SAAS using twitter api

[rahulserver]

I am wondering if twitter allows us to create web based applications where we can subscribe say thousands of users. The application would not in any way violate twitter T&C. For example a web based app which allows users to send automated mentions whenever a user follows their handle.

I fear that if our web based application reaches thousands of subscribers then the no. of api requests being made from the hosted ip would become very large. Will twitter block us in that case? And do I need special permission for that?

I need to evaluate this risk before going for such an app.

[andypiper]

The application would not in any way violate twitter T&C. For example a web based app which allows users to send automated mentions whenever a user follows their handle.

This doesn’t sound like a good idea. We have rules for automation. I’d also suggest you carefully read the Developer Policy and Agreement again to ensure you understand the terms. It does sound like rate limits may become an issue for you, too.

[rahulserver]

@andypiper, thanks for responding and I am not sure why I did not get an email notification for this reply.

I was wondering that how is an application like tweepi able to survive so long. They allow automated following in bulk per day.
Is it that twitter allows for some special kind of “whilelisting” to few applications(while that may not be true for other developers)?

Also in general I want to know that things that may well be under rate limits(for example searching someone’s timeline for specific tweets) are allowed to be exposed to a large audience?
Is there any limit in place to the numbers of subscribers I can have in place if I host a web application on a fixed server?