appwrite/appwrite · error · Appwrite\Extend\Exception

collection_limit_exceeded

collection_limit_exceeded

Error message

The maximum number of collections for database '%s' has been reached.

What it means

Provisioning the metadata collection hit the adapter's LimitException: the maximum number of collections allowed for this database (per-plan or adapter cap) has been reached, so even the first metadata collection cannot be created. The message names the database ID that exhausted the cap.

Source

Thrown at src/Appwrite/Platform/Modules/Databases/Http/Databases/Create.php:154

        $attributes = [];
        foreach ($collections['attributes'] as $attribute) {
            $attributes[] = new Document($attribute);
        }

        $indexes = [];
        foreach ($collections['indexes'] as $index) {
            $indexes[] = new Document($index);
        }

        try {
            $dbForProject->createCollection('database_' . $database->getSequence(), $attributes, $indexes);
        } catch (DuplicateException) {
            throw new Exception(Exception::DATABASE_ALREADY_EXISTS, params: [$database->getId()]);
        } catch (IndexException $e) {
            throw new Exception(Exception::INDEX_INVALID);
        } catch (LimitException) {
            throw new Exception(Exception::COLLECTION_LIMIT_EXCEEDED, params: [$database->getId()]);
        }
    }
}

View on GitHub (pinned to a1d520eea4)

Solutions

1. Delete unused collections or databases to free quota, then retry.
2. Raise the collections limit in the plan / console settings (or upgrade the plan).
3. Create the new database under a different project that still has quota.

async function canCreateCollections(databases, project) {
  const usage = await project.getUsage(); // compare collections usage/limit before provisioning
  return usage.collections.current < usage.collections.limit;
}
// only provision new databases when quota headroom exists

try {
  await databases.create(dbId, name);
} catch (e) {
  if (e.code === 'collection_limit_exceeded') {
    // free quota: delete unused collections/databases, or raise plan limit, then retry
  }
  throw e;
}

When it happens

Trigger: Creating a database when the plan's collections-per-database cap is already exhausted or zero for the project; project-wide collection quotas consumed by other databases on shared-adapter deployments.

Common situations: Plan downgrades shrinking quotas below current usage; bulk provisioning scripts creating many databases/collections; self-hosted custom limits set too low.

Related errors

• attribute_limit_exceeded
• transaction_limit_exceeded
• transaction_limit_exceeded
• collection_limit_exceeded
• transaction_limit_exceeded

AI-assisted analysis of appwrite/appwrite@a1d520eea4 (2026-08-18). Data as JSON: /api/errors/28f87176b98f2154. Report an issue: GitHub.