specification: FinOps Framework
specificationVersion: '1.0'
schema: https://www.finops.org/framework/
provider: Car API (carapi.app)
providerId: car-api
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
  - Cost Management
  - Automotive Data
  - Vehicle API
description: 'FOCUS-aligned FinOps for CarAPI: annual subscription tiers (Base, Plus, Premium) priced
  by daily request quota, billed yearly through Stripe.'
sources:
  - https://carapi.app/pricing
  - https://carapi.app/docs/getting-started
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: CarAPI LLC
serviceCategory: Automotive Data API
billingModel:
  pricingCategory: Tiered Subscription
  billingFrequency: Annual
  billingCurrency: USD
  chargeCategories:
    - Purchase
    - Usage
    - Adjustment
    - Refund
focusColumns:
  ServiceName: CarAPI
  ServiceCategory: Automotive Data API
  ProviderName: CarAPI
  PublisherName: CarAPI LLC
  InvoiceIssuerName: Stripe (on behalf of CarAPI)
  BillingCurrency: USD
  ChargeCategory: Purchase
meters:
  - name: annual_subscription
    unit: year
    aggregation: sum
    dimensions:
      - plan
  - name: api_requests
    unit: request
    aggregation: sum
    dimensions:
      - endpoint
      - api
      - plan
  - name: overage_requests
    unit: request
    aggregation: sum
    dimensions:
      - endpoint
      - plan
principles:
  - name: Visibility
    description: Track daily request consumption against the plan quota in the CarAPI account dashboard;
      JWT payload exposes rate_limit_type for soft vs hard tracking.
  - name: Allocation
    description: Issue separate JWTs per consuming application or environment to attribute usage; CarAPI
      bills per account, so application-level chargeback requires upstream tagging.
  - name: Optimization
    description: Cache JWTs and entity responses (using the 'modified' timestamp filter) to avoid redundant
      requests; right-size plan tier (Base/Plus/Premium) to actual daily peak rather than provisioning headroom.
  - name: Accountability
    description: Annual renewal cadence makes plan-tier review a yearly checkpoint; reconcile daily 429
      counts against soft-limit overage charges before renewal.
maintainers:
  - FN: Kin Lane
    email: kin@apievangelist.com