Add Support for Persistent Storage (e.g., Redis) in express-rate-limit

[talhariaz324]

Description

The proposed feature aims to enhance express-rate-limit by introducing support for persistent storage, specifically targeting distributed and scalable application scenarios. Currently, express-rate-limit relies on in-memory storage, limiting its effectiveness in environments with multiple instances or microservices. The addition of persistent storage, such as Redis, provides a standardized solution for maintaining rate-limiting state across instances and ensures consistent behavior in distributed architectures.

Why

Scalability: The ability to use Redis or a similar solution for storage would enable applications to scale horizontally, supporting a larger number of servers or instances.

Distributed Systems: For applications deployed in distributed environments, persistent storage is crucial for maintaining rate-limiting state across multiple nodes.

Improved Performance: Redis and other persistent storage solutions are optimized for performance and can offer better response times in scenarios with high request volumes.

Alternatives

Existing Workaround:
Currently, developers resort to custom middleware or external rate-limiting services for persistent storage in express-rate-limit. However, these workarounds introduce complexity, synchronization challenges, and potential costs.

Alternatives

Forking the Library:

• Users could fork the express-rate-limit library and implement custom changes to support their specific storage needs. However, this approach diverges from the main project, making it challenging to stay up-to-date with future releases and improvements.

Creating a Middleware Wrapper:

• Developers could create a middleware wrapper around express-rate-limit that incorporates custom storage solutions. This, however, involves additional development effort and may not seamlessly integrate with the existing API of express-rate-limit.

Rationale for Feature Request:
Existing solutions bring complexities, dependencies and potential maintenance challenges. The proposed feature aims to provide a standardized, built-in solution, aligning with express-rate-limit's simplicity while enhancing scalability and versatility.

@nfriedly, I am interested in contributing to this feature and would like to request assignment. I believe this enhancement aligns with my skills, and I am eager to take on the responsibility of implementing it. If possible, please assign this feature to me. I will make sure to keep you updated on my progress and seek feedback as needed. Thank you! Additionally, I am open to further discussion to clarify any details or address any concerns you may have.

[nfriedly]

Hi @talhariaz324, that's a really good idea - we've actually already implemented it, just in separate modules! See https://express-rate-limit.mintlify.app/reference/configuration#store for a list.

The stores got de-emphasized a bit in our recent reworking of the documentation, so maybe I should go back and make sure they get a call out in the readme, and maybe their own page in the docs website to bring them back to prominence.