How can we get help to track down Azure Maps API usage

Lu 40 Reputation points

We are seeing huge increases in our Azure Maps API usage. Growth is ramping up seemingly exponential and we're stuck trying to track down where the requests originate. We can't find much in terms of analytics on Azure Maps to help us track down the origin of the requests and there doesn't appear to be ways to put any usage caps in place to stop the bleeding. Any attempts to get help from MS are ending in support menu hell. I would appreciate any help how we limit the damage and find out what is going on.

  1. Anshika Varshney 13,405 Reputation points • Microsoft External Staff • Moderator

    Hi @Lu

    Did you get any chance to review the response.

    Thankyou!

  2. IoTGirl 3,961 Reputation points • Microsoft Employee • Moderator

    Hi Lu,

    Azure Maps does not have the "origin" IP caller information you are looking for as it is considered private data so our logs wipe any personal information such as IP address. This means creating a support case won't help. However, you can instrument your code to do your own Get Client IP address request in your code before your call to capture that information.

    What is your use case? What is the API that is getting higher use than you expected? This you can find from the Azure Portal and review why you think the numbers are growing. For example, if you are using more tiles than you expect, you can restrict the map view from scrolling around the world and stay between defined zoom levels to reduce tile loads.

    Sincerely,

    IoTGirl

  3. Lu 40 Reputation points

    @IoTGirl Thanks - that's basically what we're doing.

    Regards - Lu

  4. IoTGirl 3,961 Reputation points • Microsoft Employee • Moderator

    That is great Lu. Sorry I didn't have an easier answer for you, but it will be easier to catch many other REST API related things in the future if you have your own instrumentation.

  5. Anshika Varshney 13,405 Reputation points • Microsoft External Staff • Moderator

    Hello @Lu

    Could you please confirm whether it's alright to close this thread?

    Thankyou!

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Answer accepted by question author

AI answer

To investigate and limit unexpected Azure Maps API usage, use a combination of Azure Maps metrics and Azure support channels.

  1. Use Azure Maps metrics to understand usage patterns
    1. Sign in to the Azure portal and open the Azure Maps account.
    2. On the Overview page, review the snapshot metrics (Total Requests, Total Errors, Availability) over different time ranges to confirm when the spike started.
    3. Go to Metrics in the left menu.
    4. In the Metrics pane, select:
      • Metric = Usage to see the usage count over time.
      • Metric = Availability to confirm whether the spike is associated with errors or valid traffic.
    5. Adjust the Time range and Time granularity to zoom in on the period where usage ramps up. Metrics are stored for 93 days, but only 30 days can be queried at a time. If charts appear blank or partial, ensure the selected interval is ≤ 30 days.
    6. Use Filters and Apply splitting on the metric properties (for example, API name where available) to break down usage by property values. This helps identify which Azure Maps service or API (for example, Search, Route, tiles via Web SDK) is driving the spike.
    7. Use Add metric to overlay multiple metrics (for example, Usage and Availability) to correlate spikes with failures or specific operations.
    Once the high-usage API(s) are identified, inspect the corresponding applications or services (web apps, backend services, batch jobs) that call those endpoints and add logging, throttling, or authentication checks there.
  2. Understand which services are likely generating billable transactions Use the transaction rules to narrow down the culprit:
    • Route: 1 request = 1 transaction; Route Matrix bills every four cells (Ceiling(0.25 * origins * destinations)); batch routing bills per query; Snap to Roads bills 1 transaction per request (up to 100 points).
    • Search: 1 request = 1 transaction; batch search bills per location; geocode autocomplete bills 1 transaction per 10 autocomplete requests.
    • Web control (SDK): 1 transaction per 15 map tiles loaded (512×512 tiles), typically ~1 or fewer transactions per map load.
    If the spike is in routing, look for new or expanded routing features (for example, matrix or batch). If it is in search, look for heavy autocomplete or batch geocoding. If it is in tiles, look for pages with embedded maps being hit more often (for example, bots, crawlers, or a popular page).
  3. Use Azure Monitor / Log Analytics (if enabled) to analyze broader usage If Azure Monitor is collecting logs for the applications that call Azure Maps, use Log Analytics to:
    • Identify which components or hosts are sending the most requests.
    • Correlate time windows of high Azure Maps usage with spikes in application logs.
    • Detect unexpected patterns (for example, a single client IP or tenant generating most of the traffic).
    The Azure Monitor cost/usage analysis guidance can also help detect unexpected increases in data volume, which often correlate with increased API usage.
  4. Put controls and mitigations in the calling applications Azure Maps itself does not expose hard usage caps in the portal, so limiting damage is typically done in the client or gateway layer:
    • Implement rate limiting or quotas in the application or API gateway that fronts Azure Maps.
    • Cache responses where possible (for example, tile caching, search result caching) to reduce repeated calls.
    • Ensure keys are not exposed in public repos or client-side code without safeguards; rotate keys if key leakage is suspected.
  5. Engage Microsoft support for deeper investigation For platform-level help (for example, suspected abuse, unclear metrics, or missing analytics details):
    • Use Azure’s Help + support in the portal and create a Technical support request for Azure Maps.
    • For technical questions on Azure Maps features and behavior, use the Azure Maps developer forums.
    For data or address issues (if the spike is related to specific locations or data anomalies), use the Azure Maps feedback site as described in the documentation.
  6. Ongoing monitoring
    • Keep the Metrics charts pinned to a dashboard for continuous monitoring of Usage and Availability.
    • Regularly review transaction patterns by service (Route, Search, tiles) using the transaction rules to anticipate cost and detect anomalies early.

References:

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Answer accepted by question author

Anshika Varshney 13,405 Reputation points • Microsoft External Staff • Moderator

Hello @Lu

I understand how frustrating this can be when usage suddenly increases without clear visibility.

A good starting point is to check Metrics in your Azure Maps account from the Azure portal. This will help you identify when the spike started and look for patterns by applying filters or splitting the data (for example, by API type or request characteristics). This often gives clues about what is driving the traffic.

Also, if your API key is used in client-side apps (browser/mobile), consider whether it might be exposed or reused elsewhere, which can sometimes lead to unexpected usage.

If the source is still unclear after checking metrics, you can try rotating your key and monitoring if the usage pattern changes.

Reference list

Hope this helps!

Thankyou!

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