# How to Limit Google Maps API Spending

## **1. Sign in to Google Cloud Console**

* Go to: <https://console.cloud.google.com/>
* Select the **Project** where your API Key is being used.

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## **2. Set Up Budget & Alerts**

1. Go to **Billing** → **Budgets & alerts**
2. Click **CREATE BUDGET**
3. Select:
   * **Billing account**: Your billing account
   * **Scope**: Choose **Project** or **Service** (you can target only Google Maps APIs)
4. Set **Budget amount** (e.g., $20/month)
5. Add **Alert thresholds**:
   * 50% → Email alert when spending reaches $10
   * 100% → Email alert when spending reaches $20
   * 120% → Email alert when over budget
6. **Save** the budget

> ⚠ **Note:** Budgets only **send alerts**; they do not automatically stop the API when the threshold is reached.

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## **3. Limit API Request Quotas (to stop overspending)**

To actually **stop charges from exceeding your budget**:

* Go to **Google Cloud Console** → **APIs & Services** → **Enabled APIs & services**
* Select the API you want to limit (e.g., Geocoding API, Places API)
* Go to **Quotas** → adjust **Requests per day** or **Requests per minute**.

Example:

* Geocoding API → Requests per day = 1,000\
  → When the limit is reached, the API will stop responding for that day.

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## **4. Remove or Restrict the API Key when not in use**

* Go to **APIs & Services → Credentials**
* Select your API Key → **Restrict key** to:
  * Limit it to certain domains or IP addresses
  * Allow only specific APIs

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## 💡 **Best Practice Combination**:

* **Budget + Alerts** → Know when you’re close to your budget
* **Quota limits** → Ensure requests can’t exceed a safe amount
* **Restrict key** → Prevent unauthorized use of your API Key


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