specification: FinOps Framework
specificationVersion: '1.0'
schema: https://www.finops.org/framework/
provider: Cardano
providerId: cardano
created: '2026-06-13'
modified: '2026-06-13'
reconciled: true
tags:
  - FinOps
  - FOCUS
  - Blockchain
  - Cardano
  - Cryptocurrency
description: 'FOCUS-aligned FinOps for Cardano via Blockfrost: subscription-based API access billed
  monthly in EUR. The Starter plan is free; paid tiers (Hobby €29/month, Developer €79/month,
  Enterprise custom) are the primary cost driver. API calls themselves carry no per-call charge beyond
  the plan quota; excess calls are blocked rather than metered.'
sources:
  - https://blockfrost.dev/overview/plans-and-billing
  - https://blockfrost.io/
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: Blockfrost, s.r.o.
serviceCategory: Developer Tools
billingModel:
  pricingCategory: Subscription
  billingFrequency: Monthly
  billingCurrency: EUR
  chargeCategories:
    - Usage
    - Recurring
focusColumns:
  ServiceName: Blockfrost Cardano API
  ServiceCategory: Developer Tools
  ProviderName: Blockfrost
  PublisherName: Blockfrost, s.r.o.
  InvoiceIssuerName: Blockfrost, s.r.o.
  BillingCurrency: EUR
meters:
  - name: api_requests_per_day
    unit: request
    aggregation: sum
    dimensions:
      - project_id
      - network
      - plan_tier
  - name: ipfs_storage_used
    unit: MB
    aggregation: max
    dimensions:
      - project_id
  - name: subscription_fee
    unit: EUR
    aggregation: sum
    dimensions:
      - plan_tier
      - billing_period
principles:
  - name: Visibility
    description: Monitor daily request consumption per project_id against plan quota via Blockfrost
      dashboard; set up webhooks or alerting before hitting 80% of daily limit.
  - name: Allocation
    description: Create separate Blockfrost projects per environment (production, staging, development)
      to track API usage by workload; use project naming conventions to map costs to teams or services.
  - name: Optimization
    description: Implement client-side caching for immutable blockchain data (confirmed blocks,
      historical transactions) to reduce repeat API calls; use pagination parameters efficiently to
      minimize over-fetching; batch address lookups where possible; stay on the lowest plan that meets
      daily request volume requirements.
  - name: Accountability
    description: Engineering teams own daily quota consumption; finance reconciles monthly EUR invoices;
      plan upgrades require coordination between product and finance when approaching quota ceilings.
maintainers:
  - FN: Kin Lane
    email: kin@apievangelist.com