specification: FinOps Framework
specificationVersion: '1.0'
schema: https://www.finops.org/framework/
provider: API3
providerId: api3
created: '2026-06-13'
modified: '2026-06-13'
reconciled: true
tags:
  - FinOps
  - FOCUS
  - Blockchain
  - Oracle
  - Data Feeds
  - dAPI
  - OEV
description: >-
  FOCUS-aligned FinOps for API3: costs are incurred as gas-cost-denominated dAPI subscriptions
  purchased on the API3 Market. Mainnet plans are 3-month commitments priced at estimated
  operational gas costs (minimum $0.05/day per feed). Revenue flows back to dApps via OEV
  Rewards — 80% of auction proceeds paid monthly in native chain gas token — making the net
  oracle cost negative for sufficiently active DeFi protocols. Open-source Airnode deployment
  is free; costs are infrastructure (AWS Lambda or equivalent serverless) borne by the API
  provider operating the node.
sources:
  - https://docs.api3.org/dapps/integration/
  - https://docs.api3.org/dapps/oev-rewards/
  - https://market.api3.org/
alignedWith:
  framework: FinOps Foundation Framework
  frameworkUrl: https://www.finops.org/framework/
  dataSpec: FOCUS
  dataSpecVersion: '1.3'
  dataSpecUrl: https://focus.finops.org/focus-specification/v1-3/
publisherName: API3 Foundation
serviceCategory: Blockchain & Data Infrastructure
billingModel:
  pricingCategory: Operational Gas Cost Pass-Through
  billingFrequency: Upfront Subscription (3-month mainnet / 7-day testnet)
  billingCurrency: USD (converted to gas at subscription time)
  chargeCategories:
    - Usage
    - Adjustment
    - Refund
focusColumns:
  ServiceName: API3 dAPI Data Feeds
  ServiceCategory: Blockchain & Data Infrastructure
  ProviderName: API3
  PublisherName: API3 Foundation
  InvoiceIssuerName: API3 Foundation
costDrivers:
  - name: dAPI subscription (mainnet)
    description: >-
      3-month prepaid subscription covering estimated gas costs to maintain the chosen
      deviation threshold and heartbeat for a single feed on a single EVM chain.
      Minimum $0.05/day; actual cost scales with network gas prices and update frequency.
    unit: subscription per feed per chain
    billingPeriod: 3-month upfront
    pricingModel: estimated-gas-cost
  - name: dAPI subscription (testnet)
    description: 7-day free trial subscription on supported testnets.
    unit: subscription per feed per testnet
    billingPeriod: 7-day
    pricingModel: free
  - name: OEV Rewards (revenue)
    description: >-
      Inbound revenue to the dApp representing 80% of OEV auction proceeds captured
      around the dApp's oracle updates. Paid monthly in native chain gas token.
      Recognized as negative cost / revenue offset against oracle subscription spend.
    unit: percentage of OEV auction proceeds
    billingPeriod: monthly payout
    pricingModel: revenue-share-80pct
optimizationOpportunities:
  - name: Choose a wider deviation threshold
    description: >-
      Selecting 2.5% or 5% deviation thresholds reduces the number of on-chain updates
      per period and lowers operational gas costs substantially versus 0.25% or 0.5%.
      Assess protocol sensitivity to stale prices before widening thresholds.
  - name: Enable OEV Rewards
    description: >-
      Deploying a custom OEV proxy instead of the generic shared proxy enables the dApp
      to receive 80% of MEV captured around its feeds, potentially recovering all or
      more of subscription costs for high-TVL protocols.
  - name: Consolidate chains
    description: >-
      Each chain deployment requires a separate subscription. Consolidating liquidity to
      fewer, higher-volume chains reduces total subscription spend while retaining coverage
      where TVL is highest.
  - name: Monitor gas credit rollover
    description: >-
      If actual gas costs fall below estimates, the difference rolls over as credit toward
      the next plan on the same chain+feed pair. Track rollover balances to reduce renewal cost.