diff --git a/plugins/experimental/rate_limit/limiter.h b/plugins/experimental/rate_limit/limiter.h
index 038c295faf1..715cb6316e6 100644
--- a/plugins/experimental/rate_limit/limiter.h
+++ b/plugins/experimental/rate_limit/limiter.h
@@ -224,8 +224,8 @@ template <class T> class RateLimiter
       std::string prefix = metrics["prefix"] ? metrics["prefix"].as<std::string>() : RATE_LIMITER_METRIC_PREFIX;
       std::string tag    = metrics["tag"] ? metrics["tag"].as<std::string>() : name();
 
-      Dbg(dbg_ctl, "Metrics for selector rule: %s(%s, %s)", name().c_str(), prefix.c_str(), tag.c_str());
-      initializeMetrics(RATE_LIMITER_TYPE_SNI, prefix, tag);
+      Dbg(dbg_ctl, "Metrics for selector rule: %s (prefix=%s, tag=%s)", name().c_str(), prefix.c_str(), tag.c_str());
+      initializeMetrics(RATE_LIMITER_TYPE_SNI, tag, prefix);
     }
 
     return true;
diff --git a/tests/gold_tests/pluginTest/rate_limit/rate_limit_metric_names.test.py b/tests/gold_tests/pluginTest/rate_limit/rate_limit_metric_names.test.py
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..85a8fca820e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/gold_tests/pluginTest/rate_limit/rate_limit_metric_names.test.py
@@ -0,0 +1,97 @@
+'''
+Test that the rate_limit YAML metrics node names metrics as prefix.type.tag.
+'''
+#  Licensed to the Apache Software Foundation (ASF) under one
+#  or more contributor license agreements.  See the NOTICE file
+#  distributed with this work for additional information
+#  regarding copyright ownership.  The ASF licenses this file
+#  to you under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the
+#  "License"); you may not use this file except in compliance
+#  with the License.  You may obtain a copy of the License at
+#
+#      http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+#
+#  Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
+#  distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
+#  WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
+#  See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
+#  limitations under the License.
+
+import os
+
+Test.Summary = '''
+rate_limit: the YAML metrics node builds names as prefix.type.tag.
+'''
+
+Test.SkipUnless(Condition.PluginExists('rate_limit.so'))
+Test.ContinueOnFail = True
+
+server = Test.MakeOriginServer("server")
+server.addResponse(
+    "sessionlog.json", {
+        "headers": "GET /health HTTP/1.1\r\nHost: metrics.example.com\r\n\r\n",
+        "timestamp": "1469733493.993",
+        "body": ""
+    }, {
+        "headers": "HTTP/1.1 200 OK\r\nContent-Length: 2\r\nConnection: close\r\n\r\n",
+        "timestamp": "1469733493.993",
+        "body": "OK"
+    })
+
+ts = Test.MakeATSProcess("ts")
+
+# Three selectors: both keys set, only the tag set, and only the prefix set.
+# The defaults are the metric prefix and the SNI respectively, so a swap is
+# visible in every one of them.
+rate_limit_yaml = os.path.join(ts.Variables.CONFIGDIR, 'rate_limit.yaml')
+ts.Disk.File(
+    rate_limit_yaml, typename="ats:config").AddLines(
+        [
+            'selector:',
+            '  - sni: both.example.com',
+            '    limit: 100',
+            '    metrics:',
+            '      prefix: myprefix',
+            '      tag: mytag',
+            '  - sni: tagonly.example.com',
+            '    limit: 100',
+            '    metrics:',
+            '      tag: onlytag',
+            '  - sni: prefixonly.example.com',
+            '    limit: 100',
+            '    metrics:',
+            '      prefix: onlyprefix',
+            '',
+        ])
+
+ts.Disk.records_config.update({
+    'proxy.config.diags.debug.enabled': 1,
+    'proxy.config.diags.debug.tags': 'rate_limit',
+})
+
+ts.Disk.remap_config.AddLine(f'map / http://127.0.0.1:{server.Variables.Port}/')
+ts.Disk.plugin_config.AddLine(f'rate_limit.so {rate_limit_yaml}')
+
+# The metrics are registered by TSStatCreate while the config is parsed, so they
+# are queryable as soon as ATS is up, with no traffic needed.
+tr = Test.AddTestRun("Metric names use the configured prefix and tag")
+tr.Processes.Default.StartBefore(server, ready=When.PortOpen(server.Variables.Port))
+tr.Processes.Default.StartBefore(ts)
+tr.Processes.Default.Command = 'traffic_ctl metric match sni'
+tr.Processes.Default.ReturnCode = 0
+tr.Processes.Default.Env = ts.Env
+tr.StillRunningAfter = ts
+
+tr.Processes.Default.Streams.All = Testers.ContainsExpression(
+    'myprefix.sni.mytag.queued', 'prefix and tag should keep their configured positions')
+tr.Processes.Default.Streams.All += Testers.ExcludesExpression('mytag.sni.myprefix', 'the prefix and tag must not be swapped')
+
+tr.Processes.Default.Streams.All += Testers.ContainsExpression(
+    'plugin.rate_limiter.sni.onlytag.queued', 'an unset prefix should fall back to the default prefix')
+tr.Processes.Default.Streams.All += Testers.ExcludesExpression(
+    'onlytag.sni.plugin.rate_limiter', 'the default prefix must not be used as the tag')
+
+tr.Processes.Default.Streams.All += Testers.ContainsExpression(
+    'onlyprefix.sni.prefixonly.example.com.queued', 'an unset tag should fall back to the SNI')
+tr.Processes.Default.Streams.All += Testers.ExcludesExpression(
+    'prefixonly.example.com.sni.onlyprefix', 'the SNI must not be used as the prefix')