A method for controlling network traffic based on a token ring includes: acquiring, by a node that obtains a token, network congestion situation information carried in the token, where the network congestion situation information includes the total number of to-be-retransmitted messages requested by nodes in a current token passing period; comparing the total number of to-be-retransmitted messages requested by the nodes in the current token passing period with a congestion threshold; determining according to a comparison result, the number of messages that can be transmitted; and transmitting messages according to the number. Because the total number of to-be-retransmitted messages requested by nodes in a current token passing period is added into a token to reflect a network congestion situation, a node is capable of reducing the number of messages to be transmitted when a network is severely congested, thereby reducing network load and improving cluster availability.