503 Error

Service Unavailable

What does this error mean?

This error could mean either that:

> The server is currently overloaded and cannot handle more requests, or

> There has been too many API calls from your location.

Why is there a rate limitation?

> The Software Transparency Foundation aims at providing a free and anonymous API service for Open Source identification. This public API service must be available to all users and, therefore, we must implement throttling mechanisms to ensure a good quality of service. This limit varies based on current load and the limit is currently 10.000 API calls per hour for anonymous users and50.000 API calls per hour for our sponsors.

How can I fix it?

There are three possible ways to solve this issue:

> The easiest option is to slow down your querying rate to make sure you don't get over the limit.

> You could also consider sponsoring the Software Transparency Foundation, which grants you an API key with a higher API rate.

> Alternatively, you could contact SCANOSS who offers commercial subscriptions with guaranteed uptime and availability both Saas and on-prem.