specification: FinOps Framework
specificationVersion: '1.0'
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/
provider: F5 Load Balancer
providerId: f5-load-balancer
publisherName: F5, Inc.
serviceCategory: Application Delivery / Networking
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: false
tags:
  - Application Delivery
  - BIG-IP
  - Load Balancer
  - Networking
  - Traffic Management
  - FinOps
  - Cost Management
  - FOCUS
description: 'FOCUS-aligned FinOps for F5 BIG-IP load balancer products. Cost is driven by license model
  (Subscription / Perpetual / Flex Consumption Program) negotiated through F5 sales or a reseller; there
  is no per-API-call charge. FinOps levers focus on instance-count, term length, and FCP true-up.'
notes: F5 publishes no list prices; this artifact describes the FinOps shape. Reconcile cost values against
  an active quote.
sources:
  - https://www.f5.com/products/get-f5
  - https://www.f5.com/products/big-ip-services
principles:
  - name: Visibility
    description: Track BIG-IP instance counts (hardware models and VE sizes) per environment; pull FCP
      activity reports quarterly; reconcile against support entitlement records.
  - name: Allocation
    description: Allocate license cost by tenant/business unit via partition/route-domain on BIG-IP, or
      by VE deployment in cloud accounts. Tag VE instances in the cloud provider with team/product.
  - name: Optimization
    description: Right-size BIG-IP VE flavors before renewal; consolidate workloads onto larger appliances
      where TMOS capacity allows; choose FCP for variable demand and Perpetual+Support for steady workloads;
      negotiate longer terms (3-yr) for better unit cost.
  - name: Accountability
    description: Network/platform team owns BIG-IP entitlement; product teams own per-VS configuration
      cost. Annual review of license vs. utilized capacity; quarterly FCP true-up.
domains:
  - name: Understand Usage and Cost
    capabilities:
      - Data Ingestion
      - Allocation
      - Reporting and Analytics
      - Anomaly Management
  - name: Quantify Business Value
    capabilities:
      - Planning and Estimating
      - Forecasting
      - Budgeting
      - Unit Economics
  - name: Optimize Usage and Cost
    capabilities:
      - Architecting for Cloud
      - Rate Optimization
      - Workload Optimization
      - Licensing and SaaS
  - name: Manage the FinOps Practice
    capabilities:
      - FinOps Practice Operations
      - Invoicing and Chargeback
      - Onboarding Workloads
billingModel:
  pricingCategory: Subscription / Perpetual / Flex Consumption
  billingFrequency: Annual (Subscription/FCP), One-Time (Perpetual)
  billingCurrency: USD
  chargeCategories:
    - Purchase
    - Usage
    - Adjustment
    - Tax
  chargeFrequency: Recurring (Subscription/FCP) or One-Time (Perpetual)
focusColumns:
  ServiceName: F5 BIG-IP
  ServiceCategory: Application Delivery / Networking
  ProviderName: F5
  PublisherName: F5, Inc.
  InvoiceIssuerName: F5, Inc.
  PricingCategory: Subscription / Perpetual / Flex
  PricingUnit: instance
  BillingCurrency: USD
  ChargeCategory: Purchase
meters:
  - name: bigip_instances
    description: Count of licensed BIG-IP instances (hardware or VE).
    unit: instance
    aggregation: max
    dimensions:
      - environment
      - region
      - form_factor
  - name: fcp_commitment
    description: Annual FCP commitment $; trues up to actual usage.
    unit: USD
    aggregation: sum
    dimensions:
      - year
      - service
  - name: support_entitlement
    description: Active support contract coverage by service module.
    unit: month
    aggregation: max
    dimensions:
      - service
apis:
  - name: F5 BIG-IP iControl REST API
    baseURL: https://bigip-host/mgmt/tm
    serviceName: F5 BIG-IP iControl REST API
    serviceCategory: API
  - name: F5 BIG-IP AS3 API
    baseURL: https://bigip-host/mgmt/shared/appsvcs
    serviceName: F5 BIG-IP AS3 API
    serviceCategory: API
  - name: F5 BIG-IP Declarative Onboarding API
    baseURL: https://bigip-host/mgmt/shared/declarative-onboarding
    serviceName: F5 BIG-IP Declarative Onboarding API
    serviceCategory: API
unitEconomics:
  - name: Cost per BIG-IP instance / year
    metric: total_license_cost / bigip_instances
  - name: FCP true-up variance
    metric: (actual_usage - committed) / committed
maintainers:
  - FN: Kin Lane
    email: kin@apievangelist.com