A method performed at a computer system including one or more processors and system memory, the computer system connected to a congestion free network core, the computer system also including a message processor for processing data flows (102, 103, 104) received from the congestion free network core, the message processor associated with a congestion detector, a method for addressing network congestion at the computer system, the method comprising: an act of accessing a subscription bandwidth for the message processor, the subscription bandwidth indicating a quantitative and invariant minimum bandwidth for the message processor; an act of receiving one or more data flows (102, 103, 104) from the congestion free network core, the one or more data flows sent from sending message processors (121, 131, 141) and directed to the message processor; an act of calculating the combined bandwidth of the one or more data flows; an act of detecting the onset of congestion at the computing system; an act of identifying at least one message processor associated with the one or more data flows as a violator of the subscription bandwidth in response to detecting the onset of congestion, the at least one violating message processor being a sending message processor or a receiving message processor of one of the one or more data flows; an act of determining the extent of the violation by the at least one violating message processor; an act of formulating feedback for delivery to sender side adaptive rate limiters that serves to rate limit the at least one violating message processor, the feedback instructing the sender side adaptive rate limiters (123, 133, 143) to reduce the bandwidth of the one or more data flows originating from the at least one violating message processor; and an act of sending the feedback onto the congestion free network core for delivery to the sender side adaptive rate limiters. an act of accessing a subscription bandwidth for the message processor, the subscription bandwidth indicating a quantitative and invariant minimum bandwidth for the message processor; an act of receiving one or more data flows (102, 103, 104) from the congestion free network core, the one or more data flows sent from sending message processors (121, 131, 141) and directed to the message processor; an act of calculating the combined bandwidth of the one or more data flows; an act of detecting the onset of congestion at the computing system; an act of identifying at least one message processor associated with the one or more data flows as a violator of the subscription bandwidth in response to detecting the onset of congestion, the at least one violating message processor being a sending message processor or a receiving message processor of one of the one or more data flows; an act of determining the extent of the violation by the at least one violating message processor; an act of formulating feedback for delivery to sender side adaptive rate limiters that serves to rate limit the at least one violating message processor, the feedback instructing the sender side adaptive rate limiters (123, 133, 143) to reduce the bandwidth of the one or more data flows originating from the at least one violating message processor; and an act of sending the feedback onto the congestion free network core for delivery to the sender side adaptive rate limiters.