How can I implement a rate limiting mechanism in a Python web application to prevent abuse and ensure fair usage of API endpoints?

You can use a middleware solution like Flask-Limiter for Flask-based applications to implement rate limiting in a Python web application. It allows you to define rate limits using a flexible syntax and supports various strategies like fixed-window, moving-window, and token-bucket. Configure the rate limits based on IP addresses or user accounts to prevent abuse and ensure fair usage. It's also a generally good practice to provide meaningful error messages when a rate limit is exceeded, informing users when they can make requests again.