).
  • Application-specific throttling: Application-specific throttling restricts bandwidth for particular apps or services.
  • User-based throttling: This throttling mechanism targets specific users or accounts.
  • Time-based throttling: Time-based throttling temporarily limits bandwidth during peak network usage hours.

Network throttling is particularly useful for ISPs’ bandwidth management.

Monitoring and Detection

To check for CPU throttling on a Windows system, simply access Task Manager and acquire a snapshot of CPU performance. You can then adjust dynamic frequency settings to obtain the ideal balance between system performance and temperature.

Detecting bandwidth throttling is even easier — simply perform an internet speed test using a free tool such as Speedtest or Fast.com. You’re being throttled if the speed is significantly lower than your ISP promised.

You can use a VPN tool to bypass certain aspects of internet throttling. We also recommend using network monitoring tools such as Wireshark or GlassWire to stay on top.

Tip: If you want to implement throttling in your organization, consider using a monitoring tool like NetFlow Analyzer for insights into network traffic patterns. Using this information, you can identify bottlenecks, make adjustments, and enforce throttling policies.

Benefits of Throttling

While throttling raises eyebrows, especially in the case of bandwidth thwarting, the practice has numerous benefits. Throttling helps service providers efficiently manage available resources, maintain system stability and performance, and reduce operational costs. And of course, CPU throttling benefits computer users in numerous ways.

Resource Management

The last thing a service provider needs is resource exhaustion. Let’s take the example of web hosting once again. Some shared hosting plans promise unlimited bandwidth, but this isn’t the case — there’s no such thing as “unlimited” anything due to infrastructure limitations.

resource management illustration

Web hosts offer a fraction of the server’s bandwidth to each website, ensuring no one experiences bandwidth issues (the bandwidth limits are high).

Web hosting providers may also slow down internet speeds for specific websites during peak usage hours to mitigate network congestion and guarantee a smoother hosting experience for all server participants.

Performance Optimization

Along the lines of resource management, throttling controls the rate at which requests are catered to. Limiting the number of concurrent user or client requests prevents server, database, or API overloading, ensuring consistent performance for everyone.

performance optimization illustration

Throttling also permits critical task prioritization.

For example, a video call is more resource-intensive than menial background tasks such as texting — a service provider can use the mechanism to prioritize real-time communication.

Additionally, throttling prevents sudden traffic spikes and helps avoid system crashes and slowdowns.

Cost Management

cost management illustration

One of the most underrated benefits of throttling is cost optimization. For example, a cloud provider could use throttling as a defensive measure to control consumption costs.

By setting a rate limit on calls, consumers won’t be able to use a particular service more times than they’re permitted to, helping the cloud provider avoid unanticipated costs. On the flip side, it may encourage users to buy a higher-priced plan!

Challenges and Downsides of Throttling

Throttling is riddled with challenges and downsides. While throttling is necessary in the grand scheme of things, it could impact the user experience, lead to questions about fairness and neutrality, and potentially degrade performance.

User Experience

Let’s say your ISP guarantees an internet speed of 100Mbps. After testing your internet speed using a tool like Speedtest, you learn it’s peaking at just a fraction of it. You’re bound to get frustrated, especially if you regularly use resource-intensive applications, including video games, video editing apps, and video conferencing apps.

Throttling could negatively impact user satisfaction in these cases. If you’re experiencing a similar situation, here’s how you can take action.

Fairness and Neutrality

VPN solutions such as Proton VPN can mitigate ISP-based internet throttling. Using a VPN can’t help you avoid bandwidth limits or bypass data caps, though.

Wrondoers may use techniques including distributed attacks and IP address spoofing to beat these throttling measures as well — how is this fair for “normal” users?

Additionally, legal and compliance issues may arise. For example, net neutrality laws prohibit ISPs from restricting the content consumers can see, access, or read. However, most ISPs prioritize some traffic, which may lead to debates around net neutrality and equal access.

Technical Limitations

Bad actors are everywhere and will try their best to bypass throttling measures. This increases the overall complexity and cost of implementing throttling, as measures to detect and mitigate such attempts must be put into place.

Throttling also requires regular fine-tuning based on usage patterns, which can be challenging.

Additionally, aggressive throttling (or over-throttling) may do more harm than good, as it could deteriorate performance and restrict legitimate traffic — striking a fine balance is not easy.

Real-World Applications and Case Studies

Now that you know the pros and cons of throttling, it’s up to you to decide whether it causes more good than harm. Here are some real-world applications and case studies of throttling that effectively portray both sides.

Internet Service Providers (ISPs)

ISPs use throttling to:

  • Prioritize certain traffic types (such as video streaming) and service tiers
  • Prevent network congestion during peak times
  • Impose data caps
  • Implement fair usage policies
  • Limit certain content types and services
  • Comply with regulations
  • Manage customer expectations

They don’t have it easy, though, as several notable incidents of public outcry and scrutiny related to throttling practices have occurred.

For example, in 2007, Comcast was found guilty of thwarting BitTorrent traffic and was ordered by the FCC (in 2008) to cease its discriminatory practices.

A more recent example is throttling during COVID-19. Since everyone was at home, internet usage soared, and ISPs had no other option but to implement significant throttling measures.

Users around the world complained of the reduced quality of service, and debates around the fairness of ISPs surfaced.

Cloud Service Providers

Cloud service providers, including Amazon Web Services (AWS), Google Cloud, and Microsoft Azure, use API throttling to maintain API service availability, avert abuse, and ascertain fair usage among customers.

They also provide throttling tools if you want to build your own APIs. For example, the AWS API Gateway offers flexible API rate-limiting features such as steady-state rate limits and burst rate limits.

These features allow you to configure the number of requests clients can make to your AWS-powered API per second or minute.

Mobile Network Operators

Data throttling in mobile plans is pretty annoying. It basically means your mobile network operator will slow down your internet speed if you’ve exceeded a certain usage limit or if you’re in a congested network area.

Such plans tend to include a fair usage policy (FUP).

Definition: Fair usage policies define the amount of data a user can use at top speed before it’s reduced by the service provider.

Approaches such as time-based throttling and application-based throttling may be applied as well. Your provider will send you a notification when the limit is approaching and you can choose to purchase an add-on or suffer overall reduced responsiveness.

Throttling is necessary for effective network management, peak traffic control, and service prioritization. Striking a balance with consumer rights and the principles of net neutrality is complex both in theory and practice.

Here’s an overview of the legal and ethical considerations related to throttling.

Regulatory Frameworks

Net neutrality laws prohibit ISPs from slowing down or prioritizing certain content, apps, or services.

While different governments have varying regulations about throttling and net neutrality, the goal is the same: to protect consumers from unfair practices and avoid discrimination in internet access.

Ethical Implications

If your ISP requires you to sign a service level agreement (SLA), review the throttling conditions and your rights carefully.

Service providers should be transparent in communication with their users and ensure their business motives don’t raise equality and fairness concerns, stifle innovation and competition, and degrade the user experience.

Managing Throttling as a Consumer

More likely than not, your ISP uses throttling to manage your internet connection, particularly during peak use hours. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing if the ISP is on the right side of the law. If you feel your ISP is in the wrong, you must advocate for fair practices — here’s how.

Identifying Throttling

The most obvious method to identify internet throttling is a speed test. Speed test tools such as Google’s speed test and Ookla’s Speedtest are available for free and are reliable.

a screenshot of Google Fiber speed test
Users can leverage speed test tools to check their internet speed.

If you consistently get lower speeds than your ISP advertises (25 Mbps instead of the promised 100 Mbps, for example), you have reason to believe you’re being throttled.

We also recommend using a VPN to check whether your ISP is blocking/restricting certain content types.

Mitigating the Impact

Gather all evidence related to throttling and review the ISP’s terms of service to confirm your analysis. If the ISP explicitly states it engages in throttling or traffic shaping in select circumstances, you may have to find ways to mitigate their impact rather than file a complaint.

We recommend monitoring your internet usage and optimizing it, prioritizing critical traffic, implementing backoff strategies, and using a content delivery network (CDN).

Regularly review your strategies and adjust them accordingly.

Advocating for Fair Practices

If your ISP is indeed throttling your connection, you can advocate for better throttling policies. The first step is to reach out to the ISP directly and seek clarification.

For example, you could request the service provider to increase API rate limits based on your needs. If you see no improvement, consider contacting an affiliated higher authority.

If you know other people who are facing similar issues, consider joining hands and launching a campaign.

You can expect a better balance between network efficiency and fair access to internet services soon. Technological advancements including artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML), 5G, and edge computing are likely to influence throttling practices.

Additionally, stricter regulations and increasing consumer awareness are likely to lead to more transparent and user-friendly throttling approaches.

Emerging Technologies

In the future, we may see 5G networks and edge computing advancements influence throttling practices. New strategies to optimize resource allocation and traffic routing may be the need of the hour.

This is where AI/ML algorithms come into the picture. The sophisticated use of these algorithms could lead to the development of dynamic throttling techniques based on service demand, user behavior, and real-time network conditions.

Trends and Predictions

Collaborations between ISPs and content providers may become more popular.

For example, suppose a popular ISP collaborates with Netflix (which has moved to an edge computing model), content delivery for Netflix-related content will be optimized, reducing the need for aggressive throttling.

In that case, the ISP will automatically become a crowd favorite for improved speed and user experience.

Increasing reliance on technologies such as software-defined wide area networks (SD-WANs) and CDNs is likely as well — they complement and enhance ISP services.

Is Throttling Good Or Bad?

Throttling is a reliable defense mechanism that helps control access to critical resources, preventing overuse or overload. However, there are gray areas in its application, specifically by ISPs.

As long as an ISP conforms with net neutrality rules and local compliance and regulation needs, dealing with slower internet speed during peak use is a fair trade-off.

Throttling is key to power conservation, reduced heat dissipation, and extended battery life. If you feel your ISP is discriminating against access to internet resources or intentionally slowing down your internet speed, reach out to your ISP and try to resolve the issue.

If push comes to shove, file a complaint to a relevant authority (the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in the U.S., for example) and wait for a response — escalate matters if necessary. Remember to gather all evidence and advocate for your rights.