diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 60141fb..a5abad5 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 # BatchHttp [![CircleCI](https://circleci.com/gh/digitalorigin/batch-http.svg?style=svg&circle-token=d196d5b828e9e0debb5c25f04e7279c1f342d675)](https://circleci.com/gh/digitalorigin/batch-http)
 A tool for processing HTTP request batches through a REST API. It reads the `stdin` for JSON lines representing HTTP requests,
-converts each line to an HTTP and executes it, providing both the request and the response as an output in the `stdout`.
+converts each line to an HTTP request and makes the request, providing both the request and the response as an output in the `stdout`.
 
 For example, when passed a JSON string such as
 ```json
diff --git a/src/main/resources/application.conf b/src/main/resources/application.conf
index e406ca0..05209ee 100644
--- a/src/main/resources/application.conf
+++ b/src/main/resources/application.conf
@@ -9,6 +9,10 @@ flow {
   port = 8080
   path = "/maps/api/geocode/json"
 
+  # requests throughput can be throttled down to a number of requests per second
+  # if no throttling configuration is provided the maximum available is used
+  # throttle = 10
+
   parallelism = 8
   # additional parameters to be inculded in the http query if any
   extra_params {
diff --git a/src/main/scala/com/pagantis/singer/flows/BatchHttp.scala b/src/main/scala/com/pagantis/singer/flows/BatchHttp.scala
index f86d68b..dd85f8d 100644
--- a/src/main/scala/com/pagantis/singer/flows/BatchHttp.scala
+++ b/src/main/scala/com/pagantis/singer/flows/BatchHttp.scala
@@ -3,12 +3,13 @@ package com.pagantis.singer.flows
 import akka.actor.{ActorSystem, Props}
 import akka.event.{Logging, LoggingAdapter}
 import akka.http.scaladsl.Http
-import akka.stream.ActorMaterializer
-import akka.stream.scaladsl.{JsonFraming, StreamConverters}
+import akka.http.scaladsl.model.HttpRequest
+import akka.stream.{ActorMaterializer, Materializer}
+import akka.stream.scaladsl.{Flow, JsonFraming, StreamConverters}
 import com.typesafe.config.ConfigFactory
 import net.ceedubs.ficus.Ficus._
 
-import scala.concurrent.duration.Duration
+import scala.concurrent.duration._
 import scala.concurrent.{Await, ExecutionContextExecutor}
 import scala.util.Success
 
@@ -28,12 +29,24 @@ object BatchHttp extends App {
   val port = config.as[Option[Int]]("flow.port")
   val parallelism = config.getInt("flow.parallelism")
   val frameLength = config.getInt("flow.frame_length")
-
-  // init actor system, loggers and execution context
-  implicit val system: ActorSystem = ActorSystem("BatchHttp")
-  implicit val materializer: ActorMaterializer = ActorMaterializer()
-  implicit val standardLogger: LoggingAdapter = Logging(system, clazz)
-  implicit val ec: ExecutionContextExecutor = system.dispatcher
+  val throttlingConfig = config.as[Option[Int]]("flow.throttle")
+
+  /**
+   * Instantiates a host connection pool ([[Flow[(HttpRequest, T), (Try[HttpResponse], T), HostConnectionPool]]])
+   * and prepends a throttling stage if a throttling configuration is provided.
+   * @return
+   */
+  def requestProcessor(implicit fm: Materializer) = {
+    val throttleOrNeutral = throttlingConfig match {
+      case Some(elements) => Flow[(HttpRequest, Request)].throttle(elements, 1 second)
+      case _ => Flow[(HttpRequest, Request)]
+    }
+    val connectionPool = port match {
+      case Some(number) => Http().cachedHostConnectionPoolHttps[Request](host = endpoint, port = number)
+      case None => Http().cachedHostConnectionPoolHttps[Request](host = endpoint)
+    }
+    throttleOrNeutral.via(connectionPool)
+  }
 
   // This shutdown sequence was copied from another related issue: https://github.com/akka/akka-http/issues/907#issuecomment-345288919
   def shutdownSequence = {
@@ -43,6 +56,11 @@ object BatchHttp extends App {
     } yield akka
   }
 
+  // init actor system, loggers and execution context
+  implicit val system: ActorSystem = ActorSystem("BatchHttp")
+  implicit val materializer: ActorMaterializer = ActorMaterializer()
+  implicit val standardLogger: LoggingAdapter = Logging(system, clazz)
+  implicit val ec: ExecutionContextExecutor = system.dispatcher
 
   val counter = system.actorOf(Props[CountLogger], "counter")
 
@@ -62,12 +80,7 @@ object BatchHttp extends App {
         }
       )
       .log(clazz)
-      .via(
-        port match {
-          case Some(number) => Http().cachedHostConnectionPoolHttps[Request](host = endpoint, port = number)
-          case None => Http().cachedHostConnectionPoolHttps[Request](host = endpoint)
-        }
-      )
+      .via(requestProcessor)
       .log(clazz)
       .mapAsync(parallelism)(parseResponse(_))
       .log(clazz)