specification: FinOps Framework
specificationVersion: '1.0'
schema: https://www.finops.org/framework/
provider: AWS Lambda
providerId: aws-lambda
created: '2026-05-04'
# Provenance stamped 2026-08-11: this artifact was written by the API Evangelist
# bulk sweep dated 2026-05-04, not harvested from the provider. See roadmap#35.
method: generated
modified: '2026-05-05'
reconciled: true
tags:
  - FinOps
  - FOCUS
  - Serverless
  - Functions
  - AWS
description: 'FOCUS-aligned FinOps for AWS Lambda: pay-as-you-go billing on requests + GB-seconds with
  separate meters for x86 vs ARM, provisioned concurrency, ephemeral storage above 512 MB, and data
  transfer. Compute Savings Plans give up to 17% discount.'
sources:
  - https://aws.amazon.com/lambda/pricing/
  - https://docs.aws.amazon.com/lambda/latest/dg/gettingstarted-limits.html
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: Amazon Web Services, Inc.
serviceCategory: Serverless Compute
billingModel:
  pricingCategory: Pay-As-You-Go + Committed Use
  billingFrequency: Monthly
  billingCurrency: USD
  chargeCategories:
    - Usage
    - Tax
    - Adjustment
    - Refund
    - Credit
focusColumns:
  ServiceName: AWS Lambda
  ServiceCategory: Compute
  ProviderName: AWS
  PublisherName: Amazon Web Services, Inc.
  InvoiceIssuerName: Amazon Web Services, Inc.
  BillingCurrency: USD
  RegionId: varies
meters:
  - name: requests
    unit: request
    aggregation: sum
    dimensions:
      - region
      - function_name
      - architecture
  - name: compute_gb_seconds
    unit: GB-second
    aggregation: sum
    dimensions:
      - region
      - function_name
      - architecture
      - memory_size
  - name: provisioned_concurrency_gb_seconds
    unit: GB-second
    aggregation: sum
    dimensions:
      - region
      - function_name
      - architecture
  - name: provisioned_concurrency_executions
    unit: GB-second
    aggregation: sum
    dimensions:
      - region
      - function_name
  - name: ephemeral_storage_gb_seconds
    unit: GB-second
    aggregation: sum
    dimensions:
      - region
      - function_name
  - name: data_transfer_out
    unit: GB
    aggregation: sum
    dimensions:
      - region
      - destination
  - name: savings_plan_commitment
    unit: USD-hour
    aggregation: sum
principles:
  - name: Visibility
    description: Use CloudWatch Lambda Insights or the built-in Duration / Invocations / Errors metrics
      per function. Cost Explorer breaks Lambda spend by UsageType (Lambda-Edge-Requests,
      Lambda-GB-Second, Lambda-Provisioned-GB-Second, Lambda-Provisioned-Concurrency). The CUR
      records per-function cost when functions are tagged.
  - name: Allocation
    description: Tag functions with team / product / environment cost allocation tags. Use
      function-level tags (not just resource group) so the CUR splits cost by lambda:function-name.
  - name: Optimization
    description: 'Top levers: (1) move to ARM/Graviton2 for ~20% compute savings; (2) right-size memory
      using AWS Lambda Power Tuning to find the cost-minimum point (memory drives both CPU and
      duration); (3) use provisioned concurrency only where cold-start tail latency hurts SLO;
      (4) cap ephemeral storage near the 512 MB free included; (5) buy Compute Savings Plans for
      stable baseline; (6) prefer asynchronous / event-source invocation for non-user-facing
      workloads.'
  - name: Accountability
    description: Platform team typically owns Lambda governance (concurrency quotas, savings plan
      commitment); each function's owning team is on the hook for memory size, runtime cost, and
      cold-start mitigation in their service.
maintainers:
  - FN: Kin Lane
    email: kin@apievangelist.com