diff --git a/package-lock.json b/package-lock.json
index 6b80055..4f388d4 100644
--- a/package-lock.json
+++ b/package-lock.json
@@ -25,6 +25,8 @@
         "@tanstack/react-query": "^5.51.21",
         "@uiw/react-markdown-preview": "^5.1.2",
         "@uiw/react-md-editor": "^3.11.0",
+        "@upstash/ratelimit": "^2.0.3",
+        "@vercel/kv": "^3.0.0",
         "axios": "^1.7.2",
         "bech32": "^2.0.0",
         "chart.js": "^4.4.4",
@@ -5065,6 +5067,48 @@
       "integrity": "sha512-zuVdFrMJiuCDQUMCzQaD6KL28MjnqqN8XnAqiEq9PNm/hCPTSGfrXCOfwj1ow4LFb/tNymJPwsNbVePc1xFqrQ==",
       "license": "ISC"
     },
+    "node_modules/@upstash/core-analytics": {
+      "version": "0.0.10",
+      "resolved": "https://registry.npmjs.org/@upstash/core-analytics/-/core-analytics-0.0.10.tgz",
+      "integrity": "sha512-7qJHGxpQgQr9/vmeS1PktEwvNAF7TI4iJDi8Pu2CFZ9YUGHZH4fOP5TfYlZ4aVxfopnELiE4BS4FBjyK7V1/xQ==",
+      "license": "MIT",
+      "dependencies": {
+        "@upstash/redis": "^1.28.3"
+      },
+      "engines": {
+        "node": ">=16.0.0"
+      }
+    },
+    "node_modules/@upstash/ratelimit": {
+      "version": "2.0.3",
+      "resolved": "https://registry.npmjs.org/@upstash/ratelimit/-/ratelimit-2.0.3.tgz",
+      "integrity": "sha512-BMUpZPZ9IMwrUwohw0HoVAwjBRo5SDb0riAxfCGrLbutuZTPiVagh017Cm3GfhMqwUWLOp0xJQxTCXp812UJVQ==",
+      "license": "MIT",
+      "dependencies": {
+        "@upstash/core-analytics": "^0.0.10"
+      }
+    },
+    "node_modules/@upstash/redis": {
+      "version": "1.34.0",
+      "resolved": "https://registry.npmjs.org/@upstash/redis/-/redis-1.34.0.tgz",
+      "integrity": "sha512-TrXNoJLkysIl8SBc4u9bNnyoFYoILpCcFJcLyWCccb/QSUmaVKdvY0m5diZqc3btExsapcMbaw/s/wh9Sf1pJw==",
+      "license": "MIT",
+      "dependencies": {
+        "crypto-js": "^4.2.0"
+      }
+    },
+    "node_modules/@vercel/kv": {
+      "version": "3.0.0",
+      "resolved": "https://registry.npmjs.org/@vercel/kv/-/kv-3.0.0.tgz",
+      "integrity": "sha512-pKT8fRnfyYk2MgvyB6fn6ipJPCdfZwiKDdw7vB+HL50rjboEBHDVBEcnwfkEpVSp2AjNtoaOUH7zG+bVC/rvSg==",
+      "license": "Apache-2.0",
+      "dependencies": {
+        "@upstash/redis": "^1.34.0"
+      },
+      "engines": {
+        "node": ">=14.6"
+      }
+    },
     "node_modules/@vladfrangu/async_event_emitter": {
       "version": "2.4.6",
       "resolved": "https://registry.npmjs.org/@vladfrangu/async_event_emitter/-/async_event_emitter-2.4.6.tgz",
diff --git a/package.json b/package.json
index 3600c28..0359cad 100644
--- a/package.json
+++ b/package.json
@@ -26,6 +26,8 @@
     "@tanstack/react-query": "^5.51.21",
     "@uiw/react-markdown-preview": "^5.1.2",
     "@uiw/react-md-editor": "^3.11.0",
+    "@upstash/ratelimit": "^2.0.3",
+    "@vercel/kv": "^3.0.0",
     "axios": "^1.7.2",
     "bech32": "^2.0.0",
     "chart.js": "^4.4.4",
diff --git a/src/middleware.js b/src/middleware.js
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..cc3f264
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/middleware.js
@@ -0,0 +1,46 @@
+import { NextResponse } from 'next/server';
+import { Ratelimit } from '@upstash/ratelimit';
+import { kv } from '@vercel/kv';
+
+const FRONTEND_HOSTNAME = process.env.FRONTEND_HOSTNAME
+const FRONTEND_STAGING_HOSTNAME = process.env.FRONTEND_STAGING_HOSTNAME
+
+const ratelimit = new Ratelimit({
+  redis: kv,
+  // 5 requests from the same IP in 10 seconds
+  limiter: Ratelimit.slidingWindow(5, '10 s'),
+});
+
+export const config = {
+  matcher: ['/api/:path*'],
+};
+
+export default async function combinedMiddleware(request) {
+  const ip = request.ip ?? '127.0.0.1';
+  const hostname = request.nextUrl.hostname;
+  const referer = request.headers.get('referer') || '';
+
+  // Bypass rate limiting and referer check for the deployment IP
+  if (hostname === FRONTEND_HOSTNAME || hostname === FRONTEND_STAGING_HOSTNAME) {
+    return NextResponse.next();
+  }
+
+  // Bypass referer check for paths following /link
+  if (request.nextUrl.pathname.startsWith('/.well-known')) {
+    const { success } = await ratelimit.limit(ip);
+    return success
+      ? NextResponse.next()
+      : NextResponse.redirect(new URL('/blocked', request.url));
+  }
+
+  // Apply referer check for all other routes
+  if (!referer.startsWith(FRONTEND_HOSTNAME) && !referer.startsWith(FRONTEND_STAGING_HOSTNAME)) {
+    return new NextResponse(JSON.stringify({ error: 'Forbidden' }), { status: 403 });
+  }
+
+  // Apply rate limiting for all other routes
+  const { success } = await ratelimit.limit(ip);
+  return success
+    ? NextResponse.next()
+    : NextResponse.redirect(new URL('/blocked', request.url));
+}
\ No newline at end of file