specification: FinOps Framework
specificationVersion: '1.0'
schema: https://www.finops.org/framework/
provider: Blacksmith
providerId: blacksmith-sh
created: '2026-06-20'
modified: '2026-06-20'
reconciled: true
tags:
- CI/CD
- GitHub Actions
- Runners
- Caching
- Docker
- FinOps
- Cost Management
- FOCUS
description: >-
  FinOps view of Blacksmith spend. Blacksmith bills a usage-based, per-minute
  compute model for GitHub Actions runners, metered by runner family
  (Ubuntu x64 ~$0.004/min, Ubuntu ARM64 ~$0.0025/min, Windows ~$0.008/min at
  2 vCPU, scaling with vCPU count; macOS Apple Silicon ~$0.08/min). Each
  account includes 3,000 free minutes per month and 25 GB of free cache
  storage per repository per week. Persistent-storage features (Docker layer
  caching and Sticky Disks at +$0.50/GB/month) and static IPs (+$100/IP/month)
  are add-ons. Because Blacksmith runners are roughly 2x faster and exactly
  half the per-minute cost of GitHub-hosted runners, total CI spend typically
  drops about 75%.
notes: >-
  Per-minute and add-on rates are subject to change; verify against the
  Blacksmith pricing page during reconciliation. No public REST API billing
  exists - spend is governed by minutes consumed and storage retained.
sources:
- https://www.blacksmith.sh/pricing
- https://docs.blacksmith.sh/blacksmith-runners/overview
- https://focus.finops.org/focus-specification/v1-3/
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: Blacksmith
serviceCategory: Developer Tools
billingModel:
  pricingCategory: Usage-Based
  billingFrequency: Monthly
  billingCurrency: USD
  chargeCategories:
  - Usage
  - Purchase
  - Adjustment
focusColumns:
  ServiceName: Blacksmith Runners
  ServiceCategory: Developer Tools
  ProviderName: Blacksmith
  PublisherName: Blacksmith
  InvoiceIssuerName: Blacksmith
  BillingCurrency: USD
  ChargeCategory: Usage
  PricingCategory: Usage-Based
meters:
- name: runner_minutes
  description: Compute minutes consumed by CI jobs, billed per minute per runner family and scaled by vCPU count.
  unit: minutes
  aggregation: sum
  dimensions:
  - account
  - organization
  - runner_family
  - vcpu
- name: free_minutes
  description: First 3,000 minutes per month included at no charge per account.
  unit: minutes
  aggregation: sum
  dimensions:
  - account
- name: cache_storage_gb
  description: Co-located CI cache storage; 25 GB per repository per week included, overflow subject to cache eviction.
  unit: gigabytes
  aggregation: max
  dimensions:
  - account
  - repository
- name: docker_layer_cache_gb
  description: Docker layer cache retained on sticky disks, billed at $0.50 per GB per month.
  unit: gigabytes
  aggregation: max
  dimensions:
  - account
  - repository
- name: sticky_disk_gb
  description: Persistent Sticky Disk storage, billed at $0.50 per GB per month.
  unit: gigabytes
  aggregation: max
  dimensions:
  - account
  - repository
- name: static_ip_count
  description: Dedicated static IPs for runner egress, billed at $100 per IP per month.
  unit: ip_address
  aggregation: max
  dimensions:
  - account
  - organization
principles:
- name: Visibility
  description: Use the Blacksmith CI Analytics dashboard to monitor minutes, cost, and runtime across the team.
- name: Allocation
  description: Map runner minutes to repositories, workflows, and runner families; attribute cache and static-IP add-ons per repo.
- name: Optimization
  description: Right-size runner instance types, prefer ARM64 runners where compatible (lowest per-minute rate), enable cache and Docker layer caching to consume fewer minutes, and stay within the 3,000 included minutes where possible.
- name: Accountability
  description: Review monthly minutes and storage spend against budget; assign owners per repository/workflow.
maintainers:
- FN: Kin Lane
  email: kin@apievangelist.com