The CoWin API page on API Setu yesterday displayed that it would no longer display slot availability in real-time and instead have cached data that can be 30 minutes old, indirectly shutting down bots that were abusing the online slot booking through CoWin¡¯s API.
Also Read:?CoWin App Crashes: Above 18 Users Report Server Error In Covid Vaccine Signup
The COVID-19 vaccination drive didn¡¯t really start on a good note, when on the day of registration the site just crashed for several users and soon after, several states of around the nation announced that due to the unavailability of doses they¡¯re not going to commence the vaccination drive on May 1 as earlier announced.?
However, some states did vaccinate individuals on day one and more states followed, albeit with limited vaccine stocks. These limited stocks meant people had to be on their toes, always being on the lookout for vaccine slots to get lucky and eventually get vaccinated.?
Some tech-savvy 18-44-year-olds however, decided to act rather smartly and tried to somewhat cheat the system. Programmers used their coding skills and whipped up applications using CoWin¡¯s APIs that allowed individuals to book slots in a matter of seconds, (sites like uner45.in gained popularity) leaving the non-tech savvy folk clueless and without any vaccination slots for them.?
Also Read:?CoWin App: 1.3 Crore Indians Sign Up In 8 Hours, But No Vaccine Appointments
The update was issued yesterday, dated May 5, 2021. This update, as mentioned before, limited the APIs ability to show vaccine slots availability data in real time. This meant that the bots would no longer be able to hit the request for placing the slot at the right time, increasing the number of hits and misses.?
Further, the notification highlights that now the rate limit has been set at 100 API calls per five minutes, per IP. What this means is that if a bot tries to make repeated requests, the IP would be blocked after 100 attempts in the aforementioned timeframe.?
Now people behind CoWin haven¡¯t really gone ahead and said that these changes have been made to limit the bots to have the undue advantage that they had in the first place, but the specific barriers that have now been put into place -- whether it¡¯s delaying of real-time vaccine data or limiting the number of hits -- are surely indicative of that.?
Also Read:?CoWin App COVID Vaccination: App Crash Prevents People From Booking Vaccine
This sudden shift has caused quite the kerfuffle online. Some Twitter users have lauded this move, stating that this evens out the playing field for all of us.
Some however are not happy with the new changes made in the APIs.
Some are still clueless as to why their solution isn¡¯t working as it used to
Do you think using the API to cheat the system was fair or do you think it created an undue advantage for a certain group of people leaving the non-tech-savvy bunch helpless? Tell us in the comments below.?