Docker rate limit exceeded error

What This Error Means

Docker Hub rate-limited your pulls (too many requests).

How to Fix It

1. Login to Docker Hub: docker login (authenticated pulls have higher limits).
2. Reduce pull volume by pinning images by digest and caching layers in CI.
3. Use a proxy/cache registry to avoid repeated upstream pulls (this is exactly what RepoFlow can help with).

Why It Happens

• Anonymous pulls exceeded Docker Hub rate limits.
• Multiple CI jobs share the same public IP and exhaust quota.
• A burst of retries caused a spike in pull volume.

How to Verify

1. Retry the pull after authenticating and confirm it succeeds.
2. Confirm CI no longer spikes repeated pulls for the same base images.

Common CLI Output

toomanyrequests: You have reached your pull rate limit. You may increase the limit by authenticating and upgrading

Prevention Tips

• Use a proxy/cache registry for CI.
• Pin base images and avoid unnecessary docker pull calls.
• Stagger CI jobs if they share the same egress IP.