# Concepts & Guidelines

This section covers fundamental concepts and best practices for working with the Creators API. Understanding these concepts will help you build robust, efficient applications that make the most of the API's capabilities.

## Topics

* [API Rates and Limits](en-us/concepts/api-rates) - Understand rate limits, throttling, and how to manage your API quota
* [Best Programming Practices](en-us/concepts/best-programming-practices) - Recommended patterns and practices for using the API effectively
* [Common Request Headers and Parameters](en-us/concepts/common-request-headers-and-parameters) - Essential HTTP headers and parameters required for API requests

## Key Concepts to Understand

Before diving into the API operations, make sure you understand:

1. **Rate Limits**: How many requests you can make and how to handle throttling
2. **Authentication**: How to properly sign and authenticate your API requests
3. **Locales**: How to target specific Amazon marketplaces
4. **Resource Selection**: How to optimize your requests by requesting only the data you need
