specification: FinOps Framework
specificationVersion: '1.0'
schema: https://www.finops.org/framework/
provider: GitLab
providerId: gitlab-ci
created: '2026-05-08'
# Provenance stamped 2026-08-11: this artifact was written by the API Evangelist
# bulk sweep dated 2026-05-08, not harvested from the provider. See roadmap#35.
method: generated
modified: '2026-05-08'
reconciled: true
tags:
- DevOps
- CI/CD
- Pipelines
- GitLab
- DevSecOps
- FinOps
- Cost Management
- FOCUS
description: >-
  FOCUS-aligned FinOps profile for GitLab CI/CD. Costs come from per-seat
  subscription (Free/Premium/Ultimate), CI compute minute consumption (with
  per-tier free allotment and $10/1,000-minute top-ups), storage, transfer,
  GitLab Credits for Duo Agent Platform, and self-managed runner infra costs.
notes: >-
  GitLab dashboards expose CI minute usage per project/group; storage and
  transfer are visible at namespace level. Self-managed runners typically
  carry the bulk of compute spend on cloud-billed underlying VMs.
sources:
- https://about.gitlab.com/pricing/
- https://docs.gitlab.com/ci/pipelines/cicd_minutes/
- 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: GitLab
serviceCategory: DevOps / CI/CD
billingModel:
  pricingCategory: Subscription + Usage
  billingFrequency: Monthly / Annual
  billingCurrency: USD
  chargeCategories:
  - Usage
  - Purchase
  - Adjustment
focusColumns:
  ServiceName: GitLab CI/CD
  ServiceCategory: DevOps
  ProviderName: GitLab
  PublisherName: GitLab
  InvoiceIssuerName: GitLab
  BillingCurrency: USD
  ChargeCategory: Usage
  PricingUnit: seat / minute / GiB
meters:
- name: seats
  description: Active billable users per tier.
  unit: user-month
  aggregation: max
  dimensions:
  - tier
  - namespace
- name: ci_compute_minutes
  description: CI compute minutes consumed against the included monthly allotment.
  unit: minute
  aggregation: sum
  dimensions:
  - project
  - runner_type
- name: ci_compute_topup
  description: One-time top-up of additional compute minutes (consumable balance).
  unit: minute
  aggregation: sum
  dimensions:
  - namespace
- name: storage_gib
  description: Repository, registry, package and artifact storage in GiB.
  unit: GiB-month
  aggregation: avg
  dimensions:
  - namespace
- name: transfer
  description: Egress transfer for Pages, registry, etc.
  unit: GiB
  aggregation: sum
  dimensions:
  - namespace
- name: gitlab_credits
  description: Bundled credits for Duo Agent Platform usage.
  unit: USD
  aggregation: sum
  dimensions:
  - namespace
- name: self_managed_runner_vm_hours
  description: Underlying cloud VM hours for self-hosted runners (cloud-billed, not GitLab-billed).
  unit: vm-hour
  aggregation: sum
  dimensions:
  - cloud_account
  - runner_label
principles:
- name: Visibility
  description: Use the GitLab Usage Quotas page (CI minutes, storage) and namespace-level usage exports.
- name: Allocation
  description: Allocate by namespace/group/project; map to FOCUS BillingAccountId / ResourceTag.
- name: Optimization
  description: Use cache, parent-child pipelines, fail-fast, larger runners on critical paths; switch high-volume jobs to self-hosted runners; right-size CI minute purchases.
- name: Accountability
  description: Assign group owners; alert when CI minutes consumption exceeds plan threshold.
maintainers:
- FN: Kin Lane
  email: kin@apievangelist.com