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Issues with API Limits
We are an IT company and setup Dropbox for a client as an alternative to Google Drive as they were having syncing issues. We have been recommending Dropbox to all our clients up to this point.
We installed a Synology NAS and started it syncing with their Dropbox using Synology Cloud Sync. There was about 100gb of data. They have 5 users on a Business plan with Dropbox.
They quickly ran out of API calls. After numerous support requests and waiting for days in between for answers we finally found out that API limits reset at the start of the month (not the subscription rollover date). So we used a dropbox client to sync all the data up as it doesn't use API calls, paused the Synology Sync program until the new month started and then started it up again.
That went ok until half way through the month when a few thousand files were added to the NAS and the API limit has maxxed out again. This is just normal use, not a lot of data.
Basically what we sold the client is useless because they can't save to their NAS and have it sync to Dropbox without running out of API calls very quickly through normal use.
Apparently with the individual account you get unlimited API calls which seems ridiculous. How can we solve this or do we just give up and move to something else?
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Alexis G.1Super User
AgileLens wrote:
Same problem as everyone else. Also, somehow I was never alerted about the API call limit while I was testing out the trial. Literally got the message about being 'almost out of API calls' a couple hours after comitting to a subscription. Very dissatisfied.
Has been a nightmare the 3 last days with the API calls limitation. Our Synology is not synching so I setup a PC with the Dropbox client and sync manually the Dropbox folder with the NAS folder. It's a nightmare. We will need to move our clients to another solution, we love Dropbox but the APi call limits isgiving us LOT of problems with our clients. Now I have 17 clients with the same ISSUE, I don't if Dropbox changed something in the business plans configs because we has been working fine for months without a single glitch!
It's so sad this situation - the API limit is just too small. No news from the Dropbox Team on this either.
Maybe one day it will appear in their Management Teams graphs showing loss of loyal customers and they will realise what has happened and react.
- Alexis G.1
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ojnet wrote:
It's so sad this situation - the API limit is just too small. No news from the Dropbox Team on this either.
Maybe one day it will appear in their Management Teams graphs showing loss of loyal customers and they will realise what has happened and react.
Yes. very sad. Support is very limited on this issue, they only suggest to upgrade to a 10 account plan in order to get unlimited API calls.
Our clients will not pay at all. I will be expecting several cancellations in the upcoming weeks. 15 min ago I get another loyal customer reporting issues with APi calls and Synology R816
There are reports above that even on the 10 user plan it is not solved. I can't find anywhere that says you get unlimited on 10 user plan. There are 3 types of API and the one that seems to be affecting it is "Data Transport Provider API" which funnily enough only affects paid business accounts (??).
Have a look here... https://www.dropbox.com/plans?trigger=nr
I am in the same boat as you though - even if 10 user plan is unlimited my clients aren't going to front up for something they are not using.
Having to sync from a desktop instead of the NAS took away what was an elegant and effective solution that clients loved.
- Alexis G.1
ojnet wrote:There are reports above that even on the 10 user plan it is not solved. I can't find anywhere that says you get unlimited on 10 user plan. There are 3 types of API and the one that seems to be affecting it is "Data Transport Provider API" which funnily enough only affects paid business accounts (??).
Have a look here... https://www.dropbox.com/plans?trigger=nr
I am in the same boat as you though - even if 10 user plan is unlimited my clients aren't going to front up for something they are not using.
Having to sync from a desktop instead of the NAS took away what was an elegant and effective solution that clients loved.
Standard, Business, Enterprise with 10 accounts don't remove the API CALL LIMIT. you need an special "server integration plan". This is what I received from support:
Here are the requirements for the change to Server Integration plan:
- Advanced or Enterprise plan
- 10 licenses minimum
- Annual subscription
- Bank wire or cheque payment
- Space cap at 5TB (Advanced plan) and 50TB (Enterprise plan)According to Dropbox support, with the above you will get unlimited API Calls.
You are right, we had an really elegant solution, a very innovative way to keep data locally in a great NAS with raid protection with a "backup" in the cloud via Dropbox... allowing local users quick access to NAS in LAN and home users working remotely... pretty nice solution... until now! Kbump!!
Yep, they're definitely losing customers over this. I was doing something of a 'pilot program' for several companies that wanted to follow suit with whatever I deemed the best solution. I was so close to recommending Dropbox... like a day away from writing a report about all the things I like about this setup with NAS with cloud backup. Now that I understand the API call restrictions, it's going to have to be another solution.
Shame, shame, shame.
- Alexis G.1
AgileLens wrote:Yep, they're definitely losing customers over this. I was doing something of a 'pilot program' for several companies that wanted to follow suit with whatever I deemed the best solution. I was so close to recommending Dropbox... like a day away from writing a report about all the things I like about this setup with NAS with cloud backup. Now that I understand the API call restrictions, it's going to have to be another solution.
Shame, shame, shame.
I have 157 clients with this solution (Synology 812, 814, 815, 816) with Dropbox client. So far I have 7 reporting the API CALL limit issue. One main client is our biggest problem now and this is why I'm synching myself manually every 3 hours!!!!
i actually worked out a workaround to this stupid problem:
Because Invidual plans is not limited on API calls i solved it doing this:
- Buy individual plan that can fit your data amount, for exmaple standard 1 TB plan.
- Sync your synology NAS or other software to a folder in your individual plan.
- Share your folder in the individual plan with one or multiple users in the Business plan
- Voila, you now have unlimited sync to business account
Not the best solution, but a workaround....
- Alexis G.1
Tue_W_Nielsen wrote:i actually worked out a workaround to this stupid problem:
Because Invidual plans is not limited on API calls i solved it doing this:
- Buy individual plan that can fit your data amount, for exmaple standard 1 TB plan.
- Sync your synology NAS or other software to a folder in your individual plan.
- Share your folder in the individual plan with one or multiple users in the Business plan
- Voila, you now have unlimited sync to business account
Not the best solution, but a workaround....
It's a good workaround for new setups, but for existing setups is complex to achieve.
Today I have a new client with the same api limit error. Some of our clients just request to remove the Synology link, they will be using access to the Dropbox folder (we are using the subst command) and others will be moving to another solution.
In the case of clients who will keep Dropbox only, we will setup a PC with the Dropbox client in order to keep a local copy of the dropbox files and make the backups to the Synology with regular backup tools.
Yep, nice to see over a year or two later this is still an issue!
While doing support for a NAS vendor and finding this issue, we quickly added support for other Vendor's, its gotten to the point where its not even an issue that is troubleshoot past finding its the API limit thats the cause of the problem, we advise them of the issue, show them how to check if its the issue, then point to multiple thread's about it, and about 90% report they will switch to another solution.
It sucks Dropbox likes losing customers, but hey, I guess the absurd pricing they get that one sucker for to remove this limitation is worth it!
*For what its worth it went up internally and we where still not able to get a resolution from Dropbox since the API limit seems more aimed towards App's, alas, Dropbox was of no help on the PARTNER side either!
EDIT: See screenshot for a good laugh
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