diff --git a/nginx/default.conf b/nginx/default.conf
index 257709e..2305017 100644
--- a/nginx/default.conf
+++ b/nginx/default.conf
@@ -121,6 +121,11 @@ server {
         fastcgi_index index.php;
         fastcgi_pass wordpress-fpm:9001;
         include /etc/nginx/fastcgi_params;
+
+        limit_req           zone=nppp_api burst=5 nodelay;   # Apply rate limit; allow burst of 5 with no queuing delay
+        limit_req_status    429;                             # Return 429 Too Many Requests instead of default 503
+        limit_req_log_level warn;                            # Log rate limit hits as warnings, not errors
+
         fastcgi_cache_bypass $skip_cache;
         fastcgi_no_cache $skip_cache;
         fastcgi_cache NPP;