Which of the following are examples of runtime governance policies?

• A. Rate limiting, throttling, caching
• B. Data mapping, transformation
• C. File ingestion, directory polling
• D. User authentication only

Answer: (A)

Runtime governance policies control how the system behaves while it’s running, shaping performance and reliability during operation. Rate limiting sets a cap on how many requests can be processed in a given time window, preventing overload. Throttling acts as a safety valve, reducing throughput when capacity is strained to avoid cascading failures. Caching stores frequently requested data so repeated calls can be served quickly from the cache instead of hitting downstream services, which lowers latency and reduces load. Together, these controls manage throughput, latency, and resource usage at runtime, making them clear examples of runtime governance.

Data mapping and transformation occur as the message is processed to reshape or convert data, not to govern runtime behavior. File ingestion and directory polling describe how data enters the system, rather than rules that control how the system behaves under load. User authentication is a security measure; while important at runtime, it doesn’t by itself illustrate the broader suite of runtime behavior controls like rate limiting, throttling, and caching.