FAQs

FAQs#

Service Speeds#

What can affect speeds from Street Route?#

  1. The location of the client server.

    The distance between our server to yours will make a difference in overall speed. See here for our current server location list: https://www.melissa.com/company/server-locations-uptime

  2. The current load of our public cloud servers.

    We maintain and make available a large amount of processing capacity. However, all things being equal, the more usage at any given time will decrease overall speed during that time.

  3. Complexity of the route.

    Routes with multiple waypoints or requiring avoidance criteria can increase processing time.

  4. Volume of concurrent requests.

    High simultaneous requests can cause throttling. Proper rate limiting advised.

Throughput Speeds#

When to use real-time vs. batch processing#

  • Real-Time (Single Request)

    • Customer onboarding

    • CRM data entry

    • Checkout or form entry

    • Immediate distance and travel time calculations required for navigation or delivery estimates.

    • Real-time processing essential for user interaction scenarios.

  • Batch

    • Processing a spreadsheet or database

    • Processing historical data

    • Scheduled processing

    • ETL transformations

    • Calculating distances and travel times for large datasets without immediate response.

    • Reducing real-time API usage costs by processing large data volumes in batch mode.

What speeds can you expect?#

Real-Time Speeds#

Response times can vary, but the majority of requests should fall between 100 to 200 milliseconds.

Batch Speeds#
Single-Threaded#

A single-threaded batch process is recommended when:

  • Fast development is a priority.

  • Processing small to medium-sized lists (under 100,000 records).

Expected processing speed is 200,000 records per hour.

Multi-Threaded#

Multi-threading involves sending multiple requests to the web server simultaneously and handling responses as they are returned. This approach can significantly improve performance by reducing the overall time required for processing.

A multi-threaded batch process is recommended when:

  • Processing large volumes of records quickly.

  • Handling large lists (over 100,000 records).

We recommend starting with 5 to 10 threads to avoid rate limiting errors.

Expected processing speed is 2,000,000 to 3,000,000 records per hour.

Note

A single-threaded process remains a viable option for processing larger lists, though it may take longer compared to a multi-threaded approach.

Scaling and Rate Limiting#

Melissa utilizes dynamic scaling to improve throughput speeds during peak usage periods. This behavior ensures that our web services can adjust to changes in traffic and consistently provide optimal performance regardless of demand.

To maintain service stability and prevent excessive load, Melissa enforces rate limiting based on request volume and frequency. For more information, please refer to our rate limiting page: Rate Limiting.

Configuration#

Is the service configurable?#

Yes, StreetRoute Web Service now allows the user to add ‘optional’ request configurations to avoid road restrictions, fixed links such as bridges and tunnels, marine links such as ferries, or request routeTypes such as shortest or fastest route. StreetRoute Options.

Coverage#

What countries are covered by Street Route Cloud API?#

Street Route now serves all countries.

Endpoints#

Is there a SOAP endpoint?#

Currently, there is no SOAP endpoint.

Requests and Responses#

Are XML requests and or responses available?#

No the service is GET JSON or POST JSON only.

Travel Time#

How is Travel Time calculated?#

Currently, the travel time is calculated solely based on point A to point B using any known traffic conditions and route restrictions.

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